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?











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
5-05-2008 @ 7:05PM
Neal said...
Replace it, you've still got a portable harddrive.
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5-05-2008 @ 8:01PM
gerdozain said...
recycle the old one and buy a new one. Simple.
5-05-2008 @ 7:10PM
Ron said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 7:12PM
Ralph said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 7:12PM
solarpos said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 8:16PM
robogobo said...
really?
5-05-2008 @ 7:15PM
dd676 said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 7:24PM
NateO said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 7:44PM
martoon said...
broken screen. fixed mine. Easy peazy
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5-05-2008 @ 7:45PM
Eric said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 10:03PM
puhsitch said...
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.
5-05-2008 @ 7:52PM
Odineye said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 7:53PM
old mac fan said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 7:54PM
Ed said...
Apple can still replace old models. They still have stock of them for replacement, even out of warranty.
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5-05-2008 @ 7:54PM
Ari B. said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 8:04PM
Josh Kruchten said...
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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5-06-2008 @ 12:57AM
Elijah said...
......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...
5-05-2008 @ 8:10PM
NutMac said...
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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5-05-2008 @ 8:10PM
mikevets said...
buy a new one!
my 4G 30GB video ipod battery life was about
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5-05-2008 @ 8:12PM
Eric said...
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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