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A Call to Artists - and to Owners of Broken iPods
We hereby announce that Stay Free! is seeking artists and (broken) ipods for an upcoming project about planned obsolescence. Why does the portable player widely considered the hallmark of savvy design typically die in little over a year? Are ipods "made to break"? Or simply, as some critics have suggested, run-of-the-mill e-waste?
If you know someone who owns an iPod, chances are good that you know someone with a broken ipod. Environment groups have taken Apple to task for its dirty practices, and we'd like to join them -- by making lemonade out of lemons.
Here's what we're looking for:
I. TURN (BROKEN) IPODS INTO ART
Transform your broken ipod into something deliciously useless: finger puppet? toy car? coaster? Use your creatively to come with something beautiful, funny, or otherwise engaging. Take a photo and email it us with your contact information at temporary181 at stayfreemagazine.org. Favorite projects will be featured in Stay Free! and ultimately exhibited in New York (venue TBA).
Artists unable to find a broken ipod should contact us for assistance (though, due to our limited resources, we recommend asking your peers first).
Deadline: *** Friday, December 8 ***
II. SEND IN YOUR BROKEN IPODS
Don't have time to create something but want to help? Please donate your broken ipods to Stay Free!, a nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. We'll distribute broken ipods to working local artists for this project.
Address:
Stay Free!
23 Hawthorne Street
Brooklyn, NY 11225
For more information about this project, stay tuned to www.ifrod.org.
BACKGROUND ON THE IPOD
"Good Luck with that Broken iPod"
New York Times (February 4, 2006)
"Pain in the Pod"
Chicago Tribune/news services (July 24, 2006)
Greenpeace's Green My Apple campaign
WHAT IS PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE?
The iPod Is Bad Garbage: An interview with Giles Slade
Posted by carrie on 10/31/2006 | Permalink
Comments
Before destroying your iPod for art, you should know that it may be salvageable. My completely unresponsive iPod came back to life after I pried it open and fiddled with its tiny cables. Instructions are here: http://www.powerbookmedic.com/iPod-Parts--iPod-Repair-FREE-Take-Apart-Manuals-p-1-c-383.html
Posted by: steven | Nov 1, 2006 2:25:38 PM
I have a four year old iPod (first generation with actual moving scroll wheel) and it still works just fine. I've never pried it open or anything like that. If iPods are "made to break", clearly mine has some kind of flaw that keeps it working.
Posted by: benzado | Nov 2, 2006 11:15:20 AM
How people look after their iPods have to be a huge factor as well.
Mine's 2 years old and fine, my girlfriends is a similar age but she throws it all over the place, has dropped it a couple times and doesn't use a protective cover for it. Consequently... her's is not fine.
The technology in an iPod, or any mp3 player, is immense. People should treat it as such.
Posted by: tch | Nov 3, 2006 4:20:33 AM
Obviously, how a person treats his or her belongings will effect how long they last. No argument there.
Our goal with this campaign (of which this is only the first element) is ultimately to get across a simple message: an insane amount of electronic goods is seen as disposable. Durability isn't considered an aspect of design, which it should be. This has a devestating impact on our environment. (We don't, however, want to beat people over the head with a "green" message.)
We have focused on Apple and the iPod for strategic reasons. A lot of companies are just as guilty as Apple of making short-lived products loaded with toxins. The average cell phone lasts roughly 8 months. But Apple iPod is widely applauded for its design. This is a company that purposely built its player in such a way that the battery could not be efficiently replaced. It was only after the Neistat Brothers called attention to this flaw that Apple changed its policy and started offering replacement batteries and an extended warranty. (Apple denies that the criticism had anything to do with it; just like McDonald's denied that the appearance of Morgan Spurlock's film had anything to do with canning the "Supersize Me" program.)
Similarly, Apple refused to accept iPods for recycling until a coalition of organizations concerned about e-waste started criticizing them.
In any public interest campaign, perhaps the most effective way for a small group to have an impact is to pick a particular company or brand (ie, sweatshop campaigns directed against Nike). We've chosen the Apple iPod. The goal is not to offend Mac fans (of which I am one - Stay Free! has been produced on Macs for over a decade), but to address a larger and more important issue.
Posted by: carrie | Nov 3, 2006 2:12:42 PM
If you're thinking about replacing your hard drive or battery for the ipod, also consider that other components may just be worn down, and it might not work as efficiently as you hoped it would (like when it was brand-new). You might be better off spending your money on a nano or new ipod, simply because the components cost almost as much as a new unit!
Posted by: jakeesha | Nov 3, 2006 4:57:50 PM
You should know that this isn't just iPods at all. It's pretty widespread.
I never fell into the whole iPod obsession, so I bought a cheaper mp3 player from Creative. I kept it in a padded case that protected it pretty well. I enjoyed it a lot, and it worked fine until the headphone jack failed after a mere 4 months - one month out of its warranty! My previous Creative player also had this problem, but it wasn't as serious, so I lived with it until it got stolen. Now I have a made-up receipt that I sent back to the company, and I'm waiting to see if they accept for warranty coverage while my player is their hands... I'll cross my fingers.
Posted by: Wendy | Nov 28, 2006 7:46:56 PM
Before you think about donating your broken ipod see if you can get it fixed! I have a nano that I could not get to work, I sent it in to a online service for a free test aand they fixed it! I could not believe I was just about ready to give it away..
I used www.ipodrefresh.com
-G
Posted by: gina | Mar 17, 2008 2:44:39 PM
I fixed mine for $15. It's a video/click wheel/80GB model. The screen would light up when I toggled the lock switch or took headphones in and out, but the wheel would not respond. It's relatively easy if you are one to pay attention to detail and have small, steady hands.
Posted by: Jennifer | Nov 15, 2008 10:55:49 AM
I would like to accept broken ones as well.
I posted above.
Not sure why it said my name is Gina above...
I fixed mine for $15. It's a video/click wheel/80GB model. The screen would light up when I toggled the lock switch or took headphones in and out, but the wheel would not respond. It's relatively easy if you are one to pay attention to detail and have small, steady hands.
Posted by: Jennifer | Nov 15, 2008 10:58:40 AM
hey, i had the same problem and i was able to fix my Ipod. I found all the necessary instrustions at http://smokinfiles.com my ipod is back to normal now :)
Posted by: venessa | Feb 3, 2009 3:07:52 PM
I put mine through the washing machine and still managed to get it working afterwards using the rice method. I wouldn't give up on your iPod if it's broken, there's always a way (well almost) of getting them working again. It's at least worth trying.
Posted by: compareaholic | Oct 20, 2010 12:09:39 PM
