The Downfall of the iPod

Yes, I'm addicted to my iPod. I use it everyday during my commute to work. However, I swear they were made to break after 1-2 years. I have a handful of friends who also subscribe to this theory. Iv'e been meaning to blog about this for a long time but here The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the iPod breakdown issue. Let me pull the highlights...

The best-known complaint about the iPod, dating back to its earliest models, is about its battery. Many users grumble that the charge of the lithium-ion battery inside the device appears to get progressively shorter the more they use the music player. Last year, Apple agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by users whose iPods saw significantly diminishing battery life, agreeing to compensate owners of certain early iPod models $25 in cash or with a $50 Apple credit on Apple products.

Hard disks, which are used in higher-end iPods to store songs, can also fail. Bill Torpey, a software developer in New York, says the iPod he bought for his daughter, now in high school, a couple of years ago stopped working after the product's warranty expired, and the hard disk inside of it started making a strange noise.

What does Apple have to say?

Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., says the rates at which iPods fail -- less than 5% -- are "extremely low" compared with other electronics devices. "IPods are designed to last for years, but as with any complex consumer-electronics product such as digital cameras, they can be broken if dropped or mishandled by users," says Mr. Dowling, who adds that the "overwhelming majority" of iPod users are happy with their devices.

I think most people enjoy the iPod so much that they don't care about the product's durability but Apple best be weary of a public backlash.