“Just weeks after it introduced the incomparably tiny Nano, Apple has put its high-capacity players, too, on a crash diet. The slimmed-down 30- and 60-gigabyte iPods, $299 and $399 respectively, replace all other high-capacity iPods, which virtually owned the market for large-capacity music players,” reports Consumer Reports. “The new players are the first iPods with the capability to play videos. They also allow consumers to purchase music videos and TV shows off the Internet (using a new version of Apple’s iTunes software).”

“The video playback provides an intriguing and involving experience. But more important to many consumers is what the new iPods offer as music players: less bulk and more storage capacity for the buck than their predecessors,” reports Consumer Reports. “Our tests of the new 30-GB model did turn up some drawbacks. Among them is a durability problem that arose with some of the Nanos: a scratch-prone screen. In an informal test, we found the screen on the new iPod softer than the one on previous high-capacity iPods; we could easily scratch it with fingernails.”

“The new iPod is no better than competent as a video player, with limitations in display size and quality, and battery life… But it’s an engaging way to watch rock videos and the like. And when it comes to playing music, Apple has taken an already fine player and made it even better. We recommend the $299 30-GB iPod as the first choice for most people for a high-capacity MP3 player. If you have a very large music collection or want maximum battery life, consider the 60-GB version. And only those who need a player with a radio or voice recorder need turn to other brands, some of which offer models with those features and may cost a little less overall,” reports Consumer Reports.

Full article here.

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Try as we might, we can’t find these “scratch-prone” iPod nano or iPod screens. Every single one we’ve touched has a screen that seems identical in “scratch-ability” to previous iPod models like the 3rd and 4th generation iPod for example. Perhaps this whole screen scratch thing is a case of people looking very hard for something they’ve heard about and making it so? We can almost hear them in the test lab, “Hey, Mike, everybody’s talking about this ‘iPod scratches’ issue.” “Yes, Joe, we’ll have to take a good close look at the scratching issue and write about it in our iPod review.”

We feel that this whole “iPod scratches” issue has become more of a group-think psychology event than a physical reality. Loch Ness Monster? Bigfoot? Now, that’s not to say that some batch of “soft” screens aren’t out there somewhere, but we’ve simply seen no proof. iPod screens are not impervious to damage, just as no other portable device screens are indestructible; they never were. If you want your iPod to remain pristine, get a protective case for it as usual.

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