One of the most popular electronic devices of all time, the iPod has become a nearly ubiquitous personal accessory. Despite its popularity, however, the hefty price tag leaves it prohibitively expensive for some buyers. Recognizing the price obstacle, Apple has made refurbished iPods available for sale both online and in its retail outlets. This article will explore some of the benefits, functions, features and misconceptions.
Benefits
Perhaps the most apparent benefit of a refurbished iPod is the lower price as compared to its factory new counterparts. Often selling as low as 60 percent of the original retail price, a refurbished iPod makes the popular personal multimedia accessory available to an even broader market. Not only can users who would otherwise not be able to afford an expensive music/video player own an authentic iPod for a smaller investment, but they might be able to afford a higher-end refurbished model, such as the iPod Video or iPod Touch. A less apparent benefit, too, is the reduced environmental impact. While many returned electronics are destined for landfills or dangerous tech-recycling plants, refurbished devices offer considerably reduced waste.
Function
The iPod, whether factory new or refurbished, functions by storing digital music and videos on an internal hard drive or flash memory. Stored in binary code, long sequences of 1s and 0s, music and video files are accessed by the iPod's operating software and played back through the output ports to either headphones or connected speakers. Users select music by moving a single finger around an intuitive "click wheel," a touch-sensitive device that uses finger movements to navigate around the iPod software. The entire device is powered by a small, built-in battery that is recharged each time that the device is connected to a computer. All of these components must work together to provide the renowned iPod experience, and faulty components--such as batteries or click wheels--are replaced before the unit is sold as refurbished.
Features
In general, a refurbished iPod offers the same or very similar features as a factory new device. Because the features--such as video playback, games, installable applications, among others--are driven by the operating software installed by the manufacturer, a refurbished model is often comparable to its factory new counterparts. The manufacturer also subjects a refurbished device to rigorous quality tests to ensure that physical features, such as headset and interface ports, function properly. In some limited cases, however, a refurbished device may come with an older software version or memory constraints that make it slightly less capable when compared with the most current models.
Types
Just as a factory new iPod is available in an array of models, a refurbished iPod can be purchased in almost any model or version. Online and retail outlets offer refurbished versions of the classic iPod, iPod Mini, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Video, and iPod Touch (iTouch). Refurbished versions of related products, such as the Apple iPhone, are also readily available.
Misconceptions
Some consumers associate the refurbished label with poor quality, knock-off branding, or a higher propensity for failure. In reality, however, a refurbished product is a device returned to a retail store for any number of reasons, repaired by the manufacturer, subjected to rigorous quality inspections, and released for resale. Because many retailers allow items to be returned based on nothing more than buyer's remorse, it is entirely possible that a refurbished device has never experienced a known problem. If the device was broken, however, the manufacturer repairs or replaces all faulty parts and thoroughly inspects the unit before the device is released for sale. This quality inspection ensures that the purchased product will be just as functional and reliable as a factory-new model.
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