Nano Sized Lawsuits

by Eddie Miller

It seems as if all is not perfect in Apple's little tinseltown. Indeed, Apple's new iPod, the iPod Nano, has seen amazing sales and high critical acclaim. But not everything is flawless, and now Apple is coming under some rather large lawsuits over its miniature sized iPod device. In fact, these lawsuits claim that Apple knew of the defects in its iPod Nano mp3 player but decided to push for its timely release despite the fact.

There is no complaint with the iPod's hardware or effectiveness, rather, this suit says that the iPod scratches too easily, particularly the screen. The complaint blames the nano's defectiveness on the film of plastic resin that covers it to protect it from damage. Previous versions of the iPod were coated with thicker and stronger resin, the suit says. "Rather than admit the design flaw when consumers began to express widespread complaints ... Apple concealed the defect and advised class members that they would need to purchase additional equipment to prevent the screen from scratching excessively," the complaint says.

The plaintiff, a man by the name of Jason Tomczak, claims that his iPod Nano was so scratched up he couldn't even view the screen any longer. Apple actually agreed to replace his iPod, but only because of a battery problem, not because of the screen itself. But Jason claims that even the new iPod Nano screen came scratched. Apple even required Jason to pay a $25 fee to have the replacement iPod sent, something that is being hit on in the suit.

While the results of these Nano problems remain to be played out, the fact remains that it appears Apple can't always hit all the right notes with their new iPods. Something, somewhere always appears to go wrong no matter what you are dealing with.