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
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!