David Beach's Blog

New nano For Me

I got a new nano tonight. I had to go to the apple store in the freaking mall to do it, but it's done. Once there I went to the counter and they had me sign up for a visit with the Genius Bar. The wait was two hours. I couldn't believe that so I decided to stick around to see how long it might take. It was about 40 minutes.

I told them what happened. They checked it out and said that they were looking for a specific problem. They couldn't find that problem with mine. They said that the LCD screen was crushed. I played dumb. I really don't think I did anything, but I wanted to see what they'd do...

They bent the rules. Grabbed a refurbished 4 gig white nano from the back. Synced it with my warranty and let me be on my way.

While I was there, I noticed that the Nano was almost literally flying out the door. People were buying them like crazy. Sales clerks kept going to the back room and grabbing more. Over and over again. The ironic thing is that they had no cases in stock. Not one. I see a huge business for someone to create sweet cases for the nano. For one thing, they scratch too easily, for another, the screen has a tendency to crack. If you think you're going to carry it around in your pocket, and it will be cool, think again. Find a case. I don't care if you carry it around in an Altoids box, you'll be happy you did.

Here are links to some nice cases coming out:

• The iWoodnano is a wooden case for the nano. Think this is the one for me...
• The custom crocheted nano case ... your mama might like.
• The nano iguy from speck products
• The Carabiner Case for the boulderer in your family
• Put it in a sock why don't ya?
• And of course, here's the Altoids box idea...

Broken iPod Nano Screen

Well I didn't think it would happen to me! I heard the rumors about problems with the nano screen, but I just shook that off as a fluke. But dammit my screen is totally messed up. Not only did the whole nano get scratched up within a day of me owning it, but now the LCD screen has a huge black smear of cracked digital ooze covering half of the interior of the screen. On the right side of the smear I can barley see what's supposed to be there, and on the left side... it's completely blank.

This isn't the worst part. The worst part is that there's no information that I can find on the Apple  site that explains what to do. There's nothing in support. There's no information on who or how to call in AppleCare, and if you search Apple's site, you get a lot of marketing results on how great the screen is. Balderdash!

WTF Apple?! I've spent tens of thousands of dollars on your crap over the last twenty years. I haven't failed you. Why have you failed me?

I bought this thing online from Apple.com, but I'm taking it into the Apple Store tomorrow and I better walk out with a new one.

All I've done is put the nano in my pocket. Just the way they market it. Just the way Stevo unveiled it. In my damn pocket. I didn't sit on it, I didn't step on it. I walked around with it in my pocket. Like you're supposed to do.

I would have bought a case at the time of purchase (about an hour after they announced it) but cases were not available for shipment. Besides, Jobs didn't need a case when he showed it off. Unless he had one made out of his black mock turtleneck that we didn't see.

Apple's Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller,  says that less than 1/10 of one percent of ipod nano units are affected with this problem... well I guess I won the freakin' lottery!