News

iPod nano Owners Complain of Cracked Screens

Friday, September 23rd, 2005 at 7:30 AM - by

Reports of cracked screens on iPod nanos are appearing on the Internet, with one Mac and iPod nano owner posting a Web site that is asking other users for their own stories and information. While we have not verified the information posted on the site, several stories and images of other iPod nanos with cracked screens have been submitted and posted at the site.

The owner of the site -- who does not identify himself, but the FlawedMusicPlayer.com domain is registered to Matthew T. Peterson, and additional information has been posted to the .Mac Web site of .Mac member matthewdotcom -- said that his screen cracked after owning his iPod nano for four days, and that it did so without being hit or otherwise damaged through force.

"My Nano broke on day 4," he wrote on his Web site. "The screen that is. It shattered. It was in my pocket as I was walking and I sat down. No, I didn't sit on it, it was just in my pocket just as all iPod's before it have done, and my cell phone, which also has a screen on the outside, does. This is what they were meant to do. That's why they make them pocket size."


Image posted at FlawedMusicPlayer.com

At issue is the fact that Apple has so far declined his request to replace the unit, with some Apple Store employees allegedly accusing him of striking the nano against something. The site owner's contention, however, is that his crack was the result of a design flaw relating to the plastic that protects the LCD display.

"Compare the plastic over the LCD on the iPod and the iPod Nano," he wrote. "You will see Apple has skimped on the plastic 'protecting' the Nano."

Since first posting the site requesting information, the owner has received and published several stories and images from people who have similar damage to their units. Of course, Apple has sold tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of the units since introducing them on September 7th, 2005. A small dataset of people with a problem neither proves or disproves a design flaw.

On the other end of the spectrum is the abuse that Ars Technica put a test nano unit through. The site sat on it, dropped it while jogging, dropped it from moving vehicles, dropped it from heights, and eventually ran over it with a car. It took dropping the unit from a height of nine feet before the screen cracked.

As with the small dataset posted at FlawedMusicPlayer.com, one test unit surviving incredible abuse neither proves nor disproves whether or not the iPod has a problem. The reality is that the iPod nano has been in the market for a very short period of time, but in the past, it has taken such public pressure for Apple to own up to problems with other Apple products.

Our advice for people with concerns about this issue is that they protect their nanos from any stress whatsoever.

As for the owner of FlawedMusicPlayer.com, site updates say he was contacted by Apple on September 20th. On the 22nd, the company agreed to extend to him a "one-time warranty exception in my case only."

34 comments from the community.

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Bosco said:

member since 03 Jun 2002 with 1001 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:17 am

I think we need a class action lawsuit against people who are so dumb that they put Nanos into their too tight jeans and sit down. No kidding the Nano screen won't withstand the pressure of 160 pounds of upper body cruching against 150 pounds of lower body via a 48 inch waste. Look pal... Your @$$ is cracked, of course the Nano will too. It may hold 499 more tunes than your @$$, but it is fragile and weighs about 79 pounds and 15 ounces less. Good freaking lord people!!! You make me, a die hard individualist and small-l libertarian, want to favor excise taxes on candy bars and non-diet sodas!!!

I swear... Next thing, there are going to be people who injure or strangle themselves on the headphones dangling into their pockets. I can understand if you fear IQ tests for voting, but how about an IQ test for owning a Nano or being allowed to leave the house without a parent? Geez!!!!!!!!

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geoduck said:

member since 30 Dec 2003 with 1917 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:50 am

From the ArsTechnica article when they drove over a Nano with a car;

Quote:
Driving over the nano produced sickening crunching noises which coincidentally sounded a lot like an LCD being crushed. After the first hit and run, the iPod's display was not cracked but was showing some nasty vertical lines.
.

Even after this level of abuse the screen didn't crack. Something odd is going on here. I don't know what these people did but I don't think it is a design problem. That doesn't rule out some kind of manufacturing defect.

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Biff said:

member since 08 Apr 2004 with 1479 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 9:11 am

Yeah that ArtTechnica article was the first thing that came to my mind too!

I suppose the VW driving over the iPod on a flat surface would tend to distribute the force evenly. But imagine for a moment, the poor iPod in the pocket of a giant fat nerd's tight jeans. Perhaps the rounded shape of his massive thigh limited the surface area and concentrated all the force of his ass into a single axis, thus exceeding the engineering specs for the enclosure and leading to structural failure.

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Dean Lewis said:

member since 29 Sep 2001 with 162 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 9:35 am

Biff wrote:
Yeah that ArtTechnica article was the first thing that came to my mind too!

I suppose the VW driving over the iPod on a flat surface would tend to distribute the force evenly. But imagine for a moment, the poor iPod in the pocket of a giant fat nerd's tight jeans. Perhaps the rounded shape of his massive thigh limited the surface area and concentrated all the force of his ass into a single axis, thus exceeding the engineering specs for the enclosure and leading to structural failure.

Applied Nerd-to-nano Physics! Good one, Biff! Good thing I wasn't drinking anything when I read your take -- I'd be snorting it right now. Heh...

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Bryan said:

member since 11 Jun 2001 with 7340 posts, TMO Staff, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:08 am

I had two thoughts on this.

The first is that there could well be a torque force that pops the screen from the pressures applied to the unit when sitting down. That sort of force is far different from the kinds of force Ars Technica used.

My second thought is that there may be a batch of bad nanos out there.

Other than that, it seems most likely that all or most of the examples posted at the Web site are freak accidents (an unnoticed key in this guys pocket, for instance), or instances of people accidentally abusing their units.

All that said, and this is strictly my opinion, I don't think the cat that made this Web site is lying, and I don't think he's out to screw Apple. From reading over everything at the site, I believe that he believes what he is saying, if you can follow that.

Does that mean he has a case? Not necessarily, but if I were working at 1 Infinite Loop, I would at least be seriously looking into this just to make sure my backside was covered.

Bryan

Editor

iPO

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Clyde_Turkey said:

member since 19 Jan 2003 with 15 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:21 am

This smells of the how can I screw somebody into fixing my mistake attitude that is rampant in today's society.

"You should have designed it to tolerate my fat arse sitting on it! Don't you know 51% of society is obese? Come on Apple design to your audience or I'll sue for discrimination, since you don't build your products to deal with fat fingers or fat arses!"

Kick me off if you like, but that's probably the mentality! Let's see how loud I can scream and maybe I'll get something free from Apple or whom ever is the target this week.

Give me a break!

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Mikuro said:

member since 15 Jun 2002 with 457 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 11:19 am

Oooookay, a few points:

1) Why is everyone assuming this guy is fat? And Why is everyone assuming he sat on it, when he specifically said he didn't?

2) It's supposed to live in a pocket.

3) These things happen.

4) Small LCDs tend to suck. The PSP has its issues, every Game Boy ever made has had its issues, cell phones have issues, etc. A few cases of something like this is not cause for concern. In fact, it should be expected with ANY such device.

5) If it wasn't an iPod, you'd probably never hear about it.

6) Why the hell does Apple's warranty not cover such things?!?!?

7) If MY iPod broke after 4 days, I'd be pretty @#$%^&* annoyed, too.

8) It's amazing how loud and proactive people are with their complaints about iPods. Remember the guys who spray-painted iPod ads claiming the non-replaceable battery died after so-many months? Yeesh. I've never seen anything comparable with any other product.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Sep 23, 2005 12:28 pm

[quote="Mikuro"]Oooookay, a few points:

And two additional points:

9) It will take a while for any company to collect enough data to recognize a pattern and a problem before it is acknowledged, and to modify design or manufacturing to eliminate it. That's why many of us don't buy v1.0 of anything.

10) Pants pockets are not a safe place to contain anything fragile. They are usually at just the right height to come into contact with desk corners and other immovable objects. I don't believe I'd carry anyhing more delicate than my shuffle there without protection, especially not a cherished iPod.

11) I'm NOT accusing anyone involved in this story, but it is a fact that the world is full of people who won't admit their own errors and believe in a free lunch. Just ask the insurance people who work with credit card companies that allow returns of "defective" products about their experience. I know such a person and the anecdotes are amazing and would be hilarious if the rest of us didn't end up paying the bills.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Sep 23, 2005 12:45 pm

Okay, I know many owners of iPods and iPod minis who are not careful with them AT ALL. They get thrown around dropped, sat on. NONE of theme have and any problems at all. This guy had his for four days and it was just sitting in his pocket. I think there may be a quality issue here with at least some of them. Yous should'nt have to treat the think like it's an egg! If it can break that easily than Apple messed up on the designand it shouldn't have been released.

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Bosco said:

member since 03 Jun 2002 with 1001 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 1:38 pm

Quote:
1) Why is everyone assuming this guy is fat? And Why is everyone assuming he sat on it, when he specifically said he didn't?

In addition to being fat, he has terrible acne, bad breath, and really bad B.O. But those are not the problem. The problem is that his pants are too tight.

Quote:
This guy had his for four days and it was just sitting in his pocket. I think there may be a quality issue here with at least some of them. Yous should'nt have to treat the think like it's an egg! If it can break that easily than Apple messed up on the designand it shouldn't have been released.

Yes, I agree completely. It should have been designed with a padded straight-jacket to protect you from it, even if it then required an SUV and trailer hitch to carry with you.

You know what I compare this to? I had a really nice pair of Ray Bans for a few weeks(emphasis on had). I left them on my kitchen counter one day. My dog (not Bosco, he is good, but Baby Girl, she is a handful) got them and chewed them up. Sucked to be me that afternoon. I didn't beat my dog. I didn't make a web site. I didn't complain that Ray Ban should make glasses that dogs don't like the taste of, etc. I'm not being judgemental here. I'm just saying this guy is a dumb-@$$ to the nth degree. Someone send him a DJ Ditty.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Sep 23, 2005 3:14 pm

"You know what I compare this to? I had a really nice pair of Ray Bans for a few weeks(emphasis on had). I left them on my kitchen counter one day. My dog (not Bosco, he is good, but Baby Girl, she is a handful) got them and chewed them up. Sucked to be me that afternoon. I didn't beat my dog. I didn't make a web site. I didn't complain that Ray Ban should make glasses that dogs don't like the taste of, etc. I'm not being judgemental here. I'm just saying this guy is a dumb-@$$ to the nth degree. Someone send him a DJ Ditty."

That is an absolutely ridiculous comparison. Assuming this guy's story is true, he didn't expose the iPod nano to a dog that chews stuff up. He simply stuck it in his pocket. If the other iPods with LCD screens can hold up to being placed in pockets, then the iPod nano should be able to withstand that too.

If not, Apple should issue a warning to that effect. You can't expect consumers to all be engineers who know how to calculate the exact amount of pressure required to pop an LCD screen. The guy even points out on his web site that when you push on the nano's screen, you can feel the plastic easily start to give way, whereas the iPod mini and full-size iPod don't do that.

Seems to me that maybe it's too thin to withstand the kind of force normally applied to such small devices. I stick my cell phone in my pocket all the time, without any protection, and have never had a problem. Same with my digital camera. I don't own an iPod.

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Mav said:

member since 17 Oct 2003 with 1320 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 3:52 pm

Forgive my skepticism, but different forces or not, Ars Technica did steamroll over a poor nano with a 3000-pound Passat...twice. With four tires. To top off some other rather insane things most people wouldn't ever do. And given the nano's size, I doubt even pressure was applied to all components during the run-overs. I'd think that'd be enough to expose any inherent design defects, especially with something as fragile as an LCD.

Of course, since this was the largest product ramp-up in Apple's history, something could've gone wrong...and QA probably wouldn't be able to catch a problem like this initially. But least as far as iPods go, IMHO, we'll need to wait at least a couple of weeks and see if this brand new website or these reports of LCD failures are legit.

In the meantime, anyone brave enough to step into an Apple Store and push on some nano screens?

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DrShakagee said:

member since 14 Jun 2001 with 941 posts, TMO Forum Mod, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 4:47 pm

Not trying to say it is a design flaw, but did anyone else notice that most of the pictures of broken screens are on the right side of the screen?

Also the guy didn't mention if he had it in his coin pocket or not, but I often have had my belt put lots of pressure on stuff in my coin pocket (a bic lighter usually), and I am far from fat.

Only time will tell how prevalent this issue is.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Sep 23, 2005 5:59 pm

This problem, if it is not physical abuse, could be a thermal expansion problem that has been seen in other portable, "pocketable" electronics in the past.

The issue is that when placed next to the human body the units tend to heat up into the 80-90 degree F. range. If the screen is bound inside in such a way as to prevent expansion then display can crack. I have seen this on a number of small pocketable devices including a calculator and portable LCD clock.

I have a 4GB iPod nano (white) that has been held in my sirt pocket, pants pocket, jacket pocket, and in a pouch around my neck. It has also travelled in my briefcase and backpack. It has, so far, not had any problems.

I feel sorry for you who have had this problem and I suggest escalating the issue up the chain of command at Apple when you call in about it. REMEMBER, Apple can't "DO" anything about unless they know there is a problem. If you get NO from a support person at Apple ask to speak to their supervisor. Call several times if you have to, but if it is a defect in manufacturing then Apple HAS to replace or fix it.

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JimWCB said:

member since 29 Aug 2002 with 301 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 6:05 pm

I find it interesting that several of the nano's pictured have noticeable scratches and abrasions. My almost 2 year old 3G ipod isn't nearly that bad (with a custom black paint job that should be more susceptible to it).

This one even has very deep scratches right on the side of the broken screen:

http://homepage.mac.com/matthewdotcom/nano/cracked_files/image002.jpg

Now maybe not all of them are abused and may be a defect, but it looks like some of them might have been dropped or scraped.

BTW: Apple may have trouble if the coin pocket in jeans turn out to be too tight for the nano. After all, Steve did use that as a demonstration in his keynote.

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doogie said:

member since 21 Sep 2004 with 17 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 6:24 pm

I can't speak for these folks experiences, but I can say that mine has been to some extremes without ill effects. Had it in my pocket today while at 50,000 feet, mach 1.4 and 7.5 g's, though not simultaneously. It has also survived in my car in California's central valley despite my air conditioner being dead, which is perhaps more extreme than the first part despite the hottest part of the summer being behind us.

From the article:

"Compare the plastic over the LCD on the iPod and the iPod Nano," he wrote. "You will see Apple has skimped on the plastic 'protecting' the Nano."

Having disassembled numerous iPods I can't see any noticeable difference in the plastic 'protecting' the LCDs. Also in comparison with other iPods, he claims to have put other iPods in his pocket. No previous iPod except a shuffle would fit into 'tight' jeans. The protection seems adequate to me, in that the case doesn't seem flexible and the LCD seems to be recessed from the outer surfaces. Any flexing of the case would have to be considerable to flex and crack the LCD within. Only being jarred would seem to give enough force to crack the LCD, and ars technica's articel seems to indicate that even jarring has to be severe.

Apple, on the other hand, would seem obliged to avoid the perception of disloyalty with their products when there is a chance that their reputation for quality could be damaged. The iPod's reputation is built in no small part on the public's perception of the product. How cool is an iPod that fits in your pocket, but is rumored to break when you do so?

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mjkphoto said:

member since 01 Nov 2004 with 45 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 23, 2005 9:11 pm

I suspect that the "cracked screen" articles and posts are an attempt by Apple's competitors to give people second thoughts about buying a Nano. Arts Technica's attempts to destroy the Nano clearly takes the credibility out of the "cracked screen" claims. I held the Nano at the Apple store, and I seen absolutely no reason to give such claims any credibility.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Sep 23, 2005 11:24 pm

I had a similar problem with my Palm Zaire when I first purchased it. Twice the screen spontaneously cracked. I was accused of all manner of fould play. The third time it cracked I suggested they change the bezel as it was probably warped. They did and voila! no more cracked displays. Whether this is the problem with the nano, I don't know.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Sep 24, 2005 12:38 am

Anyone notice that the linked site mentioned in the article is now gone? - removed? - deleted?

Or does this happen to .Mac site naturally when it goes past the bandwidth limit?

(don't want to spark more rumors here)

Stuff breaks - sometimes for no detectable reason - sometimes because of careless treatment

People report broken stuff - sometimes because they want to find out if others have had the same thing happen (it's therapeutic) - sometimes because they're PO'd (it's also therapeutic) - sometimes to spread FUD about a new product (it's a documented business practice - already one of Microsoft's talking heads told a crowd at a conference that he bought a nano the day it came out and it broke within one day)

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Sep 24, 2005 1:02 pm

The lens is likely made of optical-grade polycarbonate which can be molded very thin and has high impact resistance and flexes without cracking. BUT if they're using acrylic, then you see tons of cracking. I can't imagine Apple engineers making such a fundamentally stupid mistake. In fact, I don't believe it. They are too good.

If it really is happening, and Apple is using PC, then it points to a manufacturing problem, not a design flaw. If you don't prep PC (dry the pellets prior to injection molding), it could introduce flaws in the plastic I suppose. If this is the case, then it is easily fixed, and Apple should replace the ones that have prematurely cracked, and they can make that decision by inspection -- if the nano was abused, it would show signs of it beyond the lens cracking, wouldn't it?

Anyway, that's my take on all of this. A huge ramp up to production like Apple is experiencing might introduce manufacturing defects in some of the nanos being sold. That's the danger of being too successful with a new product just introduced. Any defect can have huge implications if all of a sudden you have 30,000 units out there in the first month of production. No matter how good you are, it can happen. And Apple has some of the best engineers in the business.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Sep 25, 2005 3:16 am

Mikuro wrote:
Oooookay, a few points:

1) Why is everyone assuming this guy is fat? And Why is everyone assuming he sat on it, when he specifically said he didn't?

Because when people lie the first thing they do is be very specific about what they didn't do.

Quote:
2) It's supposed to live in a pocket.

Yes- a breast shirt pocket- not the pocket at the back of your ass.

Quote:
3) These things happen.

True

Quote:
4) Small LCDs tend to suck. The PSP has its issues, every Game Boy ever made has had its issues, cell phones have issues, etc. A few cases of something like this is not cause for concern. In fact, it should be expected with ANY such device.

True again

Quote:
5) If it wasn't an iPod, you'd probably never hear about it.

Definately

Quote:
6) Why the hell does Apple's warranty not cover such things?!?!?

Because Apple doesn't want to be out 250.00 every time someone sits on it, steps on it, has a dog chew on it, drop if while riding a motorcycle, etc. Apple isn't stupid, why should they cover other people's stupidity?

Quote:
7) If MY iPod broke after 4 days, I'd be pretty @#$%^&* annoyed, too.

And so would I. But I would be annoyed with myself for being such an idiot for sitting on it, or letting my dog eat it, or whatever the hell the real reason is for why his screen broke. I wouldn't be anoyed at Apple for not designing it with an ugly 2 inch thick plastic and rubber case. Rule of thumb: If it looks delicate and somewhat fragile then treat it as such and let some other dumbass try to prove otherwise.

Quote:
8) It's amazing how loud and proactive people are with their complaints about iPods. Remember the guys who spray-painted iPod ads claiming the non-replaceable battery died after so-many months? Yeesh. I've never seen anything comparable with any other product.

Well said.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Sep 25, 2005 8:09 pm

This guy is obviously a whiny liar--a squeaky wheel that feels he is more import than others and deserves to be "an exception".

I really can't stand this class of people that refuse to take responsibility for their own actions. Low-lifes who grew up sans moral character.

Karma will eventually come around and he'll get what he deserves.

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Sep 28, 2005 6:33 am

The Ipod Cracks, Its too thin, too fragile and not robust, what goods an MP3 palyer when it wont withstand simple tests, you, the consumer are testing it for mac, think about it, its cheeper.

And if ur not ment to put it in ur pocket, why isnt there a notice on the box huh? because its another mac screw up.

And if anyone says, hang it around your neck, ill kill um, why should i go out and buy $50 headphones, they shoudl be supplied with it, FFS you pay enought!

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Sep 28, 2005 6:34 am

Mac are satrting to realise the screw up, and are refunding money, its gonna cost them billions. That will teach them to test there products first!!

All hail creative and Microsoft!

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:09 pm

Wow... Surprising that so many people are annoyed by some one whose Nano failed 4 days after he paid $250! and Apple would turn to his side...

Folks you gotto be too blind to lick ipod's a## this much. This is furthered by the fact that Apple has accepted that some nano's are flawed and they wud replace them for free..

Lesson : No wonder Bush won second term ...people who follow their loyalty are more than people who can think logically and look into facts... Not only while voting... even when it comes a lifeless object .. Unfortunate this object got more respect than the affected user who was attacked personally...

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Oct 07, 2005 10:47 pm

go to

BROKENNANO.COM thats where you need to go if you have a cracked or scratched Nano!

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:17 am

u people are dumb - im studying for an essay, and this and many other sites are completely useless for any facts.

when is the level of education going to be raised for all you peeps. thats retorical

stop using ligitimate descussion forums for poorly prepared rambelings becuase you are wasting so many peoples lives, including your own.

Go play some WOW !

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Oct 15, 2005 3:27 pm

Why doesnt Apple just create a belt clip for the ipod nano to prevent all these pocket problems??

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:25 pm

my ipod screen just cracked after pulling it out of my pocket at school no it was in my front pocket in a case. i am not whining i am just saying that apple should rethink the design of this product becuase it will deter many people from ever buying another one of their products

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LaurieF said:

member since 15 Jun 2001 with 3545 posts, TMO Forum Mod, send him a message or view his profile

Sun Jan 22, 2006 7:20 am

Anonymous wrote:
u people are dumb - im studying for an essay, and this and many other sites are completely useless for any facts.

when is the level of education going to be raised for all you peeps. thats retorical

stop using ligitimate descussion forums for poorly prepared rambelings becuase you are wasting so many peoples lives, including your own.

Go play some WOW !

Ah, the irony…

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Feb 26, 2006 6:02 pm

i have the 4gb vetsion they said that it could hold 1000 songs and when i go i to settings it only sees 3.1 gb in stead of 4 ive been ripped off

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Feb 26, 2006 6:03 pm

100 songs it only hold 700 its poo

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Feb 26, 2006 6:04 pm

it gets scratched so easily

i hate the way it gets scratched

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Mar 03, 2006 6:10 pm

pod is crap

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