Take a look at this. Listener Bryan has an iPod Nano that is less than a year old and has developed some serious pitting and corrosion along the bottom near the dock connector and headphone jack. The iPod has never had direct contact with water, but Bryan is a runner. He uses the iPod while exercising and has it in a Belkin Sport Sleeve while he’s running. The best guess is that the damage has been caused by sweat. From the picture it looks like the unit is one of the original iPod Nano’s and not one of the current models that have the anodizing. I assume the newer model would be more immune to this kind of problem, but would love to know your experiences. Have you experienced any damage like this with your iPod?
Follow up to this story. (Taken from the comments)
This unit died a few days after talking with Adam. After a run of course.
I contacted Apple as the unit was under warrenty and they had me send it in for repair. It was returned today with note saying that they were unable to complete the service request.
I called Apple Customer Service and talked to a tech and his supervisor. They were both courtesy but unable to do more than offer what amounts to a $30 discount on a replacement, which is better than a sorry and a pat on the back. But not by much.
While it may not look like it from the picture, the unit actually was taken out of the case and wiped down after every or at least most runs.
The Apple Rep. that I talked to say that the new Ipods are constructed from the same materials as my 1st gen and would be just as subject to corrosion. So If you plan to run with your Ipod you had better get a good sweat proof case.
The thing that kind of bugs me is the Apple and Nike ads on the TV and Web that show a runner dropping his nano into a pocket on the sleeve of his Microfiber shirt and trotting of on a run. No where do they mention that actually do this regularly can destroy you Ipod.
I will replace the nano but you can be sure that I will have a waterproof not water resistant case this time and I will spend more time cleaning it after each run.
keep running
I have the same type Nano, and the Nike , but no corrosion whatsoever…meaning I should get out and actually run once in a while.
I’m taking no risk. It’s the Otterbox for me. I’m taking it easy right now, so I only run 5 times per week, but if that injury is cured, I will resume with daily running. Clay and sand particles are a much bigger hazard for iPods, although the occasional torrential downpour can’t be good, nor the mud bath caused by traversing five meter wide pools of water on the track.
I recently took a defective current gen Nano in to an Apple Store for repair and was told that it wouldn’t be covered under warranty because there were signs of corrosion in the charging port.
The problem here is that when you use tight fitting plastics to cover your iPod all the moister that forms inside stays inside, I spend a lot of time walking/climbing and the principle is the same with “waterproof” shoes in that moister will get in but struggles to get out even in “breathable” materials.
I would advise removing the iPod from your case once you have finished your workout and allow it time to “dry-out”.
Just a thought on the Otterbox, I use these and they are bombproof but remember anything that goes into one of these stays inside i.e. moisture so as above ensure that once you have completed your top secret mission behind muddy and wet territory open the case and remove your device ;-)
I think most people forget that human sweat has a fair amount of sodium in it, which is very corrosive. As suggested by others, the iPod should get wiped down and be given “breathing room” after each workout.
This essentially the same issue the MacBooks (and many other laptops) have had with the wrist area fading. The heat of the wrist rest causes the wrists to sweat, the salty moisture is trapped between the human and the laptop and it just starts to eat away at the laptop’s finish.
I agree with Henry
Follow up to this story. This unit died a few days after talking with Adam. After a run of course.
I contacted Apple as the unit was under warrenty and they had me send it in for repair. It was returned today with note saying that they were unable to complete the service request.
I called Apple Customer Service and talked to a tech and his supervisor. They were both courtesy but unable to do more than offer what amounts to a $30 discount on a replacement, which is better than a sorry and a pat on the back. But not by much.
While it may not look like it from the picture, the unit actually was taken out of the case and wiped down after every or at least most runs.
The Apple Rep. that I talked to say that the new Ipods are constructed from the same materials as my 1st gen and would be just as subject to corrosion. So If you plan to run with your Ipod you had better get a good sweat proof case.
The thing that kind of bugs me is the Apple and Nike ads on the TV and Web that show a runner dropping his nano into a pocket on the sleeve of his Microfiber shirt and trotting of on a run. No where do they mention that actually do this regularly can destroy you Ipod.
I will replace the nano but you can be sure that I will have a waterproof not water resistant case this time and I will spend more time cleaning it after each run.
keep running
Ok guys, you’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t even begin to believe that this guy sent his Nano in for warranty. If this happened to a piece of my technology I wouldn’t assume that it was the companies fault that it was corroding unless I felt like it was used in normal conditions. Sweat and the chemical breakdown of the human body can not be a normal use situation. All due respect for his workout schedule, but I can’t even begin to believe that people would blame Apple for this. Get an Otter Box and take care of your products. If you left it in the car for 3 hours with temps near 130 degrees, would you take it back to apple and say it shouldn’t have melted? Let’s be realistic.
To Jason and other fanboys for Apple — the company promotes these products — in fact the whole thrust of their publicity — as fitting with an “active lifestyle” .
And sweat most certainly is a “normal use situation.” For the money, more robust units could be made. But even if that’s not doable — Apple could be vastly more honest and upfront with their advertising.
By the way, is there an “Otter Box” for macbooks? Mine is suffering from the “abnormal use” situation of being gently typed on on a stationary surface, and the case started splitting after three months.
Take care of your tools! Electronic equipment and computer hardware are tools. You should perform routine maintenance, in this case wiping down the unit, in order to preserve appearance and functionality. Although the user manual for cleaning is a liitle vague, it is very basic to keep electronics dry and free of corrosives. I would have been embarrased to ask Apple to replace this abused unit.
Calling them fanboys is a bit kneejerk, BC. And, quite frankly, the whole discussion about warranty service should be your cue to taking in your Macbook. That’s not normal (Nor would it be normal to put your laptop in an Otter Box equivalent. That’s a hollow rebuttal.)
While you’re there, I’m sure Apple would love for you to tell them how their iPods can be made mroe robust for the money.
But I digress. Quite frankly, some people have very corrosive sweat. They’re called “rusters”. Talk to bike riders (who regularly sweat on their metal bikes) about it. Better yet, talk to a bike rider who is a ruster and ask them if their bike manufacturer takes back corroded frames. They are, after all, actively promoted for this lifestyle, etc. etc.
Or just have a look for guides from bike companies about sweat, pH and corrosion before accusing some company of misleading advertising (seriously… my eyes almost rolled out of their sockets).
Unless there are thousands (or even hundreds) of iPod Nanos out there crumbling away, pointing the finger at Apple (or Sony, or Diamonback, or Nokia, or etc.) over one corroded Nano is, at best, premature. At most, unwarranted and hysterical. You can bet your ass there are hundreds of thousands of people out there running with their iPods, but if you google for corroded iPods… you’ll get this one, not an epidemic. God knows there’d be a class action suit and ‘sign our petition’ movement faster than you can say “whinge”.
Rusters corrode things. It’s somehting they have to learn to live with.
Give me a break, even if Bryan is a ‘ruster’ I cannot see how this type of damage is possible unless you are seriously abusing your iPod. This type of damage is beyond regular wear and tear IMHO.
I’ve been running with a 1gen nano on average four days a week for about 18 months and have seen absolutely no indications of corrosion… even running through the summer in Florida’s 90% humidity. I cannot say that I even take any special precautions to keep the nano going; until recently I rarely ever removed it from its case (an Incase leather belt clip or a Belkin armband) between runs.
I wonder where Bryan stores his iPod between runs?
I am a runner and triathlete, and I have put my nano (same model as the one pictured) through hundreds of miles, both held in my hand or in its iskin silicone sleeve. I sweat a ton, but my Nano looks nothing like this. What gives?
I have a 1st gen nano and run every morning in hot humid Houston. My nano looks shiny and clean. Is it possible that it got completely submerged?
I am a ‘ruster’. There is Nothing short of isolating metals from your sweat that will stop this. I ruined an $800 Longines watch with thick gold plating just wearing it during my business week. My sweat went through the gold and ate the base metal of the band till it jammed to the point of not being wearable. The manufacturer, jewelry sales and watch repair places I talked to about it said the same thing on seeing it, “Oh, your are one of those guys that rusts things, sorry.”
It’s like runners whose ankle bones hit the tops of the standard shoes, rusters are so rare that nothing will ever be manufactured for your particular proclivities.
This is definitely a problem with second generation Nanos as well. I have bought two 8 gig Nanos over the past three or four years, and just recently the second one succumbed to sweat exposure. It looks nowhere near as bad as this one, but it died and I received the same “unable to repair do to corrosion” return message from Apple. While I agree that common sense would dictate that sweat is a corrosive substance, Apple most certainly promotes these products for the express purpose of working out .. and further, with the advanced technology it would seem reasonable to expect them to devise a more sweat-proof unit. Some people just sweat a lot more than others. And given the size and cost of these units, there have to be a lot of folks buying them for exercise. I also wiped the unit down after each run and this didn’t stop it from failing. I’m getting a shuffle next .. at least it’s a less expensive loss.
I have wasted many of them until I have newer version which is anodized. i think there were many flaws before but they are improving much. Sometimes I shocked, They have built it for exercising then why they didn’t take care of that?
I’ve had mine for a few years and have never had a problem… and I jog a pretty good bit.
I must be one of the ‘rare’ rusters because I’ve gone through two iPod nano to date. The first one was a generation 2 and now a generation 3. I use the promoted arm bands and workout regularly, removing the nano to ‘dry out’ and get cleaned up, but the aluminum continues to get eaten away (most noticeably around the earphone port). The last one was killed on an hour long run – I find this disappointing. As was stated previously, iPod are promoted for the active lifestyle, but aren’t able to hold up to a real workout.
Maybe Apple’s next advertising campaign should show a guy running two miles, doing a few situps, pushups, and of course a few bicept curls and then packing it in – and then label it ‘for the extreme athlete’. Maybe then those out there that actually workout will have an idea of what Apple’s interpretation of ‘active lifestyle’ is and make a more informed decision when buying.
How hard would it be to say: Warning – Aluminum may corrode due to sweat exposure. This will void the warranty.
Own a 3th gen black Ipod , using it in the white Apple sportsarmband.
Alu gets eaten at the edges of the connector and near the headphone socket.
Imho there is no valid reason to void warranty, (what Apple does) cause the
problem occurs due to use of the device wirh original accessoires and as
intended.
Apple should realize that a sportsarmband will be used during running
or workouts , respirating is quite normal during a workout, so the buyer
would expect the device to be resistant to damage during this normal use.
Thats a bommer, the Ipod will because of the material choice (Stainless
steel en Aluminum) be subject of heavy corrosion, what makes it a crappy
designed peace of shit.
Oh, Apple (Netherlands) has exactly the same attitude to its customers.
My Ipod is damaged, and because of this is waaranty void.
Got an estimate of repair though , they charge the sum of EUR 303,50
for repairing my Ipod (cost new EUR 140,- ) or if i decide not to have
it repaired the cost of looking at it;-(((
Apples way tom survive the crisis ? Who knows, for sure my next MP3
player will be the cheapes plastic and will never corrode.