“I have just finished reading an opinion piece that, even by the lenient standards of opinion pieces, does a severe injustice to Apple, Inc.,” David Zeiler blogs for The Baltimore Sun.
“The sensationalist attack starts with the article’s title: “The Pusher of Cupertino.” The author, James Daley (who apparently works for The Independent newspaper of the U.K., though the piece appears on the MacNewsWorld Web site), goes on to speculate that Apple sabotages its iPods with software updates with the intent of disabling them,” Zeiler reports.
“His sources for this very serious accusation are the unfortunate iPod experiences of his wife and the anecdotal stories of friends and people on unnamed Internet forums. No facts, figures or studies, despite his claim of a ‘growing body of evidence,'” Zeiler reports.
“There’s usually nothing wrong with offering up some opinions based on anecdotal evidence. You want to complain about the shorter-than-expected life span of your iPods, fine,” Zeiler writes. “But Daley is accusing Apple of a criminal act. I think that calls for stronger facts than his wife’s conspiracy theories, his friends’ problems and some rants he read in a few Internet forums.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Intruder” for the heads up.]
We have a third-generation 40GB iPod (pre-click wheel; the one with the four buttons above the scroll-wheel) that was purchased in spring 2003 which has all of Apple’s software updates installed and it still works just fine, thanks. (Yes, it did get a new battery installed by Apple in sometime in 2006).
My 3rd generation 15GB iPod gifted to me on my birthday in August 2003 has original battery and still works great and gets used often. Original slip case from Apple is the only case I have and it is hardly scratched up at all. It all depends on how you treat your equipment.
Last year one of my students offered to give me her 4th gen ipod because it didn’t work anymore. I was so tempted – but I’m a teacher and I’ve got those professional ethics to deal with (damn those ethics, damn them all to hell).
Anyway I took it home, recharged the ipod, then restored the software and it worked just fine. Next week I gave her the ipod back and loaded some music as well. Now she has two working ipods.
Oh, and for the record I’ve got a 3rd gen. ipod with a clapped out battery and a 4th gen 60 gig ipod photo which is a tad unstable and about twice a year I restore the software, and then reload music collection via a firewire 800 cable. My wife has a blue ipod mini and it works fine as well.
The moral of the story is if you know what you’re doing ipods last a long time but if you’re an uniformed f-whit then it’s your own fault. Anyone out there wanting to throw away any ipods and you’re not one of my students…?
Total BS. I and my family are still using several versions of iPods going back to 2nd gen units. My first gen would probably still be working if I hadn’t accidentally flung from my car (don’t ask).
My 3rd Gen iPod is still spinning choons as well. Hacked it up with iPodLinux, and do some digital wildlife recording with it sometimes, too.
Whatevs, Daley. You’re just a hit whore.
chrissyTwo,
While you’re at it you can throw out all your T-shirts that are made in China and parts of your computer etc. and some of the components in your car.
Look the Tibetans and getting really pissed on by China and the Chinese gov. is really oppressive AND it supports regimes like the Burmese generals as well as the Somalian government.
If you really want to hurt them then boycott the Olympics; don’t watch the bloody thing at all. That’s what I’m doing and maybe you should as well.
Goodnight All. It’s almost 4.00 A.M. in the land of OZ.
My touch works perfect. My 5g video that I gave to my daughter works perfect. My 3g – with new battery that I gave to my daughter who gave it to her boyfriend works just fond, thank you.
Well my 20GB 4th gen iPod gave up after about 2 and a half years use. I suspect it was a hard drive failure, but never had it fixed… just bought a new 8GB nano instead.
I have personally heard of other people having iPods die on them as well.
Why are people bragging that there 5.5G iPods still work? Whoopee Do?!
I bought my 3rd gen iPod (15GB) in Feb 03 so it has been in use for over five years. It has been heavily used both as a stand alone and in the car. To bad Apple doesnt have a runtime counter on them or something. People are dumb about batteries in general these days. Even though there is “supposed” to be no memory with new battery types, why not charge it completely when you by the device (cell phone, iPod, whatever) run the battery down completely, and then charge it all the way up before you use it again. Do that 3 or 4 times and everything works great. If people don’t treat there things properly, no shit they don’t work. Why is the manufacture blamed for that? Because they (the customer)are morons to begin with.
WTF!
I boycott all China products. Apple is the one that is relevant to this site.
I have a third-generation that was purchased in spring 2003 which has all of Apple’s software updates installed and it still works just fine, and didn’t even need to change the battery. What’s wrong with that guy?
My 1st Gen iPod is still kicking it real good in the car. Never had any problems with it whatsoever.
My 3G still works fine while the battery lasts.
I took it to the local independent Apple store for a replacement battery, but it never seemed to make a difference. Use a 5th Gen now anyway.
new acronym: PEBHAC
“Problem Exists Between Hand And Clickwheel”
1st gen 5Giger still works fine, never replaced the battery though so only 2.5-3.5Hour battery life now.
Chrissy Two writes, “Boycott all Apple china made products! Free Tibet!!” Unfortunately, virtually *every* hardware offering from Apple is sourced in China. I walked over to Best Buy last week just to see if at least the high-end Macbook Pro was made elsewhere. Nope. China.
But I agree with your sentiment. I’d rather my money not go to enrich a country lacking basic human liberties. Apropos, check out James Kynge’s “China Shakes the World”. Dealing with a rising China will be one of this century’s great challenges.
From the original article: “About a year ago, when her old 30 GB machine began to pack in, she managed to persuade Apple to send her a new one, as she’d bought an extended warranty that was still just in date.”
This is typical of pieces that cannot really prove their point, so shade every sentence in a manner that is consistent with their point. In this case, Apple is being accused of killing iPods in order to make you buy a new one. Thus, the implication that Apple did not want to honor a warranty: “managed to persuade”. As if Apple does not honor warranties that are only days from expiring. Bullshit.
“Interestingly, however, the replacement — a never-used 30 GB iPod, which was no longer available in the shops — began to run into difficulty just weeks later — regularly crashing, until it eventually stopped working altogether. This didn’t make too much sense. After all, the problems couldn’t be blamed on wear and tear. Short of it being a defective unit, the only obvious explanation was that it was struggling to get to grips with the newer software.”
Another example. The author implies that, well, it obviously could not be the logical explanation of a faulty unit, so it must be the made up shit in my head!
Toting around a hard drive is going to lead to short lifetimes. Instead of 2 yrs marking some Apple conspiracy, how about concluding that 2 yrs is about the lifetime of hard drives that are carried around all the time?
My Generation 1 Zune still works.
Your potential. Our passion.™
My wife has trashed first gen, second gen, third gen, mini, first gen Shuffles and nano iPods, Apple software updates had nothing to do with their demise. She goes running with with her iPod daily and her run is a 15 miles and it is a run and not a sissy jog. When you run everyday in Arizona you’re going to trash a few iPods. The summer heat destroys Li-Ion batteries, plastic parts, Rubber, PVC, and any parts that move. The new aluminum clip Shuffles are tanks her last one was more then a year old with about 10,000 miles on it. So, bought her a new 2GB one. The old one is scratched up a lot, has a bent clip but, works fine.
@Spark
Aw, C’mon! I know you said not to but I have to ask. I want to hear how a iPod “accidently” gets flung out a car window.
The UK Independent newspaper are knocking Apple in other ways too. They recently published a list testing technology myths. Most of them were based on fact, but one that stood out was “Even Apple Macs can catch viruses”
Surprisingly, this was declared to be true. Here is the reason they offered …
Clive Longbottom, a director at the IT analysts Quocirca, says it’s wrong to say Macs don’t get viruses. “They could; it’s just that nobody can be bothered to write them. Worldwide, only about 3 per cent of desktop computers are Macs. At that level, it’s not financially viable for hackers to write viruses for Macs.”
Macs used to be more resistant, but times have changed and Mac users are complacent at their peril. As more PC users install antivirus software and Microsoft ups its game, hackers might turn their attention to Macs.
*** note that they weren’t able to offer an example of it happening, they just found somebody who said it might be theoretically possible. Compare that to their analysis of other myths on that page….
“Mobile phones can cause planes to crash, life-support machines to fail and petrol stations to blow up” – Theoretically possible, but hasn’t been proved to happen, so that myth is declared false.
“Flatscreens are worse for your eyes than traditional monitors” – Theoretically possible, but no proof that they are, so it’s declared false.
“You won’t get the best sound from a CD unless you put it in a freezer first” Theoretically possible, but no proof that it’s true, so it’s declared false.
Note the contrast with the Mac virus myth. Just like the previous myths there’s no evidence that it has ever happened, but for some reason, that one is declared true.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/truth-or-scare-technology-myths-put-the-test-803430.html
The HD in my twice replaced 5g 30GB Video iPod is dead once again (HD Failures in all 3 yay) but this time its out of warranty so I just bought a 60GB HD on ebay for 60 bucks.
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The UK Independent newspaper is a third rate publication.
Rabidly anti-war, pro-animal rights and anti-globalization – not surprising its journo’s would hate Apple.
Just like that pratt Jack Schofield at the Guardian.. read this if you want raised blood pressure:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/04/05/companies_struggle_to_remove_apples_safari_browser.html
Interesting to see the comments he attracts – and which he calls ‘bullshit’…
“”You won’t get the best sound from a CD unless you put it in a freezer first”
Coldplay?
Apple should sue that asshole for slander.
I wonder how much Microsoft paid that idiot to such crap?
Don’t EVER buy the independent, its run by losers who know as much about journalism as a corpse.
I have a 3rd gen and it’s still very usable, 5+ hrs on a charge.
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