Even a sick iPod needs a doctor

I've been wanting to say that for a title ever since my puppy was sick when I'm just a little boy back then, and my dad decided to take it to a vet. At first I'm confused if an animal can get a doctor too, then my old man said: "Even a sick dog needs a doctor animal."

And thus the same treatment should goes for your "sick" iPod, your favorite small entertainment device from Apple that you take everywhere you go; and eventually one day you'll drop it or break accidentally. According to Fortune 500 data; Apple has sold 150 million iPods since it introduced its digital music player in 2001.

Of course you can bring the "sick" iPod to Apple for some repairs under its warranty program - but not if the damage is the customer's fault. "If you are Apple," says Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director for Jupiter Research, "your ideal scenario is to sell someone a new iPod, not repair an old one." Apple declined to comment for this story.

And even if you still elligible to repair the "sick" iPod, you'll still have to get into the line waiting for your turn at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store. Where usually those guys there can give frigthening diagnosis, perhaps that's their nature to tell the customers for the worse than the comforting words.

So that's what has been in the mind and the succesful story behind the Manhattan's iPod Doctor: Demetrios Leontaris. The 33-year-old father of three, makes a living attending to broken iPods that Apple won't touch. The iPod Doctor makes house calls "Eighty percent of the repairs I can do on the spot," he boasts.

Riding inside his black Pontiac Aztec that doubles as his office, Leontaris can repair and replace almost any damaged parts of iPod with the swift, graceful movements of a concert pianist. Surprisingly, he is self-taught. As a teenager, Leontaris hung out in his dad's shop and fixed broken computers, microwaves, VCRs and 8-track players that tenants threw in the trash. "I've been fixing electronic devices almost all my life," he says. "It's just something that comes easy to me."

For $70 per visit, Leontaris can offer on-site repair for your "sick" iPod; if possible. But if the damage is too much, you'll have to let the iPod Doctor to take and try repair it at his place. Nevertheless, it's reassuring that your loveable iPod is in good hands. ;-)

There are just some people who rather to buy a new one than repair a dying iPod, lower price over time has become major factor. Another consideration is time, to save more time you need to know when your "sick" iPod can be repaired or not. RapidRepair.com founder Aaron Vronko has quick tips on when your iPod is fixable and when it's time to throw it out:

Your iPod is fixable when...

• You get that sad iPod icon on your screen. This means your hard drive is kaput and needs to be replaced. According to Vronko, this repair is worth doing because it usually only costs 50 percent of the original cost of the device.
• Your screen looks like some ink has spilled on it. This means you've got a broken LCD screen. The cost on these sorts of repairs are usually just 25 to 35 percent of the original cost of the unit, according to Vronko, usually around $90 or less. You can even do it yourself, if you want to do it ASAP (Vronko says his company also just sells the screen and directions for DIY types).
• You get a battery and and exclamation point on your screen. "If you're getting this several times a week and more quickly than usual, your battery is probably dead," says Vronko. This fix is a cinch and usually costs around $20 from a professional service.

Your iPod is probably beyond repair when...

• It's fallen in the water. Salt water is worse than fresh water, but the real danger comes when you turn it on and it's still wet. "This is probably when you'd do the most damage," says Vronko. "You're better off taking it apart as soon as possible and removing any corrosive liquid with concentrated rubbing alcohol." You can also try sticking your iPod in a bowl of uncooked rice, but this doesn't always work. RapidRepair will try and fix these sorts of issues -- if you send the soiled device to them in a sealed plastic bag -- but it's likely your iPod is a goner. Leontaris also warns: If you ever do this, don't plug your waterlogged iPod into an electric outlet. You'll fry the circuitry. "You just make worse," he says.
• If it's been chewed by a dog. Dog's teeth are strong, and unfortunately they usually puncture an iPod's hard drive, the screen, and the battery.
• It's been run over by a car. Vronko says someone actually sent him an iPod that had been run over by a car. "There was one guy who wanted me to fix his Nano after it had been run over by a car," Leontaris said. "The screen was cracked. It still worked, but at that point, it was just a 4-gig iPod shuffle. You couldn't see what song was playing."

I hope those iPod Doctors out there can do well, and avoid unnecessary hassle with Apple over the "iPod" name like what is happening to Nicholas Woodhams. The owner of an iPod repair shop named

iPod Mechanic, is being sued by Apple for misuse of the coveted iPod trademark -- and of allegedly manipulating Apple to both send him replacement units for free as well as tricking the electronics giant into repairing out-of-warranty iPods.

Woodhams and those aware of the scheme "never planned" to return any iPods and ultimately sold the brand new models at a heavy discount, the complaint reads -- a tactic no longer in evidence on the site, but one which reportedly cost Apple over $75,000.

Peace on earth my friends, peace on earth...

Sources are from:

• Meet the iPod Doctor: He makes house calls (Fortune)
• Can Your Broken iPod Be Fixed? (Switched)
• Apple makes example of iPod repairman in lawsuit (AppleInsider)

[blogged with my Treo 750v]