An iPod Story, Read Dramatically

[badlydrawnvik]

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So today my iPod died. I accidentally dropped it, not nearly as hard as I would think would be required to break it. As I sat in my car to drive back to school from home, I noticed that the songs would not play. Unaffected, I did the reboot and then an ominous icon with a folder and exclamation point appeared. This folder alternated with the apple logo every few seconds as it tried to restart in futility. I called my computer genius housemate, who said he would look at it when I returned. During the drive , I realized how much I hate the radio and that I took my iPod for granted. When I arrived at school my housemate noted the spinning and clicking sound in my iPod. The prognosis: bad. The hard drive was shot. As I sat here brooding, I heard my iPod dying, still spinning its hard drive as it's battery slowly drained. It was like a relative was dying. I looked at the engraving on the back: "Happy 19th Birthday, Love Mom and Dad." A truly sad sight. Moral of the story: don't take your family or iPod for granted.

A sad, but uplifting story.

 

[drmota]

that is the most heart-wrenching thing i've ever read. if i were you i would wait til the new ipod (it will be announced in early apriL) comes out. it's a video ipod but the ENTIRE thing is a screen and the play/stop buttons all pop up on the screen when you touch it. its gonna be the hottest **** ever.
-mota

 

[jebus]

Oooh, you have my sympathies. How old is it? (and how bad is the scratch from the fall?) If it's under warranty and you can go to an apple store and, you know, talk about how it just stopped working and the HDD clicks and stuff (don't mention you broke it!) they may give you a free replacement sans engraving.
It worked once for me but I didn't have any scratches on my busted ipod. (it fell out of my old-man-cardigan pocket and came to a nice dead stop between two jugs of laundry detergent - the HDD absorbed all the shock and died. they believed a made up story and gave me a replacement on the spot.)
Or if that doesn't work, get a nano. I've thrown mine around with total disregard and it works beautifully. It once fell off a treadmill and was catapulted right into the wall at the gym (there's a nice dent) and it didn't even turn off (it paused when the headphones were yanked out, though; that was a nice touch.).

 

[kirexhana]

R.I.P. badlydrawnvik's iPod. Faithful companion, fragile soul, man's best friend. 🙁 ... 😛

 

[neurotik]

hey dude, i know how u feel (well sorta).
i have the 3rd gen ipod for almost 2 yrs now, and its very scratched up, beat in, and even the wire that connects to the earbuds is torn so i had to buy generic headphones. and of course the batteries die very quickly now. i have been forced to ration out the times i can use it bc my little baby is dying on me 🙁

edit: u might want to rename the title to "Re: PreMeds - An iPod Story, Read Dramatically" unless it will be moved pretty soon. 🙂

 

[cchoukal]

definitely take it into the Apple Store's Genius Bar. Mine did this once and they were able to fart around with it. Obviously, you dropped it and you're thinking there was some hardware damage, but this may still be a software problem that can be fixed.

Of course, the nice thing about the nano, as another poster pointed out, is that they're far sturdier due to the lack of a moving hard disk...

 

[tkdusb]

hey dude, i know how u feel (well sorta).
i have the 3rd gen ipod for almost 2 yrs now, and its very scratched up, beat in, and even the wire that connects to the earbuds is torn so i had to buy generic headphones. and of course the batteries die very quickly now. i have been forced to ration out the times i can use it bc my little baby is dying on me 🙁

edit: u might want to rename the title to "Re: PreMeds - An iPod Story, Read Dramatically" unless it will be moved pretty soon. 🙂

Apple will send you replacement buds for free.

You can buy and install a new battery with longer capacity for like $30.

that is the most heart-wrenching thing i've ever read. if i were you i would wait til the new ipod (it will be announced in early apriL) comes out. it's a video ipod but the ENTIRE thing is a screen and the play/stop buttons all pop up on the screen when you touch it. its gonna be the hottest **** ever.
-mota

Are you serious? That sounds incredible!

 

[dr.z]

that is the most heart-wrenching thing i've ever read. if i were you i would wait til the new ipod (it will be announced in early apriL) comes out. it's a video ipod but the ENTIRE thing is a screen and the play/stop buttons all pop up on the screen when you touch it. its gonna be the hottest **** ever.
-mota

Awsome!

 

[jebus]

if i were you i would wait til the new ipod (it will be announced in early apriL) comes out. it's a video ipod but the ENTIRE thing is a screen and the play/stop buttons all pop up on the screen when you touch it. its gonna be the hottest **** ever.
-mota

That may happen but don't be disappointed if it doesn't. (apple does have some nice patents that could be used for that, but they may be used for something else.) there were a lot of really convincing hoaxes going around - here's how they were perpetuated.

 

[neurotik]

Apple will send you replacement buds for free.

You can buy and install a new battery with longer capacity for like $30.

are u serious? i thought they stopped selling batteries awhile back bc they were getting too many requests and losing profit?? i tried looking at the apple website, but it doesnt have any mention for battery replacement...

 

[tkdusb]

are u serious? i thought they stopped selling batteries awhile back bc they were getting too many requests and losing profit?? i tried looking at the apple website, but it doesnt have any mention for battery replacement...

I PMed you the link for info on the battery.

 

[ND2005]

are u serious? i thought they stopped selling batteries awhile back bc they were getting too many requests and losing profit?? i tried looking at the apple website, but it doesnt have any mention for battery replacement...

I think he's talking about a 3rd party battery.

While they are effective, it's worth noting that if you touch the casing of the iPod, it's an automatic voided warranty. So I wouldn't recommend putting one of those batteries in until the iPod is out of warranty (one year, unless you pay for the extended warranty...in which case 3 years)

 

[badlydrawnvik]

haha thanks for the condolences guys. i did read about the new full screen ipod, it looks pretty sweet. my ipod's 2 years old so it's definitely out of warranty.

here's the link about the new ipod:
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0603videoipod.html

 

[gujuDoc]

at this thread. Sorry but I couldn't help laughing at the loss of an ipod of all things.

 

[noonday]

at this thread. Sorry but I couldn't help laughing at the loss of an ipod of all things.

hey! it's not funny. i'm not usually a person who gets attached to things, or cares about the newest technology, but my iPod (2nd generation) is one of my best friends. his name is george ("i will hug him and squeeze him and love him and pet him and call him george"). i'm on george 3 (yay warrantees!). but even those times without for a week while awaiting replacement -- torture!

to the OP...my deepest condolensces. may you find joy with a new electronic friend, although i know that one never really replaces the last in your heart.

 

[Rafa]

That sucks, vic. I nearly lost my October iPod this January, after a leaking Snapple bottle incident. It's back now (interestingly, after an accidental drop), but for about 5 weeks, the screen was next to useless. IIWU, I'd just go out and buy a new one. Especially as a non-radio music listener, I bet you even had it filled to capacity. As a survivor of the AMCAS, MCAT, *and* future MS1, I figure you deserve it. But the loss still sucks - especially when you managed to keep it going for more than a year.

It's not known whether Apple will really release a full-screener this April, but something is almost certainly going to happen between April and May. If it sucks, just get the 5g.

 

[C.P. Jones]

hey! it's not funny. i'm not usually a person who gets attached to things, or cares about the newest technology, but my iPod (2nd generation) is one of my best friends. his name is george ("i will hug him and squeeze him and love him and pet him and call him george"). i'm on george 3 (yay warrantees!). but even those times without for a week while awaiting replacement -- torture!

to the OP...my deepest condolensces. may you find joy with a new electronic friend, although i know that one never really replaces the last in your heart.

is it a good thing that you're already on a third through warranties? and a full screen...so it can break more easily? seriously, there's waaaayyyy too many "broken ipod" stories. they even showed on the news when they compare products how easily that thin one they came out with breaks. what's wrong with a different mp3 player company anyway? less expensive for the same thing.

isn't it a little scary that apple's becoming an evil empire? and i love how itunes takes over computers too...kinda like aol likes to do

sorry, but i hate ipod, and apple

 

[mustangsally65]

From what I understand that is a very fixable problem. For at least the past ten years the "blinking question mark" just indicated a software problem with Macs. I have an iMac I got in 2000 and in 2004 I started it up one day and it had the blinking question mark screen. All I had to do was get out my manual and put in the software restore disc and it fixed the problem immediately.

I don't know about the iPods, though. Mine's never done that, and I got it in 2003. Definitely go to the Apple Store.

 

[mshheaddoc]

at this thread. Sorry but I couldn't help laughing at the loss of an ipod of all things.

I'm with ya girl.

 

[gujuDoc]

I'm with ya girl.

😛

 

[63768]

that's such a sad story. this is why i hold onto my ipod for dear life. then again, in a few years, i'll probably switch over to a creative player. but i feel ya on taking an mp3 player for granted.

 

[masterMood]

cry me a baby

 

[badlydrawnvik]

ha when i shake it i can hear something loose inside.

 

[frany584]

prior to owning an ipod i would have thought u guys were crazy, but i now understand! i got my ipod mini for my bday back in july, and around xmas i was on the treadmill running and my ipod fell off the console onto the moving belt (facedown), and into this little crevice on the treadmill (of all places on the stupid treadmill, it couldn't just fall off onto the floor could it!??!). Before i could get the treadmill to stop, the friction of the belt on the buttons melted them off and my ipod was frozen!!! i thought i had broken it forever, and i really missed my ipod! luckily, my boyfriend found this website called www.ipodmods.com where u can order parts to either fix it urself or send it in to get fixed. i ordered new buttons and my b/f was able to fix my ipod in no time! i hope the website helps u, i am not sure since you said ur hard drive is damaged. good luck though

 

[beffers8888]

I know what'll make it all better for both of us- I'll trade you my working iPod for your Columbia acceptance!