The rotten Apple which killed my iPod
One bad Apple update spoilt my iPod and the lack of support I received has put him right off the company.
They say one bad Apple spoils the barrel – and that is exactly what happened to my poor iPod. iTunes prompted me to download a routine update of the iTunes and iPod software which, trusting creature that I was, I duly did.
The next day, the songs on my iPod started playing like Max Headroom malfunctioning, the shuffle function kept stalling, and navigating through my playlists was sluggish. I hooked up the iPod to my computer and it made the poor machine crawl. Eventually, the iTunes software informed me that I had to restore the factory setting on my iPod, wiping off all the songs I had downloaded on it.
I hoped this would be the end of it and I would be able to recopy my songs on to the iPod. However, every time I linked the iPod to my computer, iTunes would demand that I restore the factory settings. It had somehow got itself into an endless loop. I tried the online support, but could find no solution to my problem.
Since my iPod was no longer covered by the ridiculously short one-year guarantee, two authorised Apple centres told me that they could do nothing about it. One kindly agreed to test it and informed me that there was an irresolvable software conflict caused by the new software. The technician also informed me that Apple does not carry out repairs on this kind of defect, because it is too costly for them, so they just replace it with a new iPod. And, since my guarantee was finished, I would have to pay the full whack for a new pod.
I telephoned the Apple Help Centre and they also informed me that there was nothing they could do and suggested I write to their headquarters in the Netherlands. I sent off a complaint arguing that it was their software which had ruined my iPod and so they were responsible for fixing it.
The other day I received a reply asking me to phone them because this situation was best handled over the phone. Thinking that the magnificent, world-famous, trendy and reliable Apple would finally take responsibility for its faults, I called them in optimistic spirits. You can imagine my shock when they informed me, once again, that there was nothing they could do and that they are not responsible for the damage caused by their software.
I don’t know if it is just my idealistic streak, but I expect a supposedly high-quality, top-of-the-range MP3 player to last more than two years and for a company with a reputation like Apple’s to take better care of its clients.
Anyway, this experience has left me disappointed. My wife and I had been contemplating finally switching from IBM computers, but this bad Apple experience has made us go off the idea completely.
