Towards the end of November 2011, UWHS’s Andrew Edney made me aware of Apple’s Replacement Program for 1st generation iPod Nanos. It seems some 1st gen Nanos had a rare fault which caused some safety issues, so Apple decided to recall them and offer replacements. Not all 1st gen Nanos are eligible. If you have one, go to this page on apple.com to see if yours is eligible for replacement. If it is, simply follow the instructions to start the process.
After filling out a few details, Apple sent me a shipping box to send back my old Nano. It took a couple of weeks for the box to arrive. The box was perfectly sized for the 1st gen Nano, and I sent mine off (being sure to restore it to factory settings with iTunes first – I didn’t use mine for anything except music, but hey, you never know). You have to send it recorded delivery (pre-paid), so you’ll need a trip to the post office. Apple give you a link via email to the repair status page for your case so you can track the progress. Mine was received by Apple very quickly, and it was marked “pending replacement”.
It stayed as “pending” for about six weeks. A friend of mine had submitted his at the same time and sent me a message that he’d received his replacement, and that it was a barnd new 6th gen Nano! I couldn’t believe it! I just hoped mine wouldn’t be pink…
Sure enough, a couple of days later, I got an email with a status update and a UPS tracking link for my new Nano, which was on its way from Ireland. It arrived a couple of days later. As it had to be signed for, you’d have to be at home to take the delivery. I opened the box, and found inside a fantastic brand new silver 6th gen iPod Nano*. They are worth £115, so to get one in exchange for a well-loved 1st gen I’d had for over six years is brilliant – thank you, Apple.
Here are a few pictures of my new toy…
It’s the 8GB version – there is also a 16GB model available. It comes with a square multi-touch screen of just over an inch square. The multi-touch allows you to turn the screen orientation with two fingers. You move into the menu items by touching, and out of them by swiping right. It has a surprisingly good set of features for a Nano (especially compared to the 1st gen it’s replacing):
- 24hr battery life
- Shake-to-shuffle
- Fitness application which links to Nike+
- Strong clip for wearing on clothes or as a watch (strap not included)
- Clock application with many faces
- iTunes with Genius
- FM radio (with headphones attached)
- Accessibility options to change display options, and give mono audio
If you have a 1st gen Nano, I strongly encourage you to see if you can get a replacement – what you get in return is well worth the effort and the wait.
*Note this link goes to the generic iPod Nano page at apple.com – if they bring out a newer version than 6th generation, this link will point to the new version instead.
I wouldn’t get too excited about that 6th gen. I bought one last December, got it replaced 3 months later, got that one replaced 2 days later, the next one lasted a week, that replacement lasted about 3 days, and this last one doesn’t work either, but I gave up on it. The 6th gen is, hands down, the worst iPod Apple has ever released. I have two 1st gens that fall under this action, but I’m not swapping hardware that works perfectly for something that won’t work after a few weeks.
Not a rant, but I figured you’d want to know my experiences with these little buggers.
I wouldn’t get too excited about that 6th gen. I bought one last December, got it replaced 3 months later, got that one replaced 2 days later, the next one lasted a week, that replacement lasted about 3 days, and this last one doesn’t work either, but I gave up on it. The 6th gen is, hands down, the worst iPod Apple has ever released. I have two 1st gens that fall under this action, but I’m not swapping hardware that works perfectly for something that won’t work after a few weeks.
Not a rant, but I figured you’d want to know my experiences with these little buggers.
Well mine’s been going for a couple of weeks now and it’s fine so far….touch wood!