Apple iPod screen problems continue

Apple iPod owners continue to complain about the quality of the music player's screen, saying scratches and cracks are ruining their watching experience of videos.

Writing in our Test Bed blog , readers of Personal Computer World claimed that cracks and scratches still affect the screen of the video iPod.

Owners say their cracked screens were not the result of misuse or of ordinary wear and tear.

One, Ruby, said: ‘Even though I kept mine in the little leatheresque type material the screen scratched up really quickly. Then a week after I got it the screen dented in my pocket, so none of the screen information is visible. Not ideal for a video iPod.’

Another complained: ‘My LCD on the iPod video is dead. I never dropped it. I sent my iPod for Apple warranty service, they returned it without fixing it. Their tone is LCD failure is your problem.’

Apple argues that owners have dropped or damaged their iPods themselves - and that such damage is not covered by the device's warranty.

The company told PCW that it is unaware of any inherent problems with the iPod screen. It restated its belief that the best way to prevent damage is to always keep the iPod in a protective case.

An Apple spokesperson said the iPod warranty doesn't cover 'accident, abuse or misuse', adding that the company will replace those that are genuinely faulty.

Complaints about iPod screens first surfaced last year, shortly after Apple launched its slimline Nano, but the company said the problem had been resolved.

It faced a barrage of complaints about how easily the screen became scratched.

So widespread were the complaints that Apple eventually found itself facing a lawsuit in the US courts, alleging that the iPod Nano was fundamentally flawed.

Apple conceded that screens on a batch of iPods  had suffered from a specific fault, but denied that there was an underlying problem with the player's design.

Even so, when it launched the larger video iPod just before Christmas, it quietly slipped a protective covering case into the box to help prevent screen damage.

Owners with enquiries about the iPod warranty should contact Apple's Customer Care Helpline on 0810 876 0573.

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