“The world’s most popular line of portable music and video players has some chinks in its armor. Or, more to the point, some scratches on its screen and some pretty deadly dents on its cover,” Chris Seper writes for The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Apple’s elegant iPods, lauded for their simplicity, come with a pretty specific list of glitches and annoyances. There’s an entrenched battery in some models that’s difficult to replace. Owners often fret about dents and scratches that can do in their device and violate the warranty. Thousands of holiday shoppers have already scooped up iPods. But gift-givers may want to include directions to a ‘Genius Bar,’ the technical-support station in all Apple retail stores.”

“Most shoppers haven’t even heard of iPod’s competitors but are drawn in by a vibrant ad campaign or hundreds of rave reviews,” Seper writes. “Some iPod owners complain of having to regularly reset their device because it freezes. Owners of early models of the iPod Nano griped that it scratched too easily, although Apple says the device is made of the same substances as its larger cousin, the iPod. There is one killer problem: A handful of customers who brought dented iPods into Legacy Village’s Genius Bar learned that the damage rendered it unusable and, sometimes, violated their warranty.”

Seper writes, ‘Pod supporters say naiveté may be the device’s biggest enemy. Many new iPod users are unfamiliar with digital music, said Marv Leventhal, president of the Northeast Ohio Apple Corps, a Strongsville Apple club. ‘If there is a learning curve, it’s from learning to transfer music from CDs and get them on an iPod or use the iTunes software,’ Leventhal said. He has two iPods – a 30-gigabyte model and an iPod Nano – and hasn’t had any trouble. ‘Apple basically takes technology and makes it both cool and easier to use,’ he said.”

Full article here.
A handful of “dented” iPods in Cleveland. Okay, Apple should fix that minor glitch, of course. Who dropped that box during shipping?! The “screen scratching” issue is a canard. Rub a few brain cells together, get a nice iPod case, and protect your valuable electronics. Should Apple somehow make iPods indestructible? Some say they already pretty much have done so. Ars Technica couldn’t stop an iPod nano from playing by driving a car over it… twice. The battery issue is another canard. Learn how to maximize the lifespan and battery life of your iPod, iPod nano or iPod shuffle here.

Naiveté certainly is one of iPod’s biggest enemy, as are “writers” with certain agendas, but it definitely hasn’t hurt sales. And what’s the point of Seper’s piece, exactly? To doom the good people of Cleveland (Cleveland rocks!) to also-ran devices that work with also-ran online music outifts that may or may not be operating by next Christmas? To fill some space in Cleveland’s local paper? Is Serpent’s email inbox a little too empty lately? We can fix that one for him. Take this article for what it is: a made-up collection of myths, a handful of issues overblown by hyperbole, and outright FUD (Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) is a sales or marketing strategy of disseminating negative, but vague or inaccurate information about a competitor’s product). There’s a reason that “hundreds of rave reviews” have been penned about Apple’s iPod+iTunes+iTunes Music Store.

To reach Chris Seper, Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter:
cseper@plaind.com

Advertisements: The New iPod with Video. The ultimate music & video experience on the go. From $299. Free shipping.
Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.00.
Apple iPod nano. 1,000 songs. Impossibly small. From $199. Free shipping.
iPod shuffle starting at $99. Free shipping. Free Engraving only at the Apple Store.
Free shipping on select iPod accessories under $50.

Related articles:
Thurrott: Apple’s ‘stunning’ iPod lineup fits every need and budget – December 07, 2005
Apple’s new video-capable iPod’s resplendent screen bright, sharp, and colors really pop – December 05, 2005
TV Critic: Apple iPod video strikingly bright, crisp, very fluid; TV will have to reorient itself – October 27, 2005
Thurrott: Apple iPod ‘the new standard by which all are measured – highly recommended’ – October 26, 2005
Chicago Tribune: Apple’s new iPod is a showstopper – October 26, 2005
PC Magazine review gives Apple’s new video-capable iPod 5 out of 5 stars – October 21, 2005
CBS News: New iPod shows ‘Apple will continue to dominate portable digital media player market’ – October 21, 2005
USA Today: Apple’s new iPod + video: world’s foremost portable music players have gotten only better – October 20, 2005
Comprehensive review of Apple’s iPod 5G with Video – October 20, 2005
Ars Technica reviews Apple’s new video-capable iPod – October 20, 2005
NY Times Pogue: ‘watching video on new iPod’s 2.5-inch screen is completely immersive’ – October 19, 2005
Watching episode of ABC’s ‘Lost’ on 2.5-inch iPod screen surprisingly compelling – October 13, 2005
Using QuickTime Pro to create videos for playback in new Apple iPods – October 13, 2005
Apple unveils new 5th generation iPod, now plays music, photos, and video – October 12, 2005