By SteveJack
For all I know about advanced polymers, Apple’s iPod nano screen could be made of clear Jello-brand gelatin. All I know is that the screen surface seems very similar, except for size, to the iPod and the iPod mini’s screen. I could scratch the iPod or the iPod mini’s screen to the same effect as I could scratch the iPod nano screen, that much seems “clear” to me. Not that I’m going to go scratching up my screens. You see, I keep my iPods in cases right out of the box. I’m funny that way; I like to protect my tech gadgets and I don’t expect them not to get marred up if I mistreat them.
Now, I’m not saying that people are mistreating them, but from using iPods, iPod minis and iPod nanos (and cell phones, Palms, etc.), I can tell you the screens can be scratched. And scratched pretty much with equal force in my opinion. I wonder, have the alleged iPod nano owners who claim to be having problems with their screens ever owned an iPod before?
Much is being made of iPodReqQ’s note on their webpage: “We are experieincing [sic] a temporary price increase on the nano LCD repair due to LCD availability and overwhelming demand.” Imagine if the overwhelming demand is due to the massive amount of iPod nano’s being sold and not the alleged “screen issue.” Imagine further that “due to LCD availability” actually means that it’s hard for iPodResQ to get screens because Apple’s using up all of the screens of that size and specification to make iPod nano units, not because iPodResQ needs so many screens to correct alleged iPod nano “screen issues.”
Now let’s get crazy! Imagine that you work for one company or another that’s staked a large part of their future on competing with Apple’s iPod and/or iTunes Music Store and is staring at the same fate as Rio square in the face. You know that you can’t compete and you know you’re about to be out of business sooner than later. Would you and your coworkers actually stoop to anonymously posting on Apple’s support and other websites that you’re having so-called “iPod nano screen issues?” Would you? Who knows? I just bring it up because I’m sitting here looking and poking at a 3G iPod screen, a two-month old iPod mini screen, and a 4GB iPod nano screen and they all seem pretty much the same “hardness” to me.
Hey, maybe I just got lucky and got the one nano with a super-hard screen. Maybe I’m just a conspiracy theorist. Maybe I just enjoy corporate espionage novels, iPod cases, FUD dissemination, Evangeline Lilly in blue (or any other color), and thinking about what people might do to stave off pink slips for awhile longer.
Yeah, maybe I’m crazy and Apple totally forgot to test the iPod nano during development and before they committed the design for the manufacture of tens of million of units. That would be bad for Apple, huh? I wonder how bad the negative publicity will be for Apple even if this is all just ginned up nonsense? Maybe even worse than if it were true? Maybe not, who really knows? Anyway, all of this this iPod nano “screen issue” stuff sure does make for a good story or a thousand variations of a story, though, doesn’t it?
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews Opinion sections.
[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of MacDailyNews or iPodDailyNews. MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews are Apple Store and Apple iTunes Music Store affiliates.]
Related articles:
Alleged problems surfacing with Apple iPod Nano screen – September 26, 2005
Site reports iPod nano screen failures – September 23, 2005
Speck unveils nine new cases for Apple iPod nano – September 14, 2005
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.
My nano screen is loverly, all it warnts is a case samwhere, far away from a scratch or tear.
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.