Oct 06 2006
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the iPod Social Outreach Program blog site.
If your are participating in the program then this is where to come for the latest updates on your iPod’s repair process.
The program hasn’t officially stated, so there are no iPods listed as yet.
If you don’t know what this is all about but are intrigued then read on…
After repairing a friends iPod I got to thinking about all the dormant iPods out there; there must be hundreds (or hundreds of thousands?). These are the iPods that require fixing and for one reason or another their owners aren’t sure how to go about doing this. So the iPods are caught in a kind of limbo, too difficult to fix and too expensive to throw away. Like much of today’s failed consumer technology they will probably hang around being totally useless until they’re technically redundant, their initial purchase cost has become a distant memory, and their owners are ready to move-on and leave them behind.
I’ve decided to help some of these iPods come out of their comas, so I’m running the iPod Social Outreach Program. This program will operate from Oct. 14th to Nov. 28th, 2006 as part of an exhibition curated by Nadine Christensen at Uplands gallery (that’s in Melbourne, Australia).
Bring your dysfunctional iPod to the gallery during this time and I will attempt to fix it for free.
Now, you should bear in mind that I am not a technician and have no formal training in iPod repairs, however I am extraordinarily stubborn and every effort will be made to diagnose and repair your iPod. Were necessary your iPod will be disassembled and it’s components tested for faults. Please note that I will not be providing replacement parts, so if your iPod has a hardware failure I may not be able to repair it, but I will give a detailed description of the fault so you will know which bits still work and which bits are cactus.
To take advantage of the iPod Social Outreach Program you will need to drop-off and pick-up your iPod from the gallery (regretfully I don’t have the time or resources to provide a postal service). When leaving your iPod for repair you will be required to fill out a consent form giving me the authority to dismantle your iPod and acknowledging that I will not be liable for any loss or damage associated with the repair process. Care will be taken to ensure the safe return of your iPod, however accidents can happen, this is a free service, and I need to cover my ass. Please enter into the program with these points in mind.
Please do not submit iPods that are still covered by an Apple or third party warranty, you should take these to their appropriate authorised repair centre.
In addition to the repair service I will also be installing Linux onto iPods and providing plans and examples of various DIY iPod accessories. If you would like more information about the iPod Social Outreach Program follow the discussion here, leave a comment, or contact me at the following email address: iSOP (at) inbox.com
Hi mate… This is Mark from Appletalk.
Great sounding program. If you want any tech advice, I fixed thousands of iPods in my role as iPod tech at Applecentre Flinders St, so let me know. (PM through ATAU)
Cheers!
~Ozi.
Thanks Mark,
that’s a very generous offer. I’m sure you have a wealth of knowledge that would be useful. I’ll PM you if I get stuck on a tricky repair.
I’m going to be posting repair logs on the blog, so if you notice any errors or have some advice whack up a comment. And if you’re in the area (Prahran) drop in and say hello.
cheers,
Scott