Delicate screen creates problems for iPod Nano

Delicate screen creates problems for iPod Nano

Apple's latest offering, the iPod Nano, has run into trouble within weeks of its release with consumers complaining that the device holds a brittle screen which can be easily scratched.

Expectations were high of the iPod Nano which hit the market on the 7th of this month. In fact, Apple sees it as an advancement to its hugely popluar iPod mini. Their claims were dealt a blow though when Apple itself accepted that the displays on a few of the Nanos did get grazed easily and as a result have decided they will replace the defective pieces with brand new ones.

However the organization spokesman Steve Dowling maintained that it was not a major issue and grievances expressed by the customers with regards to faulty screens were only a handful.

Dowling recommended that in case Nano owners were scratch conscious they can purchase a protective covering even while emphasizing that plastic designing used in Nano is in accordance with other lately released iPods.

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But the issue certainly has reached disturbing proportions for Apple as reports circulating on internet blogs have plenty of Nano owners expressing their ill-feelings towards the much hyped product. The main gripe of majority of customers focuses on the fragile screen.

In fact a web designer named Tyler Hall has gone as far as starting a site called nanoscratch.com where people can discuss problems related to their iPod Nano.

While complaints are pouring in by the day, the company still believes that the scratch screens are just a minor vendor blemish which has caused distress to only one-tenth of the 1% Nanos shipped.

Securities analyst Charles Wolf of Needham & Co approximates that the number of Nanos sold could be close to 1 million. Wolf initially predicted that around 5 million Nanos could be sold by the year end but with the current happenings the sales might fall to some extent until the air over the delicate screen controversy is cleared.

He however pointed out that even low-battery life concerns with their previous iPods did not affect the sales in a big way and so chances are that Apple could see this through.

Stats wise, Apple enjoys a herculean 74% market share of digital music players and accounts for one-third of the company's overall returns.

Available in two versions; two gigabyte ($US199) and four-gigabyte ($US249), Nano encompasses a flash memory (iPod mini made use of a hard-disk drive) which is competent enough to save close to a thousand songs (in four-gigabyte version).