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iPOD Trauma

geno

does anyone else have repeated iPod meltdown?
my heart stops beating when it happens.
and then i have to reset.

an Apple guy told me that downloading bad mp3's will glitch the iPod and eventually kill it. is he just trying to get me to buy from iTunes OR IS IT TRUE?

or even worse.....is my iPod a lemon?

 
May 19, 05 2:49 am
LBG

try and reset the ipod from the computer, reinstalling all the software.

May 19, 05 3:13 am  · 
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did you buy an extended warranty?

May 19, 05 8:40 am  · 
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mm

My ipod died a little over a week ago. It was greatly tramatic.

But without sounding like a commercial for apple, I was pretty happy with the outcome, given the circumstance.

I went to the genius bar at the apple store and they diagnosed that the hard drive stopped working but my 6 month warranty had already expired. However, they did say that I could retroactively buy the extended warranty and $60 and walk out that day with a new ipod (of the same model). So I bought the warranty and am enjoying life with my new ipod.

May 19, 05 10:55 am  · 
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J3

I've had 3 issues with my 3g ipod.One meltdown, one dead battery and one accidental fall. The first was as you describe above, but in all cases I took it in to the genius bar and after an hour, I walked out with a new ipod (same model)
Lemon, maybe. 1st you should be updating your ipod with the newest software. 2nd if you transfer allot of music back and forth, I suggest that you re-format the ipod periodically.
From what I've read, the drive needs cleaning/defragging every once in a while.
good luck

May 19, 05 11:15 am  · 
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mmm3

I got my off ebay and its is very temprimental. Some days its cool other days it likes to stop in the middle of every 5th song.

May 19, 05 1:38 pm  · 
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sameolddoctor

i dont think bad mp3's can effect the ipod...unless they are virus infected
hmm...never read about an ipod virust before

May 19, 05 3:16 pm  · 
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geno

can't believe i'm saying this......
i've been such a hardened apple fan my entire life.
solid. didn't ever 'switch over' from pc. have ALWAYS loved the apple.

but here goes........
is the iPOD simply an exclusive, bitchy, over priced pretty thing to look at?

ugh. i've lost my place in apple heaven.

May 19, 05 3:57 pm  · 
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ScottMSchultz

get an iriver

May 19, 05 5:17 pm  · 
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A Center for Ants?

had a 2nd gen. ipod. hard drive died on that one. started making clicking sounds. haven't replaced it... getting along ok w/o it.

May 19, 05 6:42 pm  · 
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Jeremy_Grant

i second the iriver

May 19, 05 8:56 pm  · 
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geno

unfortunately, at this point, i have too much money sunk into the iPod to go buy another one.

my sister has trauma with her shuffle too.

wish i'd had this discussion before. ugh.

May 19, 05 11:53 pm  · 
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geno

by the way, bloodclot:
your name is scary.

May 19, 05 11:54 pm  · 
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3ifs

here's a thought: iriver sucks.


what an ugly piece of junk.


clearly the superior...

ipod is the best portable digital music player, hands down. sure there are going to be problems with some of them. its a portable device, and is therefore subject to a lot of shocks and bumps. every hard disk will eventually fail, its just a matter of time.

May 20, 05 10:34 am  · 
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xtbl

why is it better? simply because it looks cool? we need something more than the iriver is "an ugly piece of junk..."

May 20, 05 12:22 pm  · 
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geno

i have to agree it's not a beautiful as the iPOD, and as we all know, beauty is worth a lot.

May 20, 05 4:31 pm  · 
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sameolddoctor

i like the iriver sound quality also better...has optical out and in too....
but the interface sucks ass

when you have 5000 songs organization becomes very important and that is one area where the ipod rules supreme

May 20, 05 4:35 pm  · 
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geno

on that note, the 40G is absolutely riduculous, really.
wish I had gone for the 20G instead. as if i want that much of my computer drive consumed by iTunes so that I can keep updating the iPOD.

it's a sick twisted cycle.

May 20, 05 4:39 pm  · 
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G-bot

Saying that Bad MP3's broke the IPOD sounds like a great way to get out of fixing something in a warranty. Everyone has illicit MP3s, so its there fault not Apples.

May 21, 05 9:27 am  · 
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stainB

has anyone got a "DJ Bobba" on their itune playlist?

asked for a password whenever i clicked on it and neither can i delete it.

May 21, 05 9:36 am  · 
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greenmach

must be dirty - explains why the itunes loves it too much to let go.

May 21, 05 2:10 pm  · 
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zepplin100

I seriously doubt that downloading "bad" mp3s will kill an iPod. Similarly, if you download a "bad" program to your computer, it will rarely kill it. Most "bad" programs result in data loss as in most cases reformatting your hard drive will be on order. Sometimes viruses will screw with your monitor settings and that will cause your monitor to go bad, but usually that will be the extent of it. It would take an extremely ingenious program to actually kill an iPod.

What "bad" mp3's will do is make that particular track skip or stop entirely. Eventually that could result in mechanical wear on the internals, but I'd worry more about your iPod taking a fall. Skipping & stopping can usually be solved by simply replacing the track, in a legitimate way. Usually, when you download you get a one track that has been copied time and time again (even if its from different people.) If the track was bad from the start, then re-downloading it would just download the same "bad" track over again & and youre in the same boat once more.

mmm3, do you notice that any particular track skips or is at random? It may be a bad track. If its a software issue, reset iPod through your computer like mentioned above. Keep your fingers crossed because it may be a hardware issue like a damaged hard disk. Perhaps the iPod was dropped by the previous owner, and in that case you may be screwed. Electronics of that size are EXTREMELY delicate and people don't seem to understand that. People bitch and huff about iPods not being durable but Apple or Toshiba can't bend the laws of physics. Even a small force can damage a hard disk.


(if you don't how it looks inside)

The distance between the arm and the disk is about 0.2 mm and the disk rotates 4200 RPM so any shock can really make a mess inside. Newer HD models move the head to a safe position when they sense a fall but in no way would they make a HD bulletproof. You just gotta be careful.

iRiver may have more features/lower price and blah blah blah but you totally miss why iPods are better - interface. Lets face it, what Apple's design team did with the iPod is simply brilliant. You control the entire device with ONE finger (or thumb.) Until some one comes out with something better, and I can't wait to see that, iPod will be on top. Okay, I'm done.

May 21, 05 5:23 pm  · 
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bollocks

guess what! shuffle sucks as well. i exchanged mine 4 times in 2 weeks till i finally gave up and got my money back ... not without a fight. turns out the shuffle is fine till you go running with it and get a little sweaty. apple still denies this is a flaw, the fact is as soon as you get sweaty i.e. 10 min into my run ... the thing stops working. in the last incident the usb plug actually rusted. the 'genius' at the genius bar basically said it wasn't possible that i must have mishandled it - well i didn't. onlhy when i threatened to post a picture of the shuffle on a shufflesucks.com domain did they give me my money back.

May 21, 05 5:47 pm  · 
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geno

zepplin100 - YOU ROCK!
not only have you restored my faith in and willing financial support of Apple taking over the world and making it more beautiful, minimalist, logical, and user friendly, but you have taught me something about patience.

May 21, 05 5:59 pm  · 
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bothands

I've had a second gen 20g ipod for over two years without a problem, filled to the brim with tunes -- use it in the car, on trips, through my home stereo...but then again i haven't dropped it. the only issue is battery doesn't last as long as it used to, but it certainly doesn't on my powerbook that's for sure -- to be expected. apple basically blows away the ipod knock-offs in usability and design. some of them have a feature or two that apple held out on but they're not deciding factors by any means.

May 21, 05 6:09 pm  · 
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bigness

my baby died about a month ago...
it would have costed 120 pound to fix it, i spent 220 on an ipod photo.
i believe the harddrive packed it in, but it has to be said it was dropped more than once, and lasted over a year...

so, i know your pain, but it soon goes away, trust me.

May 22, 05 1:56 am  · 
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vado retro

sounz like unplanned obsolescence(sp?)

May 22, 05 2:01 am  · 
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surface

what do people have to say about ipod minis..? for those of us who can afford the a extra bill...

May 23, 05 10:44 am  · 
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Smokety Mc Smoke Smoke

So here's an unusual problem I have with my iPod (i have a 15GB model, it is about 16 months old) ... of late, I keep having to reset the contrast on the display. Its as if it has decided to make the display darker while I sleep. I've dropped it before on several occasions, but I have not had any problems with it.

Also, in case this has not been dealt with in an earlier posting, what are good earphones to use with this thingy. I have those Applie inner-ear ones, which sound a hell of a lot better than the regualr earbuds that came in the package. I love the inner-ear ones, but I think the response may be too mid-rangey and may lack the bass response I want.

May 23, 05 5:26 pm  · 
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ScottMSchultz

i just got some sony mdr-d22. theyre part of the eggo line that are only available in japan. Sound pretty good but if you have the cash get the mdr-d66. 22s were $56 and 66s are like $90 i think. I got mine from audiocubes. Sennheiser makes good stuff too. and grado

May 23, 05 5:31 pm  · 
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A Center for Ants?

Sony's MDR EX-71s are good in-ear buds. They're the in-ear variety with decent response across the range. Comes with 3 silicone buds for diff. size ears too. Also made in white to match iPods.

The best feature is good sound isolation. They really block out a lot of sound which is great for commuting via public transportation or typical office hum. I think they're a great phone for the $30 I paid. (Try buy.com). Not gonna lie, though. They're still a far cry from my nice big AKG and Sennheiser studio monitor headphones, but if you want something you don't worry about losing...

Scott's right too. Sennheiser is good but their buds aren't as good as their open-air circumaural headphones. AKG and Grado also make good stuff but not ear buds.

May 23, 05 6:36 pm  · 
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geno

i wonder how long it'll take apple to realize they don't need to include the factory earbuds. everyone's gonna eventually find their own headphones. such a personal item. like underwear.

May 23, 05 7:51 pm  · 
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mmm3

d@mn you zepplin100, here I am trying to discredit Apple and wanting to believe that they make an unperfect/inferior product and you start kicking the knowledge. i guess a 40gig 3g @ $189 can't be perfect.

May 24, 05 2:41 pm  · 
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inkwray

testing.

May 24, 05 2:56 pm  · 
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WonderK

This might help a lot of people out.....

Apple settles lawsuit, offers $50 coupons and extended service warranties

Jun 3, 05 1:12 pm  · 
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Jrocc

Winamp now has a plugin that supprots ipods better than itunes(spyware) and it lets you download from your ipod not just upload to it.

Jun 3, 05 1:20 pm  · 
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Francisco David Boira

This discussion is all nice but. My 20g iPOD was great and loved it. It only happens that when moving out from my stuio space from the GSAP I must have dropped it because I can find it and its killing me (plus it was a nice present from my girlfriend).
Looking forward to replace it soon, but currently I am caught up in other upgrades ;)

Jun 3, 05 1:32 pm  · 
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