Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPod Family
Broken iPod: fix it or replace it?
There are few things worse than reaching for your iPod only to find that the screen is cracked, the hard drive has died, or that the darned thing just won't play music anymore. At that point you have to ask yourself, like someone did of the New York Times, do I fix this iPod or just replace it?The answer is easy if your iPod is still under warranty, but if it isn't things get a little trickier. If your iPod is a few models behind what Apple is currently offering it probably makes sense to put the money you would have spent on replacement parts towards a new iPod. However, if you have an iPod that Apple doesn't make anymore (I'm thinking of the iPod mini) then you just might want to fix up your piece of consumer electronics history.
What say you, insightful TUAW reader? Would you just get a new iPod, or be more eco-friendly and get your old iPod fixed?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Neal said 7:05PM on 5-05-2008
Replace it, you've still got a portable harddrive.
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gerdozain said 8:01PM on 5-05-2008
recycle the old one and buy a new one. Simple.
Ron said 7:10PM on 5-05-2008
Replace it
you get more memory (for less than when you bought yours) and whatever better features apple throws in that isn't in your generation of iPod...
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Ralph said 7:12PM on 5-05-2008
The answers you post aren't quite enough. Of course, a newer iPod will (typically) be better depending on what you get (newer battery, faster drive, higher capacity). However, it's not usually as cut & dry as that.
My aunt broke the iPod she got from me not long ago (heavy handed, she broke the click wheel by jamming it down when it wouldn't respond fast enough; also the dock connector by yanking the cable out when it wouldn't unclick; yup, she is the bane of all electronics). She kept pestering me about fixing it and I told her not to spend over $50 fixing any regular iPod (rules are different with the Shuffles and nanos thanks to their price point).
So the two-prong answer of "fix it - why waste money on a new one" or "new iPods are so shiny" is, admittedly, tongue-in-cheek. A true answer has a few more variables. I wouldn't recommend anyone spend more than $50 or so to repair any larger-capacity iPod, and no money to repair any smaller capacity iPod. (This assumes said iPod is out of warranty.)
YMMV, as always.
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solarpos said 7:12PM on 5-05-2008
When and IF my 4G 20Gig pod bites it, I'll replace it with a Classic.I have an iPhone and so the Touch just doesn't appeal to me.
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robogobo said 8:16PM on 5-05-2008
really?
dd676 said 7:15PM on 5-05-2008
Fix it! I just rigged my old 20GB 4G with a broken hard drive up with a 32GB compact flash card via a cheap ebay adapter and a new extended battery for a total cost of under $150. Next I'm going to throw in bluetooth ;)
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NateO said 7:24PM on 5-05-2008
When I ruined the hard drive of my 3rd gen on some big magnets at work, I set about throwing in some compact flash. Mostly for the geek factor, but also because I still have the remote that won't work with anything but 3rd/4th gen, and I couldn't bear to throw it all away. Works better than ever!
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Eric said 7:45PM on 5-05-2008
This may seem obvious to most, but at least take it to their Genius Bar and have them quote a repair. I believe the diagnosis is free. Then make your decision from data. Interestingly, I brought in a G4 laptop a while back that wouldn't boot, and they said the logic board needed replacing (either $300 3rd party or $800 Apple). I told them I needed to think about it and took it back home. It booted immediately when I got home and has been okay since. Glad I didn't make a rash decisions.
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puhsitch said 10:03PM on 5-05-2008
They won't actually repair iPods at the Apple Stores, though. Their options for you will be to either replace it with a refurbished iPod of the same model, recycle the old one and get a new one, or send it on your own to a 3rd party for repair.
martoon said 7:44PM on 5-05-2008
broken screen. fixed mine. Easy peazy
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Odineye said 7:52PM on 5-05-2008
I'm in the 20Gig has a smashed screen department. I've hooked it up semi-permanently to the stereo in my car with an adapter that tells me what it's playing on the radio screen (and also charges the iPod). I keep my music - which I don't really update very often - on the 20Gig and only have to bring it in out of the car when I want to put new music on it.
The stuff I update more regularly - like Podcasts and Audiobooks - I keep on my iPhone. The car stereo has a separate, auxilury input.
So my vote is neither fix nor replace - rather adjust and adapt...
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old mac fan said 7:53PM on 5-05-2008
Fourth option: There are some great deals out there on used iPods, both officially refurbished and at local computer stores, eBay, friends looking to upgrade, etc. Great way to replace the dead device on the cheap.
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Ed said 7:54PM on 5-05-2008
Apple can still replace old models. They still have stock of them for replacement, even out of warranty.
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Ari B. said 7:54PM on 5-05-2008
I think it'd depend on the cost of a repair. If it reached a certain amount (I don't know, $100 or so), I'd replace it. Otherwise, I plan to keep repairing mine as long as it's doable.
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Josh Kruchten said 8:04PM on 5-05-2008
That kind of situation happened to me too! It's so disappointing. My iPod (a good old G4 20GB) is sadly down to like 4 or 5 hours, and I'm out of warranty. I talked to someone from Apple and it's INFURIATING because you can pay $60...to get the SAME darn iPod over again, or they can take off $20-$30 of the purchase of a new one. It's such a twister! I'm one of those old school people who use the old iPod for everything...music...storage...what they were MEANT for, and I don't wanna replace it for a flashy new one unless I really have to, it's weird cause if you asked me before I would have said new one! But I think I'm attached to the one I have...can you say iPod love?? :)
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Elijah said 12:57AM on 5-06-2008
......You do know that you can use the iPod classic for storage/music as well, video too. It also has 80/160GB, so you can store more on it.
I realize that you're "old school" but you can still do all the stuff on the new iPod that you can on the one that you have, and it has a better battery life.
Sorry, but I don't really see your point...
mikevets said 8:10PM on 5-05-2008
buy a new one!
my 4G 30GB video ipod battery life was about
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NutMac said 8:10PM on 5-05-2008
At the risk of stating the obvious, the answer depends on how much the repair is. If the broken iPod is 2 generations old or less (e.g., 5G iPod video or original nano) and the repair costs less than half of refurbished equivalent, I would say fix it. Otherwise, unless you have some very fond reason to keep the broken 'Pod, it doesn't make much economic sense to repair.
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Eric said 8:12PM on 5-05-2008
Out-of-warranty, I'd replace with a newer model.
My 4G has a faulty logic board and a completely dead LCD.
For less than $20, I can buy a 1.8" hard drive enclosure and have a 20GB external hard drive.
Others could just use the iPod, but the logic board issue won't let it be recognized by the computer. I know the hard drive works, because I can still listen to it through the headphones, as long as the battery lasts... which isn't long.
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