Is this Apple rotten?

pod
Originally uploaded by MatthewA.

I bought an iPod in appr. 1,5 years ago. It has been running smoothly. I have the 20 Gb one, which means that I can more or less have all my music with me.

A few months ago my iPod broke. Or to be more precise, I broke my iPod. I dropped it at the gym. Result: it didn't charge anymore. I called the Apple helpline and they told me that it must be the battery and changing that would cost me 150-200 euros. Let me remind you that the iPod itself cost 300. I told them their pricing does not make any sense. Result:
"Well, uh, there is this other option. There's still guy who fixes iPods in the Netherlands. Of course we take no responsibility over the repair."
"So what would that cost?"
"Approximately 20-30 euros."

I contacted iPod Repairs a while ago and travelled yesterday to Bussum for getting it fixed (25 min by train). Result: one wire was loose and it is working again. I paid 10 euros.

I am an Apple fan. Still I am slightly irritated by a logic where they make no repairs and basically ask you to buy a new one. Of course one could say that their policy creates jobs for entrepeneurs but for instance this entrepeneur works in a way that he buys iPods, breaks them into pieces and uses the parts for repairing.

I am extremely grateful for this guy for this service but this episode made me slightly more critical towards the Saint of Computer World (smaller, creative, independent yah yah). Oh, Apple sold approximately 5 million iPods last Christmas.

p.s. Service society: A Green party friend of mine said once that Amsterdam is a wet dream of all Green parties. The Finnish Greens have been talking for years about a service society, i.e. possibility to buy help. Well, that's what I love in the Netherlands. Like this guy who fixed my iPod for ten euros, like the people who fix the tire for my bike for six euros, excellent Chinese takeaway food for six euros etc. I don't feel like I am ripping anyone off and at the same time the prices are such that anyone can afford them