not THAT kind of happy ending :p

Here is my not-so-short story:

I was on my 2nd iPod (15gig, G3) in less than 8 months. The 1st one had problems with one of the buttons and a the remote cord was separating. It was < 10 days, so I returned it to Apple.com & purchased another 15 from Dell for $100 less.

On the replacement - I had NEVER gotten anywhere close to 8 hours but it seemed to be getting significantly worse so I tested it by letting it play with no backlight, mid-level volume, no backlight. Did this twice and both times - < 4 hour battery life. I was not a happy camper and have been reading all of the sad battery-life stories here and elsewhere. Also, my NEW remote cord was starting to separate.

I didn't even realize until recently that I may be able to get the iPod repaired or replaced for short battery life. It still didn't seem ideal, since I would have to pay the $30 (?) fee to ship it back, be without my iPod for weeks and then get back either a repaired or refurbished iPod.

I had been planning on just selling it on eBay (with full disclosure) and picking up a 20gig. But when I did the math...I just could not justify it. Still, I wasn't happy with <4 hours. Finally, I decided to pursue the Apple Warranty route. Then I read here that someone thought that perhaps you could take it directly to an Apple store.

I figured I would give 'em a call & see what I could find out. Dialed my local Burlingame store -- but somehow ended up w/ Applecare. They put me through the wringer -- asking me all sorts of questions & insisting that I try one thing after another (I had already followed all of the suggestions for longer battery life...and even purchased a 2nd AC Adapter) and kept telling me that I needed to spend $50 for phone support beyond 90 days and I kept telling him that I just wanted to know if I could take it to the Apple store. FINALLY -- he answered my question that I COULD take it to the Burlingame store rather than shipping it in.

As I was waiting in line with all of the mini iPod shoppers, I realized that I left my receipt at home. I assumed that I was screwed but figured I would find out what they could do for me once I had my receipt. To my surprise, not only did I not need my receipt, I didn't need a case number from Applecare and he barely looked at the iPod before doing the paper work to get it repaired/replaced. Already, I was thrilled -- but still anticipated being without my iPod for a while. But instead, he disappeared into the back and returned with a shiny (though probably refurb rather than new) 15gig. He also ordered a replacement remote for me at no charge. The icing on the cake: my new iPod has the beautiful BLUE backlight :) :D

I was so giddy to have a replacement so quickly that I nearly purchased a mini iPod. They are SWEET! I must admit that I was a skeptic. $250 4gigs seems like a bit much. ...but you really have to see one before you judge. They have a nice feel and the screen is smaller but seems crisper.

So, despite being on my 3rd iPod in <8 months...I am as in love with this product. But it's not a blind love..as some here seem to profess when someone dares to complain. I am so sick of all of the responses to legitimate complaints saying something like "I have had my iPod for 8 months and have had no problems..." Yayyyy for you!...but that doesn't mean that there aren't real and significant problems w/ the iPod.

I am still angry that the battery life is not what Apple claims and I have seen too many problems for a product in this price range. I think the product should have been tested better and the bugs worked out. This is my first Apple product. ...but I used to sell a lot of Apple computers and have always felt that the quality justified the price. I don't regret my iPod purchase...but must say that I am disappointed. I sincerely hope that the mini doesn't have as many problems and that the next generation improves on the battery life.