Customer Warns iPod Nano 'Extremely Fragile' After Glass Shatters

According to Darren Chartier, who quickly posted proof of his iPod nano misfortune on his blog, Apple's new device is extremely fragile; "Every other iPod I've owned was damn near indestructible," said Chartier.

Chartier claims a minor fall from two feet high, face down onto a tiled floor is all it took for the glass lens on his new iPod nano to shatter into pieces. His iPod was less than a week old when it took a tumble. After an unsuccessful visit to the Apple store for service and a failed attempt at phone service via tech support, Chartier was referred to Apple's Customer Relations group.

"Apple will repair my iPod," Chartier reported, "They’re going to ship me a box, I'm going to put the nano in it, and at some undetermined point in the future I should get my purple nano back".

It's not uncommon for Apple to stand by their products and customers with tremendous integrity, though it does often take some hunting and pecking to eventually get the desired outcome. Persistence is actually the best line of defense when trying to get service for any Apple product. Especially when it's a new product that's sustained damage outside of Apple's standard warranty.

Darren Chartier is one of the lucky ones. He has vowed to purchase a protective case for his purple nano when it's eventually returned to him, but he did offer a word of caution to other nano owners in our email correspondence; "Consider my story a warning, the new nanos are beautiful but extremely FRAGILE," Chartier claimed.

Is the new iPod nano really more fragile than other iPod's? It seems like there's only one way to find out for sure.

[photo by Darren Chartier]

Comments

[Eric]

Same thing happened to me i had it for three days. It sliped out of my pocket getting out of the car. No scatches, just a broken screen. and I agree older models were tough as nails.

[Jasmine]

I recently broke my iPod touch screen. I was bummed to say the least! My friend told me about http://www.iphone3gscreenrepair.com/ipodtouch.html. I sent my iPod off to them and they repaired it same day. They had a link on their website to a really awesome battery pack as well!
-Jas

[ipod nano repairs]

This site fixes that type of damage - in fact their photo is of a purple one strangely enough - maybe that is a popular model:

http://www.ipodjuice.com/fourth-generation-ipod-nano-display-replacement-program.htm

[Jenna Gregory]

I am now in the same boat. It slipped out of my pocket this evening and hit the ground and the screen cracked. I have also only had it for a short term, so I am very disappointed, and I also agree that ipods that I have had in the past were almost indestructible.

case = great idea, but do they have one for the nano chromatic?

[Eileen Williamson]

My husband dropped his as well. It is so thin it slipped from his pocket. No scratches anywhere but a shattered glass. Now searching for a replacement online.

[steve]

wow

who would have known glass is fragile?

now i know

schwing!

[Louis]

I think Darren's warning about "extremely fragile" should be enhanced with the warning, "Don't drop your mp3 player." His experience has less to do with the iPod's construction than with his handling of a device that contains glass. (By the way, I believe they use glass instead of plastic because of its superior scratch resistance, although apparently not break-resistance.)