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iPods also dies
In this Christmas season, iPods de Apple Computer Inc. is once again between sold products more in the retail stores.
The white earpieces de the music reproducer already belong to the urban landscape de many cities de the world. But as the product anchor in the entrails de our culture de consumption, more and more usuary is becoming familiar with a new feeling de loss: the death de iPod.
Between the users de the apparatus histories multiply on problems de batteries that do not retain the load, hard disks that do not work and broken screens. In some cases, they are the own users who cause to the problems when putting under his iPods to abuses or dropping them accidentally. But many others say that, it weighs to have given a normal use to him, his iPod died without apparent reason.
The durability de iPod could pass to be an important subject if the consumers decide to less than worry the last advances about the technology and more about the longevity about the product, something that certainly would have sense for an apparatus that costs hundreds de dollars.
“Some people swear that there is a mechanism de self-destruction in (iPod) that activates when it overcomes the guarantee”, says Matthew Bremner, founder de iRepair.ca, a company specialized in fixing iPods that has a store in line and another one in Toronto. “A so small apparatus and that it costs as much would have to last a little more”, adds.
Steve Dowling, a spokesman de Apple, whose it soothes is in Cupertino, California, says that the average de defects in iPods less than 5% “is extremely under” if it is compared with other electronic devices. “iPods is designed to last years, but as any other electronic complex or de consumption, like the digital cameras, can be broken if they are not handled or or they fall to the ground”, Dowling says, adding that the “immense majority” de users de iPod is contented with its apparatuses.
Even if only a very small percentage de iPods presents/displays defects, a substantial number de users would be affected given the enormous popularity de those apparatuses. Apple has sold near 70 million de iPods anywhere in the world since it sent the product five years ago. If near 5% de that total it presents/displays faults, means that more than three million reproducers they can have problems. Apple did not want to provide specific numbers on iPods that registered faults.
Tom Westrup, an investor de Austin, Texas, has had terrible luck with iPods. He says that he in line bought his first reproducer de Apple in a store three years ago. But the apparatus was congealed during the reproduction de songs. To readjust iPod only solved the problem temporarily, so Westrup sent its apparatus to Apple so that outside replaced. But with each new iPod it happened a new problem. Westrup says that iPod is now hoping to receive his fifth. Apple continued sending replacements although the guarantee de the original apparatus already was overcome. Westrup says that he and their wife always used his iPods with care. “I am 51 years old, no longer I am an adolescent who throws his things to the other side de the room”, she says.
Those batteries and that hard disk
The most well-known complaint on iPod, that dates from his first models, is the battery. Many consumers say that the load that retains the lithium battery is reducing progressively as the reproducer is used. The last year, Apple signed an agreement to end a collective suit brought by an user group de iPod who argued that the duration de the battery de its reproducers had been reduced significantly. Apple decided to pay to them to the users de certain older models de iPod US$25 in cash or US$50 in credit to buy Apple products.
What irritates many users is that the apparatus is not designed so that they can disassemble to the consumers and change it the battery. If iPod no longer counts on its guarantee, in the United States Apple it receives US$65,95 to replace a battery.
The hard disks, that iPods more advanced use to store songs, photos and videos, also can fail. And, in some cases, right after the victory de the guarantee. This happened to him to Bill Torper, an engineer de sdetware de New York. Not only the hard disk de the apparatus that bought its daughter stopped working after making noises rare, but also the one de its son. “I will not return to buy one”, says.
The desperation de some can be an opportunity de businesses for others. Along with the proliferation de problems de iPods, several stores that defer specialized services to fix them, normally by a price have arisen inferior to which Apple receives. Some complete companies defer kits so that the own user makes the repairs. According to the experience de Bremner, de iRepair.ca, the batteries de iPod last an average de two years; later it is necessary to replace them.
Anyway, there are no indications that the history de love between Apple and the consumers it is about to finish. For this year, the participation de the company in the market de reproducers probably will be among 73% and 75%, according to Stephen Baker, an analyst de the company/signature de investigation NPD Group Inc.
In a survey to more than 6,400 American consumers who NPD realized east year, more de 82% it said to be completely or very satisfied with the apparatus, against 76% de satisfaction de rival reproducers.
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