Apple seems to have a Wizard of Oz approach to building their hardware-- don't worry what's behind the curtain, we'll magically make it work for you. I started out as a real Apple person (with an Apple 2c at something like seven years old) and moved more and more towards using other brand PCs (that does not necessarily mean Windows) as I understood more and more about computers. Now I just build my own and put on any old operating system it I like.

I suppose computers are like cars-- you should realy know how it works before you go driving it. Having said that, I can't change my own oil and I still couldn't keep myself from buying one of those damn iPods anyhow. I like to think that contradictions help keep one humble.

Pork Chop,
The analogy between computers and cars is an astute one, particularly in light of mod culture - both with pc's and cars.
Seeing the explosion in after market car modding, I can't help but to be reminded of the early days of pc modding, both activities involve ripping apart expensive, mysterious and "technologically advanced" equiptment with the hopes of making it to run better.
To carry the PC/Mac comparison to cars, I'd have to say that Honda emulates PC manufacturers in that they're making their cars more and more modular, welcoming the modders & almost inviting them to play, whereas VW (though capable of phenomenal mods), tends to be a bit more "closed lid" in my experience...

I gotta get back to work, that rant just cost me 3 minutes of productivity staring into the staff parking lot...

I must say, it is fairly weird to compare the expandability of a PC with that of an MP3 player. PCs have replaceable RAM, processor, video cards, sound cards, other peripheral cards, case, motherboard, you name it. MP3 players have one major component that needs replacing: the battery. Which, in the iPod's case, is now, errr, replaceable.

The real story about the hackability of the iPod. It's not in opening up the case and ripping out the guts. It's all about the software. There are countless AppleScripts and other mini-apps that enable you to expand the capabilities of the out-of-the-box iPod, lots of undocumented and poorly documented features for determined hackers to play with. So I'm not really sure what you're asking for.

I suppose the one other hardware component you could conceivably replace would be the hard drive. I'm not aware of any hard-drive based MP3 players that advertize such a replaceable hard drive... and if one did, I'm not convinced that the demand for this feature would be very high, outside of the very, very weird demographic that reads blogs such as this one.

A few people like to mod their cars, but most just want cars that run perfectly, so you don't need to worry about them. Apple products are of the ladder kind. The iPod is "perfect" in the sense of being small and simple to use. If you wanted to have a door on the backside, and a "battery bed" to insert the battery into, the iPod would have to grow in size and weight. Plus you would have more parts that could break or fall off. I don't think many users would consider that progress.
I take this article as a testemony that the iPod is very, very close to being perfect.

Pork Chop, Brian, yes, indeed, a good analogy. And since I too crave an iPod -- while dumping all over them -- I have the same contradictions, heh.

Marc, it's true that an iPod isn't immediately comparable in design to a PC. But one of the comparisons that Dan Hill makes that is quite appropriate is to a mobile phone. He points out that his phone, like an iPod, has a lovely sleek design -- yet allows for the battery to eventually be replaced. The design doesn't scream BATTERY INSIDE HERE, but there's tiny, elegant thumbnail-shaped crescent on the back that, in a lovely bit of design economy, acknowledges that should you want to, you can open the thing up and replace parts -- most particuarly, the battery, but obviously also the the SIM chip, or, in the case of modern smartphones, the Flash RAM. There's no reason an iPod couldn't have had the same design ... other than Jobs' insistence that the user need never even concieve of a need to go inside an iPod. Again, one could chalk this up to a "mere" design flaw, were it not so consistent with the general -- and generally successful, mind you -- philosophy of Apple: Don't worry your pretty little head about how this thing works.

The auto-analogy can go much further than that, if you so desire. I'm personally a broad proponent of "knowing how it works", whether it's cars or computers. If I need to dig deeper, I do, I open them up, either one.
But one thing that I think should be clear, especially taking this further, is that I know how to change the oil in my car, but that doesn't mean I want to get my hands dirty doing it.
The same can be said about computer maintainence. If I buy a computer instead of building it myself, I expect to get service. I shouldn't have to worry about it, someone else should.
If someone can afford a pricey piece of hardware, be it an iPod or a Mercedes, they damn well be able to afford service on it.

Don't have an iPod. Don't want one actually, I like my CD MP3 players...

But as far as how this is explained, compare this to another extremely sexy bit of portable hardware..the Game Boy Advance SP. The GBA SP has a battery cover on the bottom side that's easy to remove with a battery replacement kit, switch out the battery, no problem.

The Mac never had the market share the iPod or the iTunes Music store enjoy... Please stop using the Mac as a comparaison.

The 99$ replacement program was available before the "only 18 months bla bla" movie was published on the web. Please stop repeating FUD. Where is the Dell DJ player battery replacement program again? Last time I checked it didn't exist... Is there a battery door on the Dell DJ? Nooo... The equivalent players that have battery doors are usually 3-4 times the volume and 2x heavier than an iPod...

What's so annoying is to see people/companies trying to "save" supposedly blind consumers from falling into the supposed iPod "trap"...Thank you Robin Hood!

They just can't believe people buy iPods because it's the model they want and that they don't care about things like battery doors or the choice of online music stores. I'm sure people look at competing products before plunking 300$ The iPod may have things that you don't like, but people not sharing your view (ie: iPod buyers) are not automatically dumb or naive.

Whoah! This is the dumbest article I've read in sometime. You may have an opinion about the hipsters and the songs they listen. That's your right. After all, it's about personal tastes and everyone has one, even a bad taste. But then you started warping the facts. Don't write news/analysis if you can't check the facts. Stick with opinions.

Too perfect? LOL Static noise from spinning hard disk, distorting equaliser, no gapless playback...

Distorting equalizer? What the hell do you think an equalizer on an MP3 player does? It distorts the original recording.

The whole battery thing is pretty much bogus. One guy who could make a movie tried to get others onboard his "crusade," you'll notice that law firm that was trolling for names for a class action lawsuit has turned up nothing. You can't really file a class action when you have 10 people who have bad batteries and we have ZERO idea of the background on this guy - maybe he worked in a giant magnet factory? Or he can't read when it says DO NOT DISCONNECT. I bought mine (5GB 1st GEN) the 2nd week it came out - and I use it some EVERYDAY since and it still holds about 5 hours of charge. How much more battery power do you really need? How often are you 5 hours away from ANY power source?

Apple has sold about 3 million ipods. 10 guys who managed to use it poorly ran down their battery could not figure out that even before Apple sold replacement batteries - you could get a third-party one for $79. Expensive, sure - but your car battery should also last 4-5 years but if you drain it everyday - it's not cheap to reaplce that either.

Instead of listening to idiots, it should be the other way around - idiots shouldn't be the first to whine & bitch - they should look around and ask - Am I an idiot? And not presume idiotic behavior is the norm.

The 12 to 18 month battery life issue is often quoted, but I've found it's not the case among people I know. I had an iPod for well over that period and still got consistent battery life. I now have a second one and the same is holding true.

From what I've read, Steve Jobs' vision was computer as product. The weakness in this strategy is that your microwave and television don't become obsolete due to the quick evolution of technology. There may be a better model available, but barring any drastic shifts in technology, everything is at the status quo.

The iPod actually fits this model much better than a computer. In theory the hard drive could be upgraded, but the shape and size of the device is closely tied to the internal components. There may be portable music devices with easily replaceable batteries that make the sacrifice in form factor. I'm not sure which they are, but they exist. Maybe trumpeting the joys of one of these products would add some weight to your argument.

As a side note, I thought the ipodsdirtysecret film was clever -- until they initially refused to acknowledge Apple had a solution for their issue. According to Apple (and you may choose to disbelieve this), by the time the Neistat brothers posted their film, there were already plans for the battery replacement plan and extended warranty. After both were announced not long after ipodsdirtysecret went live, the Neistats were repeatedly contacted and initially refused to link to Apple's new policy, claiming it would dilute their message. They now have a link to the explanation on their site, but past experience shows they were more interested in their coolness than actually coming to a resolution.

I found out a few days after I bought my Rio Karma that the battery cannot be replaced. On the one had this is annoying, for all the reasons discussed above. On the other hand, I figure I'll get at least three years' use out of it, at which point I will have no choice but to upgrade to the latest and greatest model! If the battery could be replaced for a few bucks, I would have much less justification to spring for the new one. So in a perverse way, this is great for us gadget freaks because it offers an excuse to upgrade!

Interesting points you make, although I would suggest that the dominance of Wintel PC's was not attributable to the fact that you could add bits and pieces of hardware but rather that Windows software was licensed to all and sundry.

I also agree to an extent that Apple could handle this battery issue more effectively, but I do believe that at the heart of the "ipods dirty little secret" issue was a misinformed phone support officer, rather than a desire by Apple for ipod users to completely replace their ipod when its battery kicked the proverbial bouquet.

Good points all around. Karmakin, excellent comparison point with the Game Boy Advance -- which, like the iPod, was designed for simplicity and elegance.

Apple's era of innovation in design has been over for a long time now. Their current design practices are a lot more about fashion and aggressive marketing than they are about usability and bettering/revolutionizing the user experience.

The "fetish object" status that the iPod has managed to build up is not about quality, it is about the perception of quality. Apple as a brand is the same old Coke and McDonald's consumerism, coated with a thick enamel of trendiness, so that their target market can pay too much and continue thinking they're better than the peons.

"... the history of Apple demonstrates that, by writing large checks to good ad agencies, you can plant a corporate image in the minds of intelligent people that is completely at odds with reality."

- Neal Stephenson, "In the Beginning Was the Command Line"

Soon to be released, my newest dance sensation: 'I'M GONNA SMASH YOURI-POD"

3 anti-ipod rants, and pointing towards a 4th?

Ipod-envy :)

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2003-05-28&res=l

Ahahahah! I love that Penny Arcade strip.

Jeff, yes, I'm on my third iPod rant, and at this rate there probably will be a fourth.

I just realized what I am. I'm a "player hatah".

Oh, I slay myself.

"They made it virtually impossible to replace the battery"? I just replaced the battery in a 1G 10GB iPod, using a $35 kit I bought online. I've had more trouble cutting my toenails. It seems you're ranting just to rant. Other manufacturers' countless attempts to come up with a device to at least threaten the iPod, most notably Sony's latest fiasco, emphasize the fact that Apple got it just right. I smell envy here.

D