iPodDailyNews - Where iPod news comes first

Color me surprised. Ulanoff siding with Apple, and even doubting the FUD? Amazing. But like Paul Thurott, it's a good step in the right direction...but it's only 1 step.

That being said, I have to say, I think he's right. I think that people are the problem here, not the nano. We see a smaller, more durable device, and we tend to unconsciously subject it to more punishment than we would normally. Why, I don't know, but we may not even think we're doing it at the time. My iPod has scuffs and scratches on it, I admit it's my fault for carelessly handling it those times. However, It is still a usable device. In the long run, I think Mossberg is right. Apple should provide a carry case with the iPod nano right off the bat. That way if people complain about the scratches and scuffs, Apple can at least say "Why? We gave you a case to protect it, didn't we?"

I'm with Ulanoff and SteveJack on this.

"I decided that it boils down to this: nanos are fine. People are careless."
I don't think it could be said more accurately.

All this is BS, My iPod Photo has scratches and the screen cracked too. So what is the problem. The problem is people are whinning about the namo and they get a free replacement and I had to throw out my iPod Photo. Crock of Sh*t.

One guy starts a thread on Apple's board with one complaint and people follow like puppies, while 10 million people don't have that problem. Other iPods crack and scratch too.

I still get a chuckle when I glance at any demo rack of iPods, and notice that the iPod nanos are all scratched up WAY more than the other demo iPods. It must be the iPod nano goblins scratching them up with steel wool when nobody is watching.

It must be more people are looking at the nano demos

I agree that maybe the issue has been hyped more than it deserves but when you see people like Mossberg commenting that HIS nano got scratched then you have to take it a bit seriously. I think Apple should make the nanos a mm or so thicker and either coat them or make them with a super hard material. Cell phones have screens that go through a lot of abuse and don't get scratched easily so we know the technology is there.

I don't think this would keep from buying a nano now if I were in the market for one. However, Apple makes insanely great products and so is held up to a different measuring stick than the competition. They should (and with all the hype I think they will) improve the product.

The Nano demos I saw the second day they had been on display looked like they had been there for years.

Some of the screens were almost opaque they were so badly scuffed up!

You apologists need to get a clue about this issue.

It's like this, Apple pulled a really nice business move. Just as the competition started to gear up and produce "like iPod" quality devices, Apple innovated unexpectedly.

Not only rendering hard drive based music players almost obsolete overnight, but snatching up a substantial part of the world's flash market to boot, leaving the competition with shattered business plans.

That's got to hurt and I'm sure some competitors resorted to FUD campaigns as revenge.

Apple has demonstrated one thing in all this, they control the ace, and that is they have the power to change what the public desires at a moments notice if it suits their purpose.

For Steve Jobs, the treachery of John Scully, all those years in exile from Apple, pushing the NeXT computer and failing, allowing someone else to run Pixar while he signed checks to pay for it, must have really hurt.

A new book should come out in sequel to "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" and instead be named "The Revenge of Steve Jobs"

Go get them Steve!

It's a real (yet tremendously overblown) issue that will die away soon enough. To the overwhelming majority of nano owners out there, it's certainly not deal breaker...

The carpet in my house got totally dirty after only one party, and we only had two kegs ! What a crock, I'm gonna' sue the carpet manufacturer !

JMS in TX

Nano sip times are 4 weeks out. You can bet Apple quality control is at the plant at Shanghai (or wherever) to make sure someone isn't diluting the polycarbonate...

Why not make iPod screens out of the same stuff as laptop screens. I've had a laptop for years and yeah there are a few marks here and there but it certainly isn't opaque.

had a screen set back in a little bit. Not a fair comparison. Compare to the regular iPod--THAT is identical to the nano. It can scratch. People got over it years ago.

Polycarbonate is strong (not eassily shatterable) but scratches easily, while acrylic can stand scratches better but easily shatters (also turns yellow after a bit of UV - sunlight exposure), glass is better but adds a LOT of weight and cost... it's a catch 22 and I think polycarbonate is the best for this application and it definitely has something to do with the thrid party producing casing for it... the problem was Apple couldn't produce a intern product (Nano Tube) in time.

The first day I got the original 3G iPod (that I still own) I put it in my pocket and went off for a walk.

I was slightly dismayed to find scratches on the screen even though my pockets had soft lining and nothing else in them.

Second day I had my 3G iPod I put it in its case (they used to come with them .. remember), then I went and bought one I really liked ...

No more scratches ... End of story

My local Apple reseller said their demo models were all scratched up because people keep dropping them on the floor.

"...allowing someone else to run Pixar while he signed checks to pay for it, must have really hurt."

Can you elaborate on that?

Apple are famous for the attention they put into the design of their products. People pay a premium price for that. When you design and market an MP3 player for being stored in your pocket, ensuring that it is scratch resistant is an obvious factor. It's not rocket science folks. If this was Dell, or Microsoft, that marketed an MP3 player for your pocket which then scratched so easily, this discussion form would have a field day. Blind defence of Apple can only hurt us, the Apple users - if a product's badly designed shout it from the rooftops so that next time they'll get it spot on.

Paul, don't be a stupid knob, you don't know what the f**k you're talking about - design vs function is the key, do you want to look like s**t and tough as a tank, then do what others do, or if you want to stand out of the crowd, then some functionality has to sacrifice. If iPod were build so tough that it won't get scratched, it'll either cost an arm or ugly as your mom.

read what I wrote earlier about the materials and their pluses and minuses - its easier for you and all the tools out there, "make it harder to scratch!" well, if you don't know what you're talking about, shut your trap - I'm sick of your moaners out there!!

Let's see if you can make something as nice and "spot-on".

C*ck!

I had my nano for 2 days before it was scratched while lying display down on a tshirt, fucked up!
Still love it though
if you keep your nano in a case right out of the box then i'd say you can't use it for 3-4 weeks, that's the time for a case to get here in sweden.
why the hell doesn't apple supply a case for it? didn't they know they had a new ipod coming and what the dimensions were for it? 3-5 weeks for a a dock and lanyard/headphones is really bad as well.

to end this on a friendly note; it's worth waiting for though

It was so weird. I took my nano out of the case, removed the film from the front and just held it for a few minutes and stared at it. It was pristine. Then, all of a sudden, scratches started to appear out of thin air right before my eyes. It must be the dust particles in the air that were scratching it. OMG!

Not going to stop me getting at least two for Christmas presents..

Still not a scratch on mine, and I use it every day.

You know kids, being careful with your toys pays off.

When I bought my first iPod (a 3G 10GB model) I noticed in the first week that the screen seemed to acquire scratches very quickly so I bit the bullet and bought a $30 case to protect it. That was three years ago. The iPod and the case are still going strong and no more problem with scratches. My advice to all the people who are having scratch problems: BUY A FREAK'N CASE FOR IT!

For a big company to pull such a childish stunt as to throw their crap like that is just business.

But i believe if you really wanted to show the world that you have the balls then you make a keynote and you introduce a thought changing product like the nano and compare it side by side to all the other top mp3 players.. That my friends is how u bring someone down.

I still do believe however that the music industry makes more money with windows based mp3 players than we do apple.. thats why i am applying the pressure on apple to pay up.

Hate me if you want but i will close all my posts the same way.. the prices of music will go up for apple.. no company can be oil proof forever... and we (the music label) will be there to negiotiate.

What is the point of making impossibly small things if it means you have to put the impossibly small thing in a bulky case? When you make something so impossibly small that it is too delicate or fragile to suit its intended purpose you have defeated your own purpose. HAVING SAID THAT...Its exactly true that every time Apple releases a new product there is already a story in the works about problems with the displays. Having said that...there is a problem with Apple displays that is why no one will insure the displays. I wont buy an expensive Apple display because really Apple itself wont stand behind the display and because no one will insure the display. I wont buy an Apple lap top for the same reason. Apple should either devise a more rugged display or find a way to stand behind or insure its displays. Apple should also develop a plasma T V and H D displays.

Apple has a problem with its displays and its always some one elses fault whether its the consumer for not buyhing a case, or the vendors, or anyone but whoever designed and or manufactured the screen. Apple displays are the only displays you cant buy insurance for--that says something about the quality of the screens--it says they arent insurable. Fix the problem. I dont know if there is really a problem with the Nano screens but the answer isnt to tell the consumer to buy a case. I do know there is a problem with the lap top screens--the answer is to either fix the problem or stand behind the screens so the consumer can buy with confidence OR provide insurance for the screens. And here is the thing--Americans are blowing billions of dollars on plasma televisions--HELLO--where is the Apple plasma T V and or the Apple H D T V???

MacDude:

Jobs didn't fail with NeXT. NeXT is currently the world's most advanced operating system and is also the world's #2 most-used OS. It's called Mac OS X. NeXt took over Apple. Look at the executives Jobs has in place - they're from NeXT. NeXT's Jobs just allowed Apple to retain the name (since he thought of it originally anyway).

TruthDetector

Um - what a strech. NeXT did fail. It is out of business. It did not merge with Apple. It was not bought out. I support the claim that they were awesome machines, (having been one of the few people I know who has acutally used them on a regular basis back in the 90's) and the NeXT OS is the basis for Mac OS X (as stated by Apple). HOWEVER - NeXT failed. NeXT OS is NOT currently the world's most advanged OS - that title goes to Mac OS X.

---

And to clear up the iPod nano scratcing issue, all it takes is the user to lick their screen to realize that it is actually made of a clear pudding, which is why the screens are so soft.

MDN Word: now

I have to agree with Lance. I was shopping for a Honda when the Saturn salesman from across the street came over and dinged the door to my Subaru and saying how their cars are ding-resistant.

OK, I made that up. But it's totally plausible. It's a vicious cycle. The "journalists" need stuff to write about, preferably negative things about a media darling. The competing companies need to get past the 1% market share mark. Life goes on.

MW: except. The whole thing sounds more like a scam except for the part where he suspects case-makers. If people are steer clear of the nano, why would anyone buy nano cases?

In 1996 Apple Computer purchased NeXT Software ($375 million, along with roughly 1.5 million shares of Apple) in order to use NeXTSTEP as the foundation to replace the then outdated Mac OS.

Steve Jobs returned to Apple as a consultant, then as interim CEO (or "iCEO", echoing the name of Apple's new iMac consumer hardware), and finally as CEO. With him, he brought most of the NeXT executives, who replaced their Apple counterparts. Industry commentators summarized this by referring to the acquisition as "NeXT getting paid to buy Apple".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXT

Apple has a problem with its displays and its always some one elses fault
--

Yeah, the company that manufactures the screens.. or.. the battery...whatever it is...

Don't you get the point of the article? There are no iPod mini users freaking out.. it's the same material...

Understand?

Lisa if you won't buy a laptop or Apple display because they are not rugged enough, why would you buy a plasma or HDTV?

What were you doing with these displays? Not rugged enough? I know, the tissues and paper towels are so brutal on them. Get a clue! These displays are NOT CRT's. RTFM!!

Nice article. I got a chuckle out the most far-fetched aspect of the article (the conspiracy theory) as admitted by the author is the one part MDN uses in the headline.

iNewt,

Ignore Lisa, she's a troll on these boards. Ask her if she's started here class-action suite yet against Apple for making PPC-based Macs worthless now that Intel-base Macs are in development.

I seem to remember the Creative CEO declaring war on the iPod, so this scratch/crack FUD seem so contrived it just might come from them.

Popularity can backfire, a customer yesterday said she wanted anything but iPod because she isn't a "follower". Whatever! Your loss, girlfriend!

October 12, Apple will announce the invisible man that scratches iPod nanos