iPod nano Special Report: Some units dead-on-arrival

We've received a few reports of users taking delivery of out-of-the box non-functioning iPod nanos. This type of problem is typical for any large-scale manufacturing roll-out.

MacFixIt reader Chris writes:

"Just got my girlfriend's personalized iPod nano yesterday. Started syncing music and I noted something was amiss when my external drive's access light stopped flashing. I gave it a good 5 minutes to sort through whatever it was doing and nothing. Not even a sync icon on the nano. It then became apparent that the Finder and iTunes were totally unresponsive, so I was forced to finally hard reset. I tried syncing again, and it got to the same exact spot and locked up again. After a hard reset on the nano, all that shows is a folder icon and a reference to Apple's support site. I then tried a restore after downloading the latest iPod updater....no go. It got about 1/3 or the way and froze. Same thing on another machine. I got into the diagnostics (hold center button and play), but no luck there either. I guess I'll just try to swap it out at a local Apple store...so much for the personalization. Hopefully this is limited to a small number of devices, otherwise there are going to be a ton of frustrated users."

Another user, a poster to Apple's Discussion Boards (Mike) reports:

"I just purchased an iPod nano about 3 hrs ago, and it's DOA. No screen or any signs of life. I have a mini and a photo ipod, so I know all the basic tricks. Tried plugging it to 3 different computers (Mac and Windows), USB 2.0, Firewire, wall outlet, multiple cables, hold switch on and off, reset (select and menu buttons), etc."

Units with these issues are generally placed with little hassle by Apple.

Index:

• Release notes
• Some units dead-on-arrival
• Scratches: How to protect from and fix
• Cable connection may require more snug fit

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