back to article Apple recalls first iPod Nanos over battery flaw

Apple is asking for its six-year-old first-generation iPod Nano back. Having uncovered a "very rare" instance in which the music player may overheat "and pose a safety risk", Apple is replacing them. Apple iPod Nano "This issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Annihilator
    Unhappy

    Boooo...

    Frantic scrabble in the drawer to discover it's a 2G that I owned. Bugger, was hoping for an early christmas present under the assumption they just send out the new Nano as a replacement.

  2. bkcokota
    Flame

    Turns out my ipod is eligible for this, it's a white 4gb nano, it actually has been having battery issues so hopefully this will sort it (not that I'd complain if they decided to give me a brand new nano instead), I'll be sure to let you guys know what it was that I got when it's returned.

    Fire icon for the poor old batteries going up in smoke.

  3. Rob - Denmark
    Thumb Down

    Probably not a new one

    "If it is, Apple will send you a box in which to return the player. Six weeks later, you'll receive your replacement. Will it be a new Nano 1G or a more recent model? Apple didn't say. "

    Since they need 6 weeks, it's probably not a new one, me thinks.

  4. Silverburn
    WTF?

    Flying pork produce

    Apple in generous out-of-warranty generosity shocker.

    Though the cynic in me thinks that this will be an almost neglible return rate; who's still got and even using a player from 3 years ago, never mind six?

    1. Ken 16 Silver badge
      Holmes

      I've got lots of kit that I'm no longer using - if Sinclair recall the ZX80 or IBM the PS/2 then I'll be laughing.

      1. Annihilator
        Happy

        re: ZX80

        I'd be fascinated to see what Sinclair replaced it with if your ZX80 was recalled...

        Hanging on to my 3dfx 4MB card in the hopes nVidia do a recall and replace it with a GTX590

    2. Coward who is anonymous
      Thumb Up

      @Silverburn: Flying pork produce

      "who's still got and even using a player from 3 years ago, never mind six?"

      Guilty.

      Half an hour, twice every weekday, going to/from work on my bike, my 1st gen Nano feeds my ear canals.

    3. Tim99 Silver badge
      Happy

      Mine is 6

      Er, I have.

      I use it in the car connected to the audio system. It still works OK, and the sound quality is much better than that from the car's CD player (Although that might be down to the bad surfaces on some of Oz's country roads).

      The e-mail that I got from Apple includes "Our initial diagnosis indicates that because your product replacement will likely be covered by the warranty, an AppleCare Protection Plan, or another Apple repair or exchange program, there should be no charge to you."

  5. The Dark Lord
    Thumb Down

    Customer service? Apple: Ha ha ha

    "Six weeks later, you'll receive your replacement."

    They want you to send your player off to them, and then SIX WEEKS LATER they'll send you an unbroken one? What are you supposed to do for those six weeks? Hum?

    1. DPWDC

      I don't even like Apples over priced kit, but seriously - it is a portable music device not an artificial kidney.

      Six weeks for a recall of EVERY product isn't that bad.

  6. ant-e
    Thumb Up

    w00t

    I have one at home (4Gb black) which my kids still use.

    It stands the test of time as a great piece of kit - it has the same connector as the latest iPods and iPhones so works in their cd/radios that have iPod docks and has enough storage to hold their favourite albums. A colour display and the click-wheel make it a joy to use.

    Maybe that's testament to how good it was in the first place?

    The battery is definitely on it's way out, so I'd be more than happy with a replacement battery, let alone a new iPod nano.

  7. snellasaurus

    Im going to do it new iPod or not

    At worst it will be a battery replacement and seeing as this one has lasted 5+ years should take me to 2017.

    Doubt they will do a new nano swap out but you never know...

  8. Ken 16 Silver badge

    I've applied for mine

    I can imagine the conversation in Apple's boardroom;

    "but this could kill someone, Steve, we're legally obliged to recall the nano"

    "Over my dead body!"

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Mine is on the list

    Still using mine, had a couple of other players but they break so i go back to the nano! Hopefully a new battery on the way!!!

  10. Alan Denman

    Rare but increasing?

    Reading between the 'lets beat around the bush' lines it sounds me like they all might eventually explode.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Well, if there is the slightest chance of it exploding...

    Then I'm keeping it and giving it to the mother in law for Xmas...

  12. Coward who is anonymous
    Alert

    "Will it be a new Nano 1G or a more recent model? Apple didn't say"

    The uncertainty... At least it's not that horribly designed large old square Nano (2nd or 3rd gen?), the new Nanos are min. 8 GB and my 1st gen is 4 GB.

    BUT, my Nano can sync with MediaMonkey and pretty much any other music library out there. Newer iPods require, as far as I know, that godawful iTunes installed in order to sync. Even if you can sync using other applications, you need some components from iTunes - which also means QuickTime, Bonjour, MDNS-service, mobile device support, iTunes helper... oh, for the love of Jobs!

    Oh, and mine appears to be recalled...

  13. Dick Emery
    Thumb Up

    Gonna chance it

    If I don't get the new 8GB model at least it gets a new battery and I can still put Rockbox back on it (but not on the 6G of course).

  14. Chris Beattie

    Rats! I HAD a first-gen nano. It worked fine in my car powered from the dock adapter, but the battery degraded to the point where it could not power the player for even short runs. I replaced it with a 4G nano.

    I took a shot at replacing the failed battery myself, which by then had puffed up like a tiny pillow in its foil wrapper. Surprisingly, after the replacement, the nano worked as well as new. I gave it away, though, since I already had a newer model.

  15. Chiny

    Gahhh

    Aha, mine is a 1st gen humble 2GB nano (beat that). It is a bit sticky (worrying) but still in working order (at the moment).

    However, my main beef with this Nano is that I was so impressed with it, my mind was warped and I now own a MacBook, a Mac Mini, an iMac, iPhones 3G, 4 & 4S and 3 Airport Expressi. I need help not a replacement Nano.

    eBay: 6 condoms for the Nano 1st gen, one used but in good condition, others unused.

  16. Dick Emery

    Confirmed: Apple to Replace Defective 1st-Generation iPod Nanos With 1st-Generation Units

    http://mashable.com/2011/11/13/ipod-nano-replacements/

  17. Paddy 3
    Happy

    They are gonna send a new one though...

    From the confirmation page - "Apple will send you a box with shipping instructions to mail your iPod nano to us. Apple will then send you a replacement iPod."

    Mine is in a bad way after I drove over it accidentally, kind Apple are now going to breathe new life into its wings.

  18. James Micallef Silver badge
    Pint

    Dug out my 1st-gen nano, whose battery has been close to unusable for a while (less than 20 minutes!!). Seems like it's one of the problem ones. I had been thinking of getting one of the latest ones this xmas, but really a new 1st-gen nano will do the trick. 4GB is still good enough for my needs, so cheers to that and happy Xmas to me :)

    Does seem strange that they still have a large amount of brand-new first-gen nanos that have been sitting in a warehouse for 5 years+. Possibly because Apple do not like to sell the old kit at a discount when the new model comes out so it doesn't undercut sales of the new model?

    Incidentally, quick view of the comments above it seems to me that most people who applied got the recall. Is there anyone who submitted their serial no. and was told it was NOT going to be recalled? What's the proportion here?

  19. c-hri-s

    Got two cardboard boxes in the post today to return my 2G and 4G nano devices. Don't use them, but don't want them going up in smoke, either.

    I suspect they will refurbish the ones they get back and send them back out again, hence the six weeks.

  20. nichobe
    Coffee/keyboard

    6 weeks is a long time....

    However not compared to the last time powered my 4G nano on......

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like