iPod timeline

A chronology of failure:

iPod the First:

• Purchased: 28 October 2004 for Canadian $443.46, all taxes included
• 10 July 2005 - two extra years of AppleCare purchased for C$75.97 - best investment ever
• Broken out of the box: would pause at the slightest bump
• Time in my company: less than a week
• Fate: replaced by iPod the Second

iPod the Second:

• Received in November 2004, too late for my birthday party around the 28th
• Time in my company: eight months
• Fate: hard drive failed on 7 July 2005, the day of the London Bombings

iPod the Third:

• Received in late July 2005
• Time in my company: just over a year
• Fate: hard drive failed before 13 March 2006, sent back to Apple, returned to me with claim that it was not in fact broken, sent back to Apple again, replaced
• Note: Prompted the purchase of an iPod Shuffle as a backup. No problems with it, so far. I actually use it more than the 20GB ClickWheel iPod, even when both are working.

iPod the Fourth:

• Received 18 April 2006
• Time in my company: about five months
• Fate: hard drive failed 18 September 2006, in the process of being replaced

Summary:

• Mean survival time: 6.25 months

• Mean cost per iPod: C$129.86
• Approximate time spent by iPods in transport: 18 weeks
• % of total time since purchase that represents: about 18%
• Functional reliability rate of iPod, not counting broken time before being sent to Apple: 72%