MacDailyNews - Where Mac news comes first

If the other Steve hadn't fished his nano out of his watch pocket at its introduction this sort of "opinion" would have more weight. Disclaimers are common in advertising. Jobs should have mentioned "don't do this at home", or else expect that many would.

My nano screen is loverly, all it warnts is a case samwhere, far away from a scratch or tear.

There is definitely truth to this issue, and the choice of materials for the Nano case is a design flaw. Otherwise, Apple support would not be saying "they are looking into resolving this issue." Call your local Apple stroe and ask an employee how many returns they've taken in.. or better yet, go and visit your local Apple store and take a look at the Nano's on display. They look like HELL! No, I'm sorry the full sized white iPods and Mini's never had this problem. This is specific to the Nano.

To SteveJack: Have you seen the Nano commercial? I'm sure you have... Try flipping your nano around in your hands for a few minutes like the magician does in the commercial.. After that put the nano in your coin pocket of your levi jeans and walk around for five minutes. Don't shove it in there with keys. Simply place it in their comfortably. Go ahead... DO it... I dare you! Then come back here and tell me that the scratch issue is all FUD!

If you go and look at the Apple discussion boards, you'll see tons of posters there with only 1 total posts in there making all kinds of ridiculous claims about nanos with scratches. I'm beginning to think that most of this is bogus. All I know is that I own a nano and it hasn't been any more scratch prone than my 20GB iPod has been. I've put my nano in my jeans pocket several times (with no coins or keys with it though of course) and it hasn't scratched it at all.

the iPod Nano screen gave me cancer
and burned down my house
and called my wife an ugly cow
it broke when i shot it with my .22 gauge

i want a refund

It's all FUD! Morons who sit on the Nano deserve a busted Nano!

The thing that gets forgotten in all of this "controversy" is that it's possible to go to almost any hardware store and get a polymer-based "glass polish" that will remove the scratches. Then, after you polish out the scratches, put the f***ing thing in a case, dammit!

MW: "part", as in, if these whiners would just use a tiny part of their tiny brains...

Lance, I agree with you about the Apple discussion board, I'm sure there are a lot of bogus posts, maybe by the competition. Most of these have been done in the last couple of days since this story began catching the attention of the media, but that does not change the fact that there are at least 350 posts by longtime posters like myself with legitimate concerns and claims.

As for your Nano, well all i can say is you are one of the lucky ones, because mine is very disappointing.

You shouldn't have to buy "glass polish" just to be able to delicately handle an electronic device.

As far as a case, well if it's mandatory to have a case (and it appears that it is) then it should not be an optional accessory, it should be included in the box. And cases should have been available from day one of the Nano's introduction.. Apple dropped the ball on this one.

The black nanos are very bad about showing fingerprints, but I haven't noticed any real issues with scratches though and I've had mine for over 2 weeks now. This "issue" with scratches is being blown way, way out of proportion. I have no idea what the motivation is behind it, but it does smell of FUD and propaganda. I too have noticed that almost all of the posts on Apple's boards are being made by new users with no previous posts too.

My nano screen is loverly, all it warnts is a case samwhere, far away from a scratch or tear..

My dad always claimed that Audrey Hepburn was actually singing, "Wouldn't t*ts be loverly." Hmmm....

Like 'monomonop', I too have experienced an onslaught from the seemingly innocent little iPod Nano I purchased:

The Nano killed my best mule.
The Nano ate my homework.
The Nano threw a spanner in the hole.
And finally, the Nano stole my car keys, went out on a drunken rampage and wrecked my new car.

What is Apple going to do about this!?!

SJ,

While I agree that this could all just be FUD about iPod nano (mine has no such problems) I REALLY, REALLY agree with you 100% about Evangeline Lilly!

The problem - such as it is - is probably not related to the materials as much as its related to the torsional stiffness of the nano as a complete unit.

The classic iPod, the mini, even the shuffle all have enough depth relative to their other dimensions to negate any twisting forces. The nano - as likely as not - doesn't.

I would have imagined that whilst its not easy to subject a nano to manual forces that would cause the problems that people have mention, it is possible under freakish accidental circumstances to have any components that aren't directly on the major internal board (which probably means the battery and the screen) lose connection or fail.

And to prove my point, a similar thing has recently happened to the screen on my flip/twist Sony Clié which is a hell of a lot more solid than a nano.

On another note: MDN has be very careful that its editorialising doesn't get influenced by its status as an Apple Store affiliate. At my age, I now naturally belong to the grand community of cynics - so when MDN (or anyone else with a vested interest) starts putting up this kind of piece, my first thought is to treat it as propaganda. Just a thought.

It is Plastic - All plastic scratches - wait....almost any surface scratches. My watch crystal is all scratched up - you CAN'T Stop Scratching.

My 60GB iPod in a case still got scratches.

Still don't believe that all things scratch? Look at this keys in your pocket I'm sure that they have many scratches on them.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm one of the dorks who actually DOES carry it in the coin pocket of my Levi's. Why? Well cos there aren't any nano accessories yet. Well, there's that armband, but I'll be damned if I'm going to wear that thing.

My screen has gotten a little scratch here and there, just like the rest of the unit. Nothing major, nothing unexpected and it has NOT happened while in my pocket. Those scratches are from setting things on it while it's laying on my comforter and I accidentally throw change down or something... etc.

What material are the pants these people are wearing made of?! Steel wool? Sandpaper? Copper mesh (Choregirl)? I don't get it.

Electronics scuff, they scratch, they're rugged but not indestructible.

Whatever,
There are ways to reduce the amount of scratching on different substances. Since you bring up the example of a watch crystal, well, my watch crystal is pretty much scratch resistant (sapphire crystal), as is my watch band (tungsten carbide). There are different types of substances that can be applied to make a screen less susceptible to to scratching. There is a certain amount of scratching that is acceptable. In this case, it sounds like the nano screen's resistance to scratching is unacceptable, especially when compared to other iPod models.

Umm Folks, I know this is hard for you all to accept, but this is not the first time Apple has blundered in choosing materials for one of their products.

Remember the orignal Titanium Powerbook? Yeah, they began chipping weeks after they were released. Apple quickly changed materials for the next revision.

Apple is not always perfect people. Sometimes the lines between form and function get blurred with Apple. There is no need to criticize people who put out good money for a product that can not withstand casual handling.

The protective coating used on the Nano is brand new to the iPod. Steve Jobs said so himself in Time magazine.

Drink some water, take a deep breath and accept the truth. Apple is not perfect

I'm thinking that those actually having issues has more to do with the LCD screen having excessive pressure placed on it more than anything. If you press hard enough directly on any LCD screen, it will cause a lot of the kinds problems that are being described. But simply placing it in your pocket won't do that unless your pockets are very tight and you're simply putting too much torque or pressure on the screen. It just makes me wonder what some of these people are actually doing to them (unless they're just flat out lying about it in the first place) to cause this kind of alleged damage.

And yes I do own one myself. I bought a black one back on the 9th and it looks fine aside from the fingerprints it collects, but I just wipe it down with a cloth afterwards to get rid of those. I must say I have no noticeable scratches or nicks on it at all so far and it's been used daily since I got it.

"What material are the pants these people are wearing made of?! Steel wool? Sandpaper? Copper mesh (Choregirl)? I don't get it."

To rjwolfx, that's just it, normal cotton fibers are scratching this thing to all hell. I could obviously understand if sandpaper or steel wool were up against my iPod that it would get scratched.... But cotton? Kleenex? Come on already.

Mike- another materials expert.

I remember when the iPod just started and everyone complained that the metal back scratched too easily - Amazing that that has never changed and no one cares about that anymore.

Yeah they can make it scratch free but they would cost $1000 - I will deal with scratches.

John, I don't think you get it... I was quoting rjwolfx.

I think the biggest mistake that Apple made was not having the "Nano tubes" available when they were ready to ship the Nano. I have been looking for cases ever since I ordered mine, and they are just now becoming available. I ordered a silicone case from Zcover which should get here by the end of the week.

My black Nano has two scratches so far; the first one was careless on my part, the second one happened when I tried to rub a smudge off with my thumb. I must have had some dirt on my thumb. I plan to get some polish and remove both scratches prior to putting it in the silicone case.

They are easy to scratch, but I also think this is been blown way out of proportion.

To whatever: well it's easy to forget about scratches on the back of your iPod, but when they are all over your display and it gets difficult to view photos and read text, it's not so easy to forget.

All the iPods scratch - way too much. I'm extremely careful with my 30GB photo and it still has scratches.

A case should not be mandatory and if it is, it should be included with the product.

Another part of the problem is this: there were no cases available for the Nano when it became available! Apple kept the Nano such a secret that no third-party protectors were available for several weeks. In the meantime, one wrong move (putting a new Nano in a pocket with a coin) is all it takes to scratch the display.

A second problem: I also have a 20 GB iPod that hasn't gotten scratched in more than two years. However, it is too big to put in my pocket. The Nano just begs to be pocketed, and hence is at much greater risk of being scratched.

The problems are not design flaws. They are "features" of the small design and a result of Apple being too secretive.

Remember Vinyl records. Leave one in a hot place. Drop one on the floor. These things scratched sooo easily but they were around for many years..

PS - it doesn't need to be scratch proof - just scratch resistant (like your cell phone).

I had a palm pilot and wrote on it with the stylus and the screen started scratching to where i could not input data anymore..IT IS PLASTIC folks Plastic Easily Scratches. I'm sure that your Creative Zen doesn't scratch (Oh wait they didn't sell any) or Nobody wants to show them to anyone else because they are too embarrassed that they bought one.

Sure...cotton fibers are causing scratching of nano screens. This has to

be horse manure if I ever smelled it. My eyeglasses are made to

be cleaned with cotton fibers, and they are made from polymer. The

iPod nanos I saw at the new Apple Store in San Antonio were smudged

with fingerprints...duh...but I saw no scratches at all on the display

models.

These reports of scratches caused by cloth are not FUD--they're

bullshit, just like the MS executive who claimed his nano stopped

working the day after he bought it "because of moisture issues." Uh

huh. Right.

Put ANY piece of plastic in your pocket for a while and it'll get scratch marks. Would you rather pay for a Nano made of the same material as a Rolex crystal? Say----30 dollars more?

The main reason all this is happening is because "Apple makes fabulous product, customers happy" isn't news, it's what happens everyday. So if 0.01% of nano users are experiencing problems (which may or may not be related to unreal expectations of durability) they are the ones who are going to get all the publicity.

Put that supposedly scratch resistant cell phone in you pocket and let me know how long before it has scratches.

Scratch resistant plastic is the same as lint free cloth.

"If the other Steve hadn't fished his nano out of his watch pocket at its introduction this sort of "opinion" would have more weight. Disclaimers are common in advertising. Jobs should have mentioned "don't do this at home", or else expect that many would."

Ok I'll ask yet again...then explain to me how (if they're as delicate as some here claim) that the nano survived for a full 45 or so minutes in Steve Jobs' jeans pocket prior to him pulling it out to show it off? The one he had on stage was working just fine as he held it up to the audience with the screen on, even after having been in his pocket for an extended period of time. Why wasn't it broken then if they're so delicate?

Yes, my cell phone will scratch IF I put in it in the same pocket as my

Swiss Army knife, keys, or coins. Metallic objects will surely scratch the

heck out of plastic.

If I pay in the neighorhood of $200 for something and I don't want it to

get scratched, I darn well make sure I don't put it anywhere where it will

get scratched.

When I take my glasses off my face, I never put the lenses face down

on any surface, nor do I place them in contact with anything that could

possibly scrach them.

Concerned about scratches on your iPod nano? Protect it.

This is my 5th ipod. Previously, keeping my ipods in my pocket (every day) resulted in minor scratches that were simply aesthetically unpleasant. I understand that having a case would avoid this, but unlike some others, i only care about the functionality. I placed my mini in my pocket every morning for the last 6 months (with change, keys etc). It got a little beat up, but it was still completely usable. The person i sold it to was actually amazed with the limited number of scratches on the screen. I sold my mini to my co-worker to enable me to justify buying the nano. Within two days of using my nano in my pocket (without the change this time because i read all the scratch rumors) the "time remaining" section of the screen was unreadable. There were so many micro scratches and general blurriness that i had no idea what it read. This of course also made viewing pictures look absolutely horrible.

I'm very annoyed by all of the people that say "get a freaking case you idiot".

1. I've had 4 other ipods with no case and no usability problems.
2. I've been to the apple store 3 times since buying my nano and there are still no available cases.
3. A consumer product shouldn't REQUIRE and accessory for every day use.

Please be realistic people. I'm an avid supporter of apple. I've spent many thousands of dollars on their products. I've converted many of my co-workers and friends to the light side of the force =). Apple, however, is not infallible. I don't know if its EVERY nano screen or just some from a particular production run. But having an unreadable section of the screen from two days in an otherwise empty pocket is unacceptable.

Luckily, i happened upon a hint that worked solved my problem. Brasso metal polish removed 100% of my scratches. It sucks that I will have to use polish on a consumer device for the next few weeks, but the case that i want won't be available until october. When that case comes in the mail, I will polish it once again and hopefully all will be well. The scary thing to me is this. If it is so fragile that even sweatpants can scratch it, will the case itself scratch it?

I also have a hypothesis about these problems. I believe that apple was smart enough to test the durability of the nano. I'd bet money that Steve has been using one for quite a while now and he would have noticed the scratches. I hypothesize that this is a manufacturing error. There seem to be many people on this forum that have the nano and don't have this problem. I am SURE that if they had the same nano that I have, they would be quite pissed at how easily it scratches. So I believe that during the manufacturing process a certain percentage of the nanos were created "underspec". Maybe the temperatures were wrong during the curing phase of the plastic manufacturing. I'm no chemistry expert, but I believe that something like this is quite possible. Some of us got scratch softscreen nanos and some of us got hardscreen nanos. They just have to work out how to keep them all to spec.

Anyway, that's my two cents...

haha. i'm amazed by all of the grammatical errors in my previous post =)

2 folks I know have nanos and both have screen scratches already. Neither uses a case.

Scratched chassis is one thing - it doesn't affect usability. Scratched screen is another. If they aren't designed to be used within reason (certainly the way Jobs DEMONSTRATED it at its unveiling) as-shipped, then a screen-protector or two should come WITH the thing.

If this isn't addressed, sales could slip. Then again, nothing seems to hurt iPod sales, so maybe the masses will just keep buying and squinting.

Its a well known fact that Steve Jobs pockets are lined with 100 dollar bills, thats why.

Hey, I'm pissed at Apple.

When I drag my G5 tower down our asphalt street behind my car, the

aluminumn case gets scratched like you wouldn't believe. When is

Apple going to stop making their machines out of inferior materials

and give me something that is durable??!!

Conspiracy theories are much more fun to talk about than facts....

On all of my electronic devices that have LCD screens, I put on a protective plastic LCD cover so that they don't get scratched. I've had 2 cell phones get their LCD screens scratched and also a screen on my calculator.

All of these people who have iPod Nanos and other electronic devices should go out to Ritz Camera (other places also carry them) and buy a pack of LCD screen protective covers like I did.

One more comment. On my iPod nano, I left the plastice cover that came on it from Apple, on it. The click wheel works fine and it does a great job of protecting the whole front of the Nano.

The name of the package of LCD screen savers I bought is called "Screen Savers" by Universal. You get about 20 plastic covers, and a knife to cut them to size. You then peel off the cover and it sticks perfectly to your LCD screens.

- Mark

The point is that you shouldn't have to buy an accessory just so that you can use the nano in the way it was intended, especially since the previous iPod models didn't have the same amount of problems.

Whatever,
I have been putting my cellphone in my pocket for about two years and there are no scratches on it. I've had my iPod for about two years and have been very careless with it, and it still has a very minimal amount of scratches on it.


508 Red Devil,
I hope you don't actually think your analogies are in the least bit relevant to anything.


These complaints are not intended to damage Apple or its reputation. They are intended to make a great product even better. All of you that think problems like these should just be ignored should realize that addressing these problems are the only way to fix them. Instead, it seems like you'd rather have a 'good enough' product instead of the best product, which makes me surprised you even like Apple in the first place.

"if a case would help protect it, it should have come with a case....." "if a protector would help protect it, it should have come with a protector....."

It did, you morons. As another poster noted, it came with a nice clear protective strip. I've left mine on both my black 4gb nanos pending the arrival of my third party cases. In the meantime, they are both in and out of pockets and the cupholder in my car.

I've had every model of iPod; they all scratch, just like every phone I've had. Every remote control with a screen. Every car steroe head unit. If you care, you protect them. Period. And the notion that Apple should subsidize carelessness with some one-size-fits-all case, please. I'd rather Apple not include a case and let me choose my own. Apple dropped the ball on this? Please, they made cases available. I just didn't like them. I've backordered my Speck cases, because those are the ones I want. That delay is not Apple's fault. Go cry in your sandbox somewhere else.

If I remember correctly. ARS Technica did a nice write up on the iPod nano where they totally destroyed it. From their stress testing part of the article the iPod seemed to a have taken a far rougher time before the screen cracked then just tossing it in the pocket. So what's up with all these "I dropped it in my pocket and it came out broken" reports.

Here is a link to the stress testing part of the ARS Technica article.

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars/3

I don't believe it's FUD. My mom had hers in an iPod Sock in her purse for 5 hours, and the screen became unbelievably scratched.

frustrated:

I'm sorry you think my analogies are irrelevant to the discussion.

Let's see if this helps. I have had a Nokia phone with a plastic cover over the screen, and I kept it in the same pocket as I carry my large Swiss Army knife. Guess what? The screen got scratches on it.

I now have a Samsung flip phone, keep it in the same pocket with my knife, and though the outside of the phone gets scratched, the screen inside has stayed pristine.

I absolutely do not believe that the cloth in people's pants pockets are imparting substantial scratches on their iPod nano screens. If you want your nano screen to stay pristine, wrap it in velvet (but not the abrasive kind) and keep it away from materials that could possibly cause scratches.

Or just consider the scratches the screen gets to be a beautiful patina.

Or get a shuffle. Voila!

sorry folks but it is true, the nano scratches so easily it is amazing. I put mine in the back center of my Nike running shorts and after one run with the Nano back there all alone, i have scratches on the screen and back. I am on my fourth iPod. I love the Nano but it has to be fixed. Quick.

Just to clarify, I intended to say the plastic cover on my Nokia non-flippable phone got scratches on it, not the screen itself.

I do not have problem with 4G iPod and nano screen. I did not peel off the nano plastic film and got a protective case for iPod. I think because the ipod screen is bigger then nano, so the same size of scratch on nano compare to ipod can be easily visible to a lot of people. It is like I look at a scratch on 4G iPod screen with a manifier glass. The nano screen is higher resolution than 4G iPod. ++ The most important factor in this equation is the fact that many people use the nano to look up for photo verse a lot of 1G-4G iPod black and white colour that primarily only use to select the playlist.