Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2006 > September > 12 > Entry
To iPod or not to iPod? Again?
I’m feeling a little ambivalent about today’s major Apple announcements about its iPod line because mine just died last week.
My 20-gig monochrome iPod (OmiePod1 to his friends), went to the big music graveyard in the sky (what’s up, Rob Pilatus? How ya doing, Janis?) last week when the hard drive started clicking and whirring, and I got the sad/sick (but undeniably cute) iPod icon.
I tried several methods for reviving the thing, from dropping it and banging it around to physically prying it open and examining the innards to make sure the hard drive cable wasn’t dislodged.
Nothing worked. I banged it on the table some more.
I took it to the Apple store and a smug “Apple Genius” played around with it for two minute (after making me wait 15) and declared the thing was “A goner.” He offered me 10 percent off a new one.
I sent the iPod to iPodResQ.com, which was the best solution I could find for figuring out if my ‘Pod was worth saving. For $29, they’ll overnight you a box to pack your iPod, diagnose it and either fix it for you after you’ve approved the estimate or send your dead friend back, no questions asked. The friendly rep called me on Friday and told me my iPod had a bad hard drive and a bad “Logic board.” I knew my iPod had logic because sometimes it would play the Raconteurs and White Stripes back to back, as if it knew instinctually what Jack White sounds like. Fixing both would cost $250, about the price of a new shiny iPod.
So now my dead friend sits on my kitchen table, stripped of its blue rubber sleeve and asleep forever. $249 is a decent price for a new 30 gig video iPod (plus the 10 percent funeral/recycling discount), and I like the new announced features for iTunes, but I don’t quite know if I’m ready to make the leap just yet.
I think I need a little more time to mourn OmiePod1.
P.S. Dear Apple — $300 for a set-top box that streams video, but can’t record anything on its own? You have just a few months to make this “iTV” junk worth our while.
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