I bought both my kids an ipod nano 8GB each for christmas.
They have both had to be replaced under warranty (ipods, not the kids) as the battery wouldn't hold any charge. I got them both replaced no questions asked but it has made me wonder how reliable they are generally. Is it just a coincidence that I got two lemons or is this a common thing?
Its probably a weird question to ask on a moto board but I think we have a good representation of society on here. [laugh]
I had the same thing happen with my 160GB iPod, but Apple were very nice and even though it was out of warranty they replaced it for something like $25.
Other than that, I've have 2 other iPods that have been fine. My 60GB iPod is still being used by a friends of mine after several years now.
I still use my 40 Gig 3rd Generation Ipod that I bought in 2003. The only thing I did to it is replace the battery. I use it daily to listen to podcasts at work.
said i would never buy an iPod, and then my dad gave me one for christmas in 2005
i have not been kind to it, and it is still working as well as it was on christmas day.
in fact, i keep waiting for it to crap out on me....
I had an iPod mini that my parents bought me for Christmas in 2003. By the next Christmas, the battery wasn't holding a charge either, but at the time I didn't have a license and the nearest Apple store was over two hours away.
I didn't end up getting in until April sometime, I explained the situation to the guy, and he did replace it for free. Same thing, a mini. That one lasted about 2.5 years, and then the battery quit holding a charge. At that point, I figured it was my turn to actually buy a new one, so I bought an 80gb classic and have had that for about 2 years now with no problems except the occasional frozen screen.
I am NOT nice to them either, I'm just generally bad with phones, ipods etc. I drop them all the time so I give them credit for holding up.
On the other hand, I have a friend who bought the same iPod I have now and within two months he needed a replacement because the screen turned red...
I have a 30GB (from '05) and the wife has a nano ('06)..both have frozen up but no batteries replaced yet.
I bought a 5 gen 8 gig Nano for my son. Like the OP, we had to exchange it within one week of Christmas because it wouldn't hold a charge. I'm not sure how common this battery problem is with 5 gen Nanos, but it was really frustrating. >:(
I'm still using my 2gen 4 gig Nano and it's been great. Had it for several years now and I still use it regularly. I installed an iPod-ready car stereo in my car and still use the old Nano every day. The battery doesn't last as long as it used to, but that's a non-issue when I plug into the car stereo.
Wifey has had 2 iPod Shuffles. She had one of the first 1 gig versions and used it 'til the battery would no longer hold a charge (~2.5 years of heavy use, IIRC). We replaced it with another Shuffle, and it worked flawlessly until she left it laying near a treadmill at the gym... Oh well, at least the prices have come down on the Shuffles. [bang]
My Gen 3 20gig is still going strong after 5 years.
I have MP3 stereos in all our cars, it really saves long trips.
I was listening to it when I had my bike accident a few weeks back, and it kept playing right thru the accident. [laugh]