Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

DBursey · Jun 13, 2003, 05:40 PM

I'm thinking of getting one. How ruggedly are these things built?

Gadgetary history is no doubt strewn with the fragmented remains of once treasured toys whose fall from palm or lofty ledge provided a smashing reminder of the fine line that delineates quality from crap, durable from detritus.

Has anyone dropped their iPod? How shockworthy are they?

geekwagon · Jun 13, 2003, 06:41 PM

The 2nd gen 10GB that I own feels really solid. I have dropped it a few times from 3-4 feet onto a hard surface and it has survived unscathed. Didn't even stop playing.. I did get a very small dent on the clear plastic cover on one of the corners as the factory cover doesn't cover the corners very well.

Josh Reid · Jun 14, 2003, 12:32 AM

I don't remember where (maybe iPodLounge.com forums) I heard this, but someone said that somehow their iPod was dropped or thrown from their moving car in a case, and when they retrieved the iPod, it was still playing a song.

I've heard the same thing about when people drop them (in a case) on concrete, hard-wood floors, etc. Of course I'm sure some people have lost their pods due to a fall, but the general consensus is that they are tough little buggers.

-Josh

proux · Jun 14, 2003, 09:02 AM

It feels pretty rugged BUT the chrome back and plastic front will scratch... A bit like the iBook plastics.

x user · Jun 14, 2003, 11:10 AM

My 3G iPod scratched horrably within the first week of use (No case, that would be too bulky) I've also droped it onto carpet from 4ft with no problem.

Submitted it to 1.5G loading in and aircraft and it still plays normally, maybe we should try 2G's

subego · 12:16 PM

Bob LeVetus (or was it Chris Breen) trashed a 5GB iPod (first generation, obviously) for his book. My recollection is a little hazy, but here's the basic idea:

1) Vertical drop from 5 feet. No problems. Gouged a chunk out of the clear plastic face. Still playing.

2) Horizontal drop from 5 feet. Also no problems, though the chrome was starting to separate. That just popped back together. Still playing.

3) Horizontal drop at 15mph. Dropped from a bike, it skidded across the concrete. The Chrome was totally scratched up, and continued its separation. It wouldn't quite pop back completely this time. Still playing.

4) Vertical drop at 15mph. A small explosion of plastic and metal as the front and rear casing separate, slinging the scroll wheel down the street like a hubcap.

Of course, he used the same iPod for each test, so it was accruing damage as it went along.

Still, seems pretty strong.

[edit: typo]

billybob128 · Jun 14, 2003, 11:52 AM

Submitted it to 1.5G loading in and aircraft and it still plays normally, maybe we should try 2G's

sorry but wat does this mean i no its probably all about the gravitational sh*t that binds us so close to our windoze friends but wat does it really mean?
thanks if u can clear this up for me

chabig · Jun 14, 2003, 12:19 PM

but wat does it really mean?

It was a joke. And a good one, in my expert pilot opinion.

maelstrom65 · Jun 14, 2003, 12:23 PM

I dropped my 5Gb iPod 20 minutes after I got it from Mr FedEx Guy. From about 4 feet in a shopping mall parking lot. Put a small scratch on the polished surface, but other than that..nothing. It plays fine to this day (a year later). I own a 30Gb iPod now but haven't dropped it to see how it compares and I don't plan on it...sorry

slider · Jun 14, 2003, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by billybob128:
sorry but wat does this mean i no its probably all about the gravitational sh*t that binds us so close to our windoze friends but wat does it really mean?
thanks if u can clear this up for me

Not sure but i'lll take a shot at it. We all experience 1G of force or one gravity, 1.5 gravity would be 1 and a half times the amount of gravity which we normally feel. g is the gravitational force due to gravity so taking Newtons F = ma, where m is for mass and a is for acceleration and then just subbing in for a with g as it is a specific acceleration, we have F=mg. So what the poster was say with 1.5G's is that the iPod continued to play w/o problems at 1.5 the gravity it normally experiences when it's just sitting there. So instead for 9.8 m/s^2 it would be ~ 15 m/s^2. I don't believe it actually deals with the amount of force felt as it's dropped on a surface, for that you're dealing with the change in momentum and collision.

AlbertWu · Jun 15, 2003, 04:27 AM

it gets alot simpler than that:

it means the plane was taking off

chabig · Jun 15, 2003, 10:38 AM

it means the plane was taking off

No, it means the plane was in a level turn, pitching up, or some combination of the two. During takeoff, the plane is experiencing one vertical g. It does experience longitudinal g, but not 1.5 of them.

subego · Jun 15, 2003, 11:05 AM

Originally posted by chabig:
No, it means the plane was in a level turn, pitching up, or some combination of the two. During takeoff, the plane is experiencing one vertical g. It does experience longitudinal g, but not 1.5 of them.

Does one not pitch up during takeoff?

chabig · Jun 15, 2003, 11:53 AM

Does one not pitch up during takeoff?

Yes, but not fast enough to put any meaningful normal acceleration on the airplane.

subego · Jun 15, 2003, 07:48 PM

Originally posted by chabig:
Yes, but not fast enough to put any meaningful normal acceleration on the airplane.

Maybe he was in a f-16...

chabig · Jun 15, 2003, 10:33 PM

Maybe he was in a f-16...

OK. OK. You win

subego · Jun 16, 2003, 11:14 AM

Originally posted by chabig:
OK. OK. You win

I guess this means I can ride my iPod down from the F-16 like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove...

billybob128 · Jun 16, 2003, 11:58 AM

ok thanks for clearing that up for me its so obvious though why didnt i get it to start with? wierd oh well on topic i take my iPod skiing with me and on the last day flew 6 feet through the air after been cut up ad hittin ice at the same time needless to say i was travelling at about 50-60 mph rolled a few times got up skied off
and th iPod i hear you all ask... it never even skipped once and plays absolutly fine