iPod vending machines...succeed?

You buy your sweets (candy if you're American) or crisps (potato chips) and they just fall down. But for an iPod, surely there wouldn't there need to be some kind of cushion at the bottom so your precious new purchase didn't get smashed up?

Wow. Looks like most posters are only thinking the airport travelers are from the US. One reason, aside from convenience as many have posted, is that right now, travelers from the UK/Europe can pick up ipods from these machines at a dirt cheap rate due to the exchange rate. A US$350 ipod that normally sells for UK259 (including VAT) would cost the equivalent to a little over US$500 so US$350 would be quite cheap. Obviously the exchange rate impacts everything so everything is quite cheap to UK travelers, but ipods from a vending machine are a cheap good gift if forgottento purchase while on holiday.

Arent't there electronics shops at the airport that sells the iPods?
Why use the vending machine, when there are shops with human assistance?

Unless of course, the shops are closed at night?
What time do the shops open?

Can anyone comment on this?

There's one at Ralph's supermarket in Bixby Knolls (Long Beach, CA) near the Ferris Bueller house.

It does seem a bit weird to sell them without a) a way to charge them and b) a way to fill them with music. I assume, though, that the type of person that would buy from a machine would have a laptop already, probably with some music already on it that could be transferred. But I doubt the laptop USB would have enough power to charge the thing.

Seems to me that if you set up a table with a computer or two to rip CD's or make iTunes purchases you could make some $$$. You could even have some iPods already charged up and the customer could just swap for the charged and loaded iPod.

Better yet...who needs the vending machine? Just take some new iPods, charge them up, and hock them there in the airport. I can see it now:

"I'm from the Church of Religious Consciousness, and we would like you have this iPod filled with gospel tracts."

Oh, I guess not...

I want one. www.iregift.com

Ha! The Zune vending machine would no doubt crash and keep your $300. Check this article.

iRegift and gift cards are in the news!

Has anyone's iPod gotten stuck in one yet?

Actually, the machine only takes quarters, but not just any quarter will do.
It must be either a bicentennial quarter or one of the recently minted state quarters. If using a state quarter, it must be from the state where the vending machine resides. A friend of mine was selling quarters at the mall in Atlanta - 4 Georgia quarters for $1.50, 4 bicentennial quarters for $2.
Now that's a good business to get into.

Ok, all joking aside, this would work better if Apple offered an ipod pre-loaded (maybe half the space) with legal music.
You know, a classical ipod with classical music; a jazz ipod with jazz music; an alternative/punk ipod...the list goes on. Too bad their software, iTunes, isn't very friendly to pre-loaded ipods.
But assuming they changed that a bit...

The only thing left to do is make a mini-charger for the ipod. Surely you've seen the mini-charger for cell phones? Insert a 9-volt battery and connect the device to your phone...it quickly gives the battery a full charge.
A similar device could be an "accessory" in the same vending machine, right next to the 9-volt batteries.

...of course, a cheaper alternative would be to stick your fingers in your ears and hum your favorite tune...

- Just a few random thoughts. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it.

They usually put more in the international areas of the airport so people can buy them on the way back if they could never buy it when they had a chance before. The one in DFW gets filled up every day. I think the best seller is the Nano because it's always low on stock.