[sjones]

Seriously why do so many manufacturers make products that are cheap quality and seem to last about a year. It pisses me off to no end. Yeah I realize that technology improvements mean that users do upgrade their devices no matter if they continue to work well. But I was thinking about build quality of mp3 players are almost always notoriously bad. Too much plastic used and screens that are not scratch resistant. Also headphone jacks that break. Or buttons that no longer work due to normal wear and tear. Can't the manufacturers spend 50 cents more for quality parts, and then just add that extra 50 cents to the end price? I love my Sansa Fuse player that I recently got, but the plastic front looks fragile so I have to spend an extra $10 or so for a case. I don't like cases. I like to hold a product the way it is. Sorta like buying a watch and realizing that it doesn't have a scratch resistant face so you have to buy a screen protector for it. Of course no one does that.. but that's my point. Build something that at lasts and makes the consumer feel pride of ownership. End of rant.

 

[walkingman]

Well, my old Walkman A818 was incredibly well built. The case was aluminium and had a durable matte finish, making it less easy to scratch and smudge.

The screen was also surprisingly scratch resistant even though it wasn't glass. Like my Nokia E51, I didn't apply a screen protector and after 3-4 months of use it still has no scratches (not even the teeny ones) on it (I eventually sold it to a fellow Head-Fi'er).

Same with my S639. I can't even be bothered to buy a case for it (kinda defeats the purpose of getting such a slim device anyway), but I did fashion a screen protector for it out of an old Dell Axim protector I had lying around.

Of course all these are negated by the decision not to have the battery user replaceable...

 

[GreatDane]

I have 4 refurbed Sansa 2GB e250's that have aged poorly. HP jack failed on #1, left button broke on #2(fixed from button on #1).#3 has goofy functioning wheel. #4 works fine but has seen much less use. These are around a year old. I paid only $17.25 each due to rare deal/situation so I'm not very upset.

 

[shigzeo]

my sony machines seem to be the 2nd best made machines i have. apple have started making bullet proof designs. my touch is all metal, scratchable but durable and as it is steel, soft enough to withstand drops. my 828 is okay: but so many buttons to get pulled off or something. quite good, but my s636 is no where near the production of the other two: way way too fragile with a plastic rim but way better than my meizu or cowon d2.

if they scratch i am not worried though!

 

[nsx_23]

My iRiver H320 (now H332) has lasted me for more than 5 years now, and is still going strong. Bigger capacity battery, 32GB CF card mod and Rockbox only makes me love it even more.

Another player thats lasted ages is my 1G nano. Swapped in a new battery earlier this year, but otherwise its still excellent, especially with rockbox (No more iTunes!)

I guess a lot of it comes down to the way you treat your gear. If you're abusive, expect things to break quickly.

 

[Bonthouse]

The new iPod are indeed bulletproof! The new glass they put on it is virtually scratch-resistant, the aluminium is pretty darn strong and you'll have to push a screwdriver down the jack to break it, otherwise it just won't!

 

[shigzeo]

i suggest that no one try walking into a fire range with an ipod or vest of ipods but i am very impressed by the strides apple have made to make quality of all their portable products (still waiting on them to go back to quality notebook construction though)

 

[Uncle Erik]

Good old planned obsolescence.

I don't much like it, either, but with digital gear, it almost makes sense. That's why I don't invest much in computers, DAPs, cell phones, etc. You can dump a lot of money on those things and they either break or depreciate to almost nothing. It's just a way to keep taking your money.

That's why I made sure my turntable would be usable/serviceable for decades before I bought it. Also why I like tube gear - most of it is designed to be repaired and kept in use. I'll buy CD players and iPods, but I will not buy anything near the high end. Sure, those offer great performance, but I don't want to flush $3,000 on something that needs a new chip that went out of production 24 months ago. Same with most other stuff I buy - anything much over $200-$300 has to be repairable and/or not depreciate much. Same with DIY. If I build it, I know I can fix it. I don't use parts that I can't substitute with something else 10-20 years down the line. It's a different way to look at buying, but it pays off in the long run.

 

[sjones]

Apple's got the right idea with their new Ipods. Those look sharp as well as are built to last. Same with the Zune. They look solid. However, several companies continue to make scratchable plastic mp3 players include Creative, Sandisk, Samsung, and a few others.

 

[krmathis]

Cause they want to sell more!
They probably earn more selling 1000 units at $50, than 200 units at $300

 

[sjones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cause they want to sell more! They probably earn more selling 1000 units at $50, than 200 units at $300

Please tell me how?

1000 x $50 = $50,000
200 x $300 = $60,000

 

[32y0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjones /img/forum/go_quote.gif Please tell me how? 1000 x $50 = $50,000 200 x $300 = $60,000

Yes that's true, but they also sell accesoires. So if they sell it for $50 they will have 1000 potential accesoires buyers and when they sell it for $300 they will only have 200 potential buyers.

 

[sjones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by #@y0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes that's true, but they also sell accesoires. So if they sell it for $50 they will have 1000 potential accesoires buyers and when they sell it for $300 they will only have 200 potential buyers.

Yeah, but how many people buy their accessory and not cheaper third party accessories?

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjones /img/forum/go_quote.gif Please tell me how? 1000 x $50 = $50,000 200 x $300 = $60,000

Because the unit price go down each time you increase the number or units.
You can get a lower per unit price when outsourcing production of 1000 units compared to 200 units (fictive numbers, as they probably would be millions).

..and take into consideration that they will come back one year later spending $50 more. While on the higher price/quality unit there may take 3 years until the come back.

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonthouse /img/forum/go_quote.gif The new iPod are indeed bulletproof! The new glass they put on it is virtually scratch-resistant, the aluminium is pretty darn strong and you'll have to push a screwdriver down the jack to break it, otherwise it just won't!

Mine touch 2g has a small scratch on it, and I am very "easy" on my stuff. I for the life of me can't think of how it got there. It never goes out of the house and is in a case. Oh well I have the BB extended warranty anyways, and it's so small it's not a bother. I agree that ipods are well built and the sony's are above average also. The fuze seems to be put together pretty good to me. To bad non of them take AAA batteries anymore.