Before you declared your iPod dead, I hope you searched the Internet for "fixes" that can often get the iPod working again. Some of these fixes require a little technical savvy, but well worth the effort in lieu of buying another unit.

Should've picked up a Zune. Even if you have purchased music from iTunes, nothing a little QTFairUse won't fix for use on your Zune.

I think the source to some of these "failures" arises from user error. You should not run with a hard drive based mp3 player! It is just asking for trouble. That is why the Nike+iPod is only released for the Nano, a flash-based device.

Granted, this does not explain the battery woes seen by so many, particularly with the 1st gen iPods, but you have to admit Apple's battery problem is better than having a Sony meltdown in your pocket.

Ok, I hope you Matthew Himler can read my comment.
Mine is just an advice, but given what you write about the way you use your iPod, it can be an important one.

Every digital audio player hard-disk based should not be used for running. You've been very very lucky that your iPod lasted two years using it for running thrice a week.
Any hard-disk has some mechanical part that are very sensitive. If the head (that is distant a fraction of a millimeter from the platter) touch the platter, the hard-drive is completely screwed up. Running is probably the best way to destroy an hard-drive, and I'm not joking here.

May I suggest to buy a flash based player (like a Nano or a Shuffle or anything flashbased).

I think maybe you'll give some more chances of surviving to your iPod going in bicycle.

" Now let's hope that it last more than two years (or maybe that's Apple's business plan: force customers to re-up every two years)."

not much different from what we get from Microsoft ...every few years we shell out 90+ for an upgrade ( I meant patch )

I'll have to agree with David above, if you are doing any excersize like running you should be using a flash memory based MP3 player and absolutely not a hard drive type. That's pretty basic. That being said, Apple needs to bring flash based ipods with video capibility to the market.

Matthew,
I am amazed your 4G iPod lasted for 2 years if you went running with it 3 times a week.

You do realise don't you that your 4G iPod has a hard disk in it - you know a little disk spinning around at high speed with little heads floating above the surface of the disk. And you are surprised it finally died after hundreds of outings being bounced up and down with each footfall?!! It is a testament to Apple’s engineering (as well as that of Toshiba who make the miniature 1.8 inch hard disks themselves) that it kept going that long.

The iPod Nano or Shuffle which both use flash RAM and have no moving parts are designed for such violent environments, hence why the Nike + iPod Sport kit is only available for the Nano...

Don’t be so hard on your iPod – 70 million sold and you’ve only seen a few stories of iPods dying – I think that is a pretty impressive story.

Oh and I hope Ivan’s suggestion of a Zune was in jest considering the Zune is bigger and heavier than even the 80GB Video iPod and of course is only available with a hard disk.

-Mart

Hmmm.. AAPL sell almost 100m iPods. 5% failure rate. 5m returned iPods and angry owners. Yes, they canmake a lot of noise, but a 5% failure rate is abnormally low for a CE item, not high. 5m people is a lot of people complaining, but to try and make Apple out as thebad guy here is without foundation.

And one of the posters is dead right: you go running with a hard-drive based iPod, expect it to die. Buy a flash player. Would you take a BMW 3-series off-road? No - you'd take a Jeep. Seems pretty straight forward to me...

I own 4 iPods, all working, including the Original iPod which is still working and used almost every day in the car for 5 years. I have never had any issue that couldn't be resolved by visiting the Apple Support Webpage. In addition, out of the 11 iPods in my family, only one had a battery problem that occurred under warranty and it was quickly replaced at the local Apple Store. Compared to my experiences with Toshiba's VCRs and Panasonic's DVD players, Apple Quality and Product Support is a standout.

question... despite the whole flash drive nonsense(which any mac person should have known) if you only use your ipod three times a week, why would you drop $250 on a new one? nonetheless, a video ipod?!?! do you watch videos while you're running? seriously, why didn't you just go for the shuffle if you're rarely using it?

As an electronics technician, I am very saddened by many of the things I find in electronic firmware. What is firmware? It is the operating instructions for the microprocessors found in many devices. Many of these devices have "Breakdowns" to happen at a pre-determined time.

Example - CPAP machines that are really expensive medical devices, have an option in the setup menu to break every 90 days, 180 days, or once a year. These machines, like the IPOD, will display a "Frowning face" so you take it in and get your insurance billed for a reset.

I wonder what would happen to me if I revealed how our manufacturers are designing products to keep spending and spending. With IPODS being all the silly rage who really is going to listen? You gotta have one right? Joke is on you.

BD

I've been using my Gen/2 iPod daily for music, contacts and calendars with no flaws at ALL in conjunction with my PwerBook G4 (Ti). Before a Zune purchase may I suggest a "C++ GUI Programming Guide".

Well, many here have declared the problem is with HDD but there is not enough information to support that conclusion. You should have it diagnosed to be sure. I personally don't subscribe to any camp. I find that cheaper devices work just as well as expensive iPods or Zunes to do what's essentialy simple taks of storing and playin files. When they fail or I loose them or drop them I don't feel bad about.

LOL. Why would Apple make improvements if people like you drop $250 when their player fails?