Fixing a cracked iPod Touch screen
The iPod Touch is one of the sleekest, most advanced portable media players on the planet. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most fragile. With one side covered entirely by a thin pane of glass, a single careless drop is enough to turn the iPod Touch into nothing more than an expensive paperweight.
To protect your investment, Apple offers a one-year, limited warranty on its iPods, with the option to buy an extended Apple Care warranty. But on the day CNET Associate Editor Antuan Goodwin dropped his first-generation iPod Touch face-down in a parking lot, he was out of warranty and out of luck.
A cracked iPod or iPhone screen is really a lose-lose proposition: you either pay someone upwards of $100 to repair it, or shell out for a new one. To Antuan's relief, I offered a third, less expensive option: DIY repair.
I had some experience replacing iPod batteries and messing with electronics, so I offered to do the iPod repair myself, so long as Antuan understood there was a good chance I would irreparably mangle his iPod. I found the replacement glass on iFixit.com for $50, along with detailed, step-by-step instructions on the repair.
I won't lie to you: the repair wasn't easy. iFixit correctly cautions that the repair is "Very Difficult," involving lots of delicate parts, and, at one stage, requiring a hair dryer and an oven mitt to remove adhesive from the iPod's metal frame. What iFixit doesn't tell you is how fascinating it is to crack open this remarkable and densely packed little gadget, or the satisfaction of repairing your own stuff.
To inspire others who may be considering a similar repair, I've put together a video and slideshow featuring some highlights of the repair.
Donald Bell is CNET Reviews' senior editor for MP3 players and portable audio, and one half of the MP3 Insider blog and weekly podcast. He also likes getting his hands dirty with digital audio tools for musicians and DJs.
Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.
Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.
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So the fact that Antuan's iPod Touch was out of warranty is unfortunately irrelevant -- Apple would not have fixed the iPod under AppleCare warranty in any case.
Of course, because Apple uses non-standard parts, you're pretty much "forced" to buy AppleCare because any defect will cost you a lot of money to fix. Consider it part of the Apple Tax.
From AppleCare_Protect_Plan_NA_en.pdf:
AppleCare Protection Plan
AppleCare Protection Plan for iPod
AppleCare Protection Plan for Apple Display
AppleCare Protection Plan for Apple TV
b. LIMITATIONS. The Plan does not cover:
[...]
(ii) Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident, abuse, neglect, misuse (including faulty
installation, repair, or maintenance by anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorized Service
Provider)
[...]
http://www.apple.com/legal/applecare/appgeos.html
No extended warranty covers damage caused by accident, abuse, neglect or misuse. But, of course, you already knew that.
Also, get your story straight. Is it "Apple rips you off by charging a premium when they use the same parts as everyone else," or "Apple locks you into their warranties by using custom parts that no one else does."
I recommend you go back to troll school.
I'd be curious to know how well the final result really worked. Did it work exactly like it did new, or what?
But I have some insider info on how that process works.
What they do is swap your iPod Touch with a brand new one.
If it's out of warranty, I am not certain if that would be the case.
does the glue still stick when you put it back together, like under the logic board and stuff
and if not what glue should i use because model glue will melt any plastic components
what happens to the home button
no signal
in settings it wont even let me go to the wifi menu
just says nio wifi
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by poddropper
August 16, 2009 6:57 PM PDT
- Is there a real-time version of thsi video available somewhere?
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