Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Bye, Pod
Today I've been going un-shopping: Taking objects out of my home and putting them back into stores. So far:
1. I sent the ear buds back to the audiologist. Turns out I'm allergic to the undyed ones, too. She's going to get a refund from the company.
2. Returned a bra I bought yesterday to Macy's. Don't ask.
3. Brought my new iPod to the Apple Store on 58th Street.
This last is after a week of troubleshooting, trying to figure out why I was getting about five hours' worth of use out of each battery charge instead of the promised "up to 14." Well, five is a number that's included in "up to 14."
The Apple Stores have a Genius Bar to which you resort after you've driven yourself and everyone you know nuts trying to fix whatever it is yourself. I put in a reservation when I went over at lunchtime. Yeah, you have to put in a reservation. Sounds swanky. "Dear, we have a reservation for 5:30 at the Genius Bar."
I returned after work, to explain to a cheerful young man with an earring through his lip that I had no videos on there, no photos, no special settings, only hundreds of little compressed music files.
"Well, sometimes people return their iPods and we find out that all they need to do is erase them."
"Yep. Did that on Saturday."
Since my iPod is still under warranty--and since this model's only been out for a few months, nobody needed to see my receipt to know that it was still under warranty--the Apple Store is going to give it a 14-hour test. They'll load their special Apple Store songs onto it and play it continually until it runs out. If it runs out after appreciably fewer than 14 hours, I get a new iPod. I haven't totally bonded with the current one yet, so this is fine with me.
Meanwhile, I'll continue to rip my CD's into iTunes, weaving intricate playlists in anticipation of the return of my (or somebody's) iPod, like an expectant mother knitting a layette. And tomorrow, I will continue to go forth returning things.
1. I sent the ear buds back to the audiologist. Turns out I'm allergic to the undyed ones, too. She's going to get a refund from the company.
2. Returned a bra I bought yesterday to Macy's. Don't ask.
3. Brought my new iPod to the Apple Store on 58th Street.
This last is after a week of troubleshooting, trying to figure out why I was getting about five hours' worth of use out of each battery charge instead of the promised "up to 14." Well, five is a number that's included in "up to 14."
The Apple Stores have a Genius Bar to which you resort after you've driven yourself and everyone you know nuts trying to fix whatever it is yourself. I put in a reservation when I went over at lunchtime. Yeah, you have to put in a reservation. Sounds swanky. "Dear, we have a reservation for 5:30 at the Genius Bar."
I returned after work, to explain to a cheerful young man with an earring through his lip that I had no videos on there, no photos, no special settings, only hundreds of little compressed music files.
"Well, sometimes people return their iPods and we find out that all they need to do is erase them."
"Yep. Did that on Saturday."
Since my iPod is still under warranty--and since this model's only been out for a few months, nobody needed to see my receipt to know that it was still under warranty--the Apple Store is going to give it a 14-hour test. They'll load their special Apple Store songs onto it and play it continually until it runs out. If it runs out after appreciably fewer than 14 hours, I get a new iPod. I haven't totally bonded with the current one yet, so this is fine with me.
Meanwhile, I'll continue to rip my CD's into iTunes, weaving intricate playlists in anticipation of the return of my (or somebody's) iPod, like an expectant mother knitting a layette. And tomorrow, I will continue to go forth returning things.
