Cracked screens and easily scratched screens appear to be two different issues, and that’s how Apple will handle them.
The coolness factor for the tiny iPod Nano media player dropped after some users began experiencing screen problems. For some users, the joy of slipping the minuscule Nano into a pocket faded when the Nano emerged from the pocket with a cracked screen.
Now, three weeks after its launch, Apple has acknowledged a quality issue with the Nano, but emphasized the cracked screen issue is very limited in scope, as Macworld reports:
Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller said there are two completely separate issues going on here….
“This is a real but minor issue involving a vendor quality problem in a small number of units,” said Schiller. “In fact, this issue has affected less than 1/10 of 1 percent of the total iPod nano units that we’ve shipped. It is not a design issue.”
Schiller said that if customers find they have this problem, all they have to do is contact AppleCare and their iPod will be replaced.
One of those people who will probably be calling for a replacement is Microsoft executive Jim Allchin. “I have to tell you that I did get the iPod Nano the first day it came out and it only worked one day,” he said at an internal Microsoft meeting. “True story. I think they have a moisture problem.”
Moisture wasn’t mentioned as an issue by Apple, but Mr. Schiller also touched on the complaints that the Nano screen can be scratched easily. The Nano screen is made from the same polycarbonate used for fourth generation iPod screens, and those have not had scratch complaints.
Apple seems to think the scratching issue is a tempest in a teapot. “We have received very few calls from customers reporting this problem – we do not think this is a widespread issue,” Mr. Schiller said in Macworld. “If customers are concerned about scratching we suggest they use one of the many iPod nano cases to protect their iPod.”
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
