• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Apple Hit By iPod Nano Complaints

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 September 2005, 12:00 CDT

By Tony Glover, The Business, London

Sep. 25--Days after its launch, Apple's latest portable digital music player -- the wafer-thin iPod Nano -- has been hit by a flood of customer complaints.

The Business discovered hundreds of protests on the customer bulletin board of Apple's website at the weekend. Nano buyers complain that the music player's colour screens have become so scratched they are impossible to use. Customers want the device recalled until the flaw can be corrected.

A typical complaint reads: "My screen has scratched so badly that all the images are starting to become distorted. I can't figure out how the screen looks like it has been rubbed with sandpaper when the entire time it has been safe in my pocket with absolutely no items."

Another iPod Nano owner says: "This is unbelievable ... I have taken every precaution to prevent it and it still happened ... it's completely covered in scratches. I've never had anything else in my pocket with it. I clean it with a micro-fibre cloth and polisher but it is still a mess."

One customer complains of scratching after owning the device for only one day: "They should recall these."

Apple's flagship stores say they have been selling out of black iPod Nanos within hours of them going on the shelves, despite prices of up to £179 (E265, $322). The high prices have angered customers frustrated by the poor quality of the Nano screen.

"You could almost feel violated with this: 200-plus bucks for something that costs less than a hundred to assemble and then by simply using it it's scratched ... The scratches make it look like I threw it across a parking lot," said one American user.

Another complained: "I would love to flash the sleek, slim design to the world, but you have to hide it just because the scratches make it look so horrible."

Analysts think flaws like these pose a serious threat to Apple, which is battling competitors such as Sony. Market research company American Technology Research is reported to have said that initial US Nano sales have been "good, not great". Sales in the UK appear to be booming.

The original iPod, which now looks extremely chunky and heavy compared with the sleek Nano, was launched in October 2001. Despite its eventual success, early versions of the iPod were dogged with low battery life, which tended to worsen with the life of the device.

Apple was not available for comment.

-----

To see more of The Business, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thebusinessonline.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, The Business, London

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

AAPL, 6689,

Source: Sunday Business

More News in this Category