4G Pod: Definitely not ready for primetime

[random person]

I bought my 4G 20gig yesterday -- the battery on my 3G had just died. Besides having the audio problems reported here (static and hard drive squeals through the headset) the unit also had glue on the clickwheel and elsewhere. And, incredibly, there were TWIGS or something packed in underneath the protective plastic for the charger!

I don't know what factory produced these early units (serial number JQ I believe indicates Shanghai) or what pressures compelled Apple to release these so quickly, but they are definitely not ready for primetime. While I was able to fix the audio problem via scotchtape over the headphone jack (so you don't get that metal-on-metal connection between the headphone and the metal casing of the unit) somehow I have become increasingly annoyed at having to use scotchtape to fix a brand new unit!!!!! (You can also slightly pull out the headphone and that works too, although I don't like to have a gap there.)

Anyway after first feeling smug because I was able to quasi-solve the problem (I removed the glue too, and discarded the twigs!) I have decided to exchange it. Somehow I get the feeling I'll get another bum unit or two or three before this problem is solved. And frankly, I expect more from Apple!

Maybe those twigs have a functional purpose -- maybe I'm supposed to shove em in the headphone jack to stove the harddrive squeal through the 'phones!

ps the static and hard drive spin squeal through the headphones is NOT something you can live with, and not our imagination! Just plain sucks, even if you CAN solve it with tape.

[McTex]

Sadly, not surprising..... at the risk of being blasted, my experience of Mac ownership has been that Apple always has quality control problems, for a variety of reasons. One reason I'm hanging on to my 3rd gen iPod..... it works, it is a keeper.

[jedk]

That sounds like a very poor case of quality control. Hopefully when you exchange it you'll get one which is problem-free.