iPods designed to fail? An old rumor returns...

An opinion piece from the UK's Independent, claims that it's more than coincidence that the iPod fails after about 24 months. The author states that "the fact that these expensive devices rarely last for more than 24 months is hard to swallow. The problem is that as much as I'm frustrated with my Apple experience, I still love my iPod. Even though I know I should take my business elsewhere, it's an addiction."

Well, there's just a few problems with this claim. First of all, is the supposition that all/most iPods fail after about 24 months. I know for me personally, my 4th generation iPod is going strong after nearly four years. Not to mention the first generation iPod my parents still use. Granted, it's battery life is now nearly non-existent, but the thing is functionally sound. It can be unnerving to read these types of articles, and I can only imagine what it's like for the people who have worked so hard on the devices. Of the Apple engineers I've met, none of them seem to be tasked with ensuring product failure. Could the devices be made more reliably? Sure, everything can, or at least it's important to strive towards perfection. I don't know how anyone who uses Apple products could feel that isn't the goal.

That said, I have to say in my own experience, it seems like the build quality/reliability of the newer machines is not on par with "the good old days." While my G4 tower from 1999 is still humming along, I have no expectation for the Intel iMac to be doing the same in nine years. Sure, complaints on the user forums are up, but then again, so are the number of machines sold.

So while yes, there are horror stories of people having their iPods replaced multiple times, it's silly to think there's some sort of directive or intention on Apple's part to make things that don't work. I know when we would see multiple iPod returns when I worked at the Apple store, we became suspect that it may have been the pcs on the other end of the firewire/usb cables that were causing the issues. After all, most of those machines were coming from manufacturers with far less stellar satisfaction/quality ratings than Apple.

iPod Game Review Video: Pole Position Remix

When we were handing out assignments for iPod game reviews, I was thrilled to get Pole Position Remix. The thrill was gone almost instantly.

From a nearly impossible to maneuver car, to bad music, to a poor design choice in making the steering wheel (click wheel) also control acceleration, there's a lot of disappointment in this game. Yes, it's cool to see some of your album cover art show up on billboards throughout the game, but the only reason you see them is that the gameplay is dull.

Here's a look at the video review of Pole Position Remix for the iPod:

Review: Ms. PAC-MAN for the iPod

It seems like the iPod would be ripe as a platform to breathe new life into old/classic games. Namco tried with Ms. PAC-MAN, but came up a little short. Here's our video review:

Quick Review: Vortex Game for the iPod

Macgirl had a chance to give Vortex a whirl on her 5th gen iPod. The quick take: the gameplay is fun, fast, and easily controlled.

Here's the full review: