14 DAY TRIAL // This remains to be confirmed when the actual players arrive, but it seems Apple is running out of 1st-generation nanos to replace the faulty ones highlighted last month. The company appears poised to replace the problematic devices with much newer versions.
In November, Apple announced that “in very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk.” The company said at the time that “affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006”.
Apple had traced back the issue to a single vendor that produced the battery packs with a “manufacturing defect.”
The Mac maker specifically stressed that “while the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages.”
So Apple decided to replace every 1st-gen iPod nano with a new or refurbished one free of charge. All the customer had to do was complete a form and jot down their iPod’s serial number.
There’s a problem, though. Some users are reporting that Apple is taking a long time to replace their units.
A number of users who’ve applied for Apple’s replacement program are now signaling that the company has been experiencing shortages of boxes and other items required to have the replacement process completed. According to a screenshot provided to MacRumors (displayed above), Cupertino may begin shipping out current-generation players as replacements.
Needless to point out, the sixth-generation iPod nano is a much improved version of the player.
In fact, compared to the first-generation iPod nano, it’s a totally different device with touch-screen controls, colorful graphics, FM radio, clock faces, a much more attractive design, a hefty memory bank, and the list continues.
Editor’s note It previously occurred to me that Apple would have done itself a great favor to replace the faulty devices with new-generation players outright. Not only would it have been a great marketing move, it would have also eliminated any potential backlash from people who only got a refurbished 2005 / 2006 model.
We’ll have to wait and see if this 6G thing is confirmed. Some users claim their shipments are due to arrive this Wednesday. It should be noted this could all be a backend error on Apple's behalf.