my iPod nano dies. Again

[Clivey]

QFT = Quoted For Truth.

Cheers.

Planned obsolescence (thats it's official name) is nothing new - it's just the time which products have been engineered for has become significantly decreased.

I'd agree with you that generally, new products are becoming worse and worse in this way, just look at the huge number of XBox 360s that have packed-in just after the year warranty's expired (there have even been court cases regarding this). It happened to a friend's power supply.

The iPod however is a tricky one. I definitely wouldn't say that the electronics themselves are "built to fail", but what I would say is that Apple is deliberately using very soft plastic and metal for the cases so that people with scratched ones buy a newer model. The fragility of the surface of the iPod's case is unforgivable. I'm just glad to see that the new Shuffles / Nanos don't suffer from the same thing.

I really do baby my iPod but it's still got fine scratches all over it despite the fact that I wouldn't even put it down on a worktop/desk without something soft underneath it to protect the finish. This is as I said, unforgivable in my opinion, especially since the iPod cost me £310 new. It's defiitely the worst part of buying an iPod.

I hope that when the 6G's released, they've toughened-up the finish of the materials used to withstand normal use.

The second worst part of owning an iPod though can be even more annoying: The restrictions on freely moving files from device to device. Why can't I dock a friend's iPod and put some of their songs on my iTunes Library? This is copyright protection gone waaaay too far. It's like region settings on DVD players / games consoles; why do we let industries get away with this?

[IBrake4Rainbows]

When you attach your friends iPod, set it for disk use, then simply click and drag the files into your iTunes folder. instant song uploadage.

this of course only works for Windows.

[IWantAnAudiRS6]

QFT = Quoted For Truth. Planned obsolescence (thats it's official name) is nothing new - it's just the time which products have been engineered for has become significantly decreased.

As for apple, they make decent Mp3 players.

*sighs* It was sarcasm, but if it's what makes Rocke happy...

I hate planned obsolescence- probably one of the crappiest things ever. No sooner have you downloaded the latest Service Pack or OSX update, it's time for another... what's wrong with what we've got? The only reason I upgrade is so I can keep up with the programs that are being released- otherwise, I couldn't care less.

And they do, I'm not sure why they get so much stick.

[Matra et Alpine]

BTW, I bought that Kensington FM transmitter for my iPod / car and it works really well. Definitely CD-quality sound.

nope.
Sound good and better than FM radio stations because it doesn't have the equalisation added by the station.
BUT it is still only FM quality, well short of CD.