Editing IPod (section)

== Criticism ==
=== Battery problems ===
The advertised battery life on most models is different from the real-world achievable life. For example, the fifth-generation {{val|30|u=GB}} [[iPod Classic]] was advertised as having up to 14 hours of music playback. However, an [[MP3.com]] report stated that this was virtually unachievable under real-life usage conditions, with a writer for the site getting, on average, less than 8 hours from an iPod.<ref>[https://www.mp3.com/features/stories/3646.html MP3 Insider: The truth about your battery life] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060604141041/https://www.mp3.com/features/stories/3646.html |date=June 4, 2006}}, mp3.com, March 13, 2006. Retrieved on July 10, 2006.</ref> In 2003, class action lawsuits were brought against Apple complaining that the battery charges lasted for shorter lengths of time than stated and that the battery degraded over time.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3477497.stm Apple investigates iPod batteries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225061332/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3477497.stm |date=February 25, 2021 }}, BBC News, February 10, 2004. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.</ref> The lawsuits were settled by offering individuals with first- or second-generation iPods either {{US$|50}} store credit or a free battery replacement, and offering individuals with third-generation iPods an extended warranty that would allow them to get a replacement iPod if they experienced battery problems.<ref>Horwitz, Jeremy. [https://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/apples-ipod-battery-settlement-explained/ Apple’s iPod Battery Settlement, Explained] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325042524/https://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/apples-ipod-battery-settlement-explained/ |date=March 25, 2021 }}, ''iLounge'', June 10, 2005. Retrieved on August 27, 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Gill |title=That Ipod battery problem? Apple steps up to solve it |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1503384/that-ipod-battery-problem-apple-steps-up-to-solve-it/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703060920/http://www.mtv.com/news/1503384/that-ipod-battery-problem-apple-steps-up-to-solve-it/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 3, 2015 |publisher=MTV |date=June 2, 2005 |access-date=February 21, 2019 |ref=mtv}}</ref>

As an instance of [[planned obsolescence]], iPod batteries are not designed to be removed or replaced by the user, although some users have been able to open the case themselves, usually following instructions from third-party vendors of iPod replacement batteries. Compounding the problem, Apple initially would not replace worn-out batteries. The official policy was that the customer should buy a refurbished replacement iPod, at a cost almost equivalent to a brand new one. All lithium-ion batteries lose capacity during their lifetime even when not in use<ref>[https://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/6002/li_ion.html The Curse of Lithium Ion Batteries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307223940/http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/6002/li_ion.html |date=March 7, 2021 }}, [[MP3 Newswire]], January 6, 2006. Retrieved on November 30, 2006.</ref> (guidelines are available for [[lithium-ion battery#Lifespan|prolonging life-span]]) and this situation led to a market for third-party battery replacement kits.

Apple announced a battery replacement program on November 14, 2003, a week before<ref>[https://ipodbatteryfaq.com/#18 iPod Battery FAQ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303110450/https://www.ipodbatteryfaq.com/#18 |date=March 3, 2009}}. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.</ref> a high publicity stunt and website by the [[Casey Neistat|Neistat Brothers]].<ref>Neistat, Casey. {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20121206004825/https://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/message.html A Message From the Neistat Brothers]}}, November 20, 2003. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.</ref> The initial cost was {{US$|99}},<ref>[https://www.macminute.com/2003/11/14/ipodbattery Apple offers iPod battery replacement service] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041022041812/https://www.macminute.com/2003/11/14/ipodbattery |date=October 22, 2004 }}, ''[[MacMinute]]'', November 14, 2003. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.</ref> and it was lowered to {{US$|59}} in 2005. One week later, Apple offered an extended iPod warranty for {{US$|59}}.<ref>[https://www.macminute.com/2003/11/21/ipodapplecare/ AppleCare for iPod now available] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041022032309/https://www.macminute.com/2003/11/21/ipodapplecare |date=October 22, 2004 }}, ''[[MacMinute]]'', November 21, 2003. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.</ref> For the iPod Nano, [[soldering]] tools are needed because the battery is soldered onto the main board. Fifth generation iPods have their battery attached to the backplate with adhesive.<ref>Ecker, Clint. [https://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/video-ipod.ars/6 Vivisection of the Video iPod] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728041727/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2005/10/video-ipod/6/ |date=July 28, 2024 }}, ''[[Ars Technica]]'', October 19, 2005. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20060702041605/https://www.ipodmods.com/guides/Video/videodisassemblyguide.htm Disassemble Guide for Video iPod]. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.</ref>

The first generation iPod Nano may overheat and pose a health and safety risk. Affected iPod Nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. This is due to a flawed battery used by Apple from a single battery manufacturer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/11/12/apple_opens_up_replacement_program_for_first_gen_ipod_nano.html |title=Apple opens up replacement program for first-gen iPod nano |publisher=Apple Insider |date=November 12, 2011 |access-date=December 20, 2011 |archive-date=December 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225014753/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/11/12/apple_opens_up_replacement_program_for_first_gen_ipod_nano.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Apple recommended that owners of affected iPod Nanos stop using them. Under an Apple product replacement program, affected Nanos were replaced with current generation Nanos free of charge.

=== Reliability and durability ===
iPods have been criticized for alleged short lifespan and fragile hard drives. A 2005 survey conducted on the MacInTouch website found that the iPod line had an average failure rate of 13.7% (although they note that comments from respondents indicate that "the true iPod failure rate may be lower than it appears"). It concluded that some models were more durable than others.<ref>[https://www.macintouch.com/reliability/ipodfailures.html iPod Reliability Survey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219003252/https://www.macintouch.com/reliability/ipodfailures.html |date=February 19, 2009 }}, ''MacInTouch'', November 28, 2005. Retrieved on October 29, 2006.</ref> In particular, failure rates for iPods employing hard drives were usually above 20% while those with flash memory had a failure rate below 10%. In late 2005, many users complained that the surface of the first-generation iPod Nano can become scratched easily, rendering the screen unusable.<ref>[https://www.macworld.com/news/2005/09/27/nanoscreen/index.php Apple responds to iPod nano screen concerns] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517174305/http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/09/27/nanoscreen/index.php |date=May 17, 2008 }}, ''[[Macworld]]'', September 27, 2005. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.</ref><ref>Arthur, Charles. [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/23/ipod_nano_scratching/ iPod Nano owners in screen scratch trauma] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707040019/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/23/ipod_nano_scratching/ |date=July 7, 2017 }}, ''[[The Register]]'', September 25, 2005. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.</ref> A class-action lawsuit was also filed.<ref>Fried, Ina. [https://news.cnet.com/Suit+filed+over+Nano+scratches/2100-1047_3-5906399.html Suit filed over Nano scratches] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728041726/https://www.cnet.com/ |date=July 28, 2024 }}, ''[[CNET|CNet News]]'', October 21, 2005. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.</ref> Apple initially considered the issue a minor defect, but later began shipping these iPods with protective sleeves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple shipping iPod nanos with cases |url=https://www.engadget.com/2005-11-10-apple-shipping-ipod-nanos-with-cases.html |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=Engadget |date=August 8, 2019 |language=en-US |archive-date=December 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225144626/https://www.engadget.com/2005-11-10-apple-shipping-ipod-nanos-with-cases.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Tony |title=Apple quietly bundles anti-scratch case with iPod Nano |url=https://www.theregister.com/2005/11/11/apple_ipod_nano_case/ |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=www.theregister.com |language=en |archive-date=December 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225144639/https://www.theregister.com/2005/11/11/apple_ipod_nano_case/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Labor disputes ===
On June 11, 2006, the British tabloid ''[[The Mail on Sunday]]'' reported that iPods are mainly manufactured by workers who earn no more than US$50 per month and work 15-hour shifts.<ref>[https://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=14915 Inside Apple's iPod factories] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721035416/http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=14915 |date=July 21, 2011 }}, ''[[Macworld UK]]'', June 12, 2006. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.</ref> Apple investigated the case with independent auditors and found that, while some of the plant's labor practices met Apple's Code of Conduct, others did not: employees worked over 60 hours a week for 35% of the time and worked more than six consecutive days for 25% of the time.<ref>Millard, Elizabeth. [https://www.chinesetao.com/Newsfactor%20Sept%202006.pdf Is It Ethical To Own an iPod?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325042551/http://www.chinesetao.com/Newsfactor%20Sept%202006.pdf |date=March 25, 2021 }}. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.</ref>

[[Foxconn]], Apple's manufacturer, initially denied the abuses,<ref>[https://www.macnn.com/articles/06/06/19/ipod.sweatshop.claims/ Foxconn denies iPod 'sweatshop' claims] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205171343/http://www.macnn.com/articles/06/06/19/ipod.sweatshop.claims/ |date=December 5, 2020 }}, ''MacNN'', June 19, 2006. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.</ref> but when an auditing team from Apple found that workers had been working longer hours than were allowed under Chinese law, they promised to prevent workers working more hours than the code allowed. Apple hired a workplace standards auditing company, Verité, and joined the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct Implementation Group to oversee the measures. On December 31, 2006, workers at the Foxconn factory in Longhua, [[Shenzhen]] formed a union affiliated with the [[All-China Federation of Trade Unions]],<ref name="ihloorg030107">{{cite web|author=[[ITUC]] Hong Kong Liaison Office|date=January 2, 2007|title=ACFTU Union established at Foxconn on the very last day of 2006|url=https://www.ihlo.org/LRC/ACFTU/030107.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415004611/http://www.ihlo.org/LRC/ACFTU/030107.html|archive-date=April 15, 2013|access-date=February 2, 2010}}</ref> the Chinese government-approved union umbrella organization.<ref name="nyt20070405">[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/business/worldbusiness/05iht-labor.1.5156948.html McDonald's and KFC seeking to resolve Chinese minimum wage issue ...] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316102047/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/business/worldbusiness/05iht-labor.1.5156948.html |date=March 16, 2017 }}, April 5, 2007, nytimes.com. Retrieved 2010 5 27.</ref><ref name="guard2006811">[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/aug/11/china.supermarkets Wal-Mart backs down and allows Chinese workers to join union] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728041727/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/aug/11/china.supermarkets |date=July 28, 2024 }}, August 11, 2006, Jonathan Watts, The Guardian</ref>

In 2010, a number of workers committed [[suicide]] at a Foxconn operations in China. Apple, HP, and others stated that they were investigating the situation. Foxconn guards have been videotaped beating employees. Another employee killed himself in 2009 when an Apple prototype went missing, and claimed in messages to friends, that he had been beaten and interrogated.<ref name="wsjDeaTsa20100527">[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704026204575267603576594936 Suicides Spark Inquiries Apple, H-P to Examine Asian Supplier After String of Deaths at Factory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919164601/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704026204575267603576594936 |date=September 19, 2019 }}, Jason Dean, Ting-i Tsai, May 27, 2010, accessed May 27, 2010</ref><ref name="wsjfoxsui">[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704269204575270031332376238 The Foxconn Suicides], May 28, 2010, wsj.com, WSJ opinion, accessed May 27, 2010</ref>

As of 2006, the iPod was produced by about 14,000 workers in the U.S. and 27,000 overseas. Further, the salaries attributed to this product were overwhelmingly distributed to highly skilled U.S. professionals, as opposed to lower-skilled U.S. retail employees or overseas manufacturing labor. One interpretation of this result is that U.S. innovation can create more jobs overseas than domestically.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2011/07/01/winners-and-losers-in-the-apple-economy/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704103445/http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2011/07/01/winners-and-losers-in-the-apple-economy/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 4, 2011 |title=Winners and Losers in the Apple Economy |last=Freeland|first=Chrystia|publisher=Blogs.reuters.com |date= July 1, 2011|access-date=August 15, 2011}}</ref>