Apple Attorneys Set Sights on iPod Repair Guy
Nicholas Woodhams, also known as the iPod Mechanic, is in a world of hurt. The Michigan man has made it his business to repair Apple iPods and other Apple products; not a bad idea since they do tend to break quite often. From what we understand Woodhams has done quite well for himself picking up the pieces with regards to iPod users’ woes. Apparently a bit too well, as he popped up on Apple’s radar several years ago and it was none too happy that the iPod name was being used in vain. Apple and Woodhams butted heads in 2006 and struck a deal whereby Woodhams would phase out the “iPod Mechanic” name by January 2007. Here we are a year and a half later and he has done no such thing. In fact, he even pokes some fun at Apple on his site with an “iPod Deathclock” where visitors can input their iPod serial numbers and usage habits to learn the approximate death date of their iPod. Clearly Woodhams was asleep when God handed down the eleventh commandment: Thou shalt not mess with Apple. The iPod moniker may be the least of Woodhams’ worries however, as Apple’s suit also alleges that he committed fraud in a number of ways. One such accusation, that Woodhams switched the back covers on out-of-warranty iPods in order to have Apple repair them under warranty. Hey, it was fun while it lasted…
He’s getting just what he deserves.
1. Don’t commit if you don’t intend to follow through.
and
2. Fraud hurts everyone. Creator, developers and especially the END USER.
Some people are just morons!
Allege he he right till it’s proven it’s just hearsay that’s quite burden of proof there.
and they hope to scare him into settlement right?
besides fi te ipod mechanic goes youl hear som angry FORMER ipod owners switching brands maybye
this also proves appl sells som shody mercindies an that depending on how extensive his customer base it shows that a number of people would rather pay a small fee to repair units rather then pay that ridiculous price for a new one.
Now if i were apple id offer the guy a job before wasting money on lawyers
even thogh this guy may have resulted in some loss of sales his clientel wer fanboys
well ther might be som fanboy who will be no longer cause they can’t afford it an will move on to a different brand
after all all those ipods seem to break like disposable razors
Galvatron, give up the zune kick. You are Bill Gates, “some would argue otherwise.” Dumb MS+BB fanboy. Give it a rest.
Also, if you want your posts to be taken seriously, at least user proper grammar and spelling. I know you’re from Canada, but c’mon, moron that English is weak sauce.
As evil as Apple seems this common in the business world Nicholas is clearly in the wrong however as he clearly did not follow the settlement agreement, in that case he was just lazy and now he’s gonna pay the price. This couldve been avoided without having to get lawyers involved and rack up fees by changing your name to something even better. Not that I wanna bash him as he’s obviously doing something for the good everyone its just obvious that this could have been avoided.
Sure Apple seems greedy looking for miss interpretation of the iPod name and such but other companies have done the same.
Blizzard did the same whenever someone used the -craft ending on any game name or project.
Now whether he intentionally changed the back plates of the iPod for either him to send in for repairs or the customers is another thing.
Galvatron is from Arizona i think, don’t insult the Canucks.
I agree with Daniel, he is in the wrong, as much as he sounds like just a helpful guy.
He’s from Arizona? Really. Wow, what does this sentence mean:
“Allege he he right till it’s proven it’s just hearsay that’s quite burden of proof there.”
or
“besides fi te ipod mechanic goes youl hear som angry FORMER ipod owners switching brands maybye”
but what takes the cake is…
“appl sells som shody mercindies”
MERCHANDISE? Are you high? This seriously looks like an ad for hooked on phonix. Damn.
bob just stop suckin Jobs’ dick, Mactard
Sorry but Canada sucks! I think galvatron’s posts are funny. Why you guys take him serious is beyond me! haha When have any of his posts used proper grammar? NONE!
Bob idolizes Galvatron! In fact, he could very well possibly be Galvatron’s Fan Boy!
LMAO obviously since he started flaming me right after I posted lol
What would BGR be WITHOUT galvatron?!? I shudder to think! Each post is a grammar puzzle to decipher. I for one love his posts and I they always make me crack up! I am your fan Galv!
Could “ISIS” and “GAL – vatron” are one in the same. Hmmmm?
Tune in next week . . .
how is he in the wrong? He fixed broken electronics. There are mom and pop shops everywhere that fix broken electronic devices. ALL YOU GUYS LOVE APPLE but THEIR iPODs and Computer tend to be overly priced, break down alot and they offer no price conscience service. Non removeable batteries, to non universal parts. Apple is a no go for a regular consumer.
now if he was helping people void warranties, thats another accusation all together…
Until a court hands down a verdict and the defendant has exhausted all appeals IF found guilty then he has not committed fraud and just because Apple says so doesn’t make it real. He could be guilty but he hasn’t been found so yet.
Also, screw apple!!! They intentionally make the iPods and iPhones without swappable batteries so they will die in time to swap to the next gen and also so you cannot do it yourself. Glad my BlackBerry will let me swap batteries.
WHY would you IDIOTS criticize someone for participating in your NATIVE language who speaks it as a second? Secondly, although his eloquence is lacking, some of his points are valid.
The problem is that apple is hypersensitive, Scientology-like sue artists petrified of a competitive marketplace. They CATER to artists, assuming its a group of people less able to judge the company and products based on their bias for aesthetics and lack of interest and concomitantly, analysis of technology products. Proof?
1. “We might break your iPhone if you unlock it.”
2. Our processors are better than intel, until we started using them, then they became a selling point. Lies dont matter basically provided we sell our crap.
3. Thou shalt not use others hardware with our OS, and we will build a chip in to our computers that protect that our OS be committed to our hardware. (their OS sucks, but, you can’t demo it without financial risk)
Now (aside from abusing their warranty policy) this guy is being sued for fixing iPods that the company prefer break so they can perform out-of-warranty repair at a profit, or force the sale of a new variant.
As a corporation, I detect a lot of fear from them. No other phone manufacturer has acted as they do. There’s no excusing these induces; and their fear is quite justified. They are a frail technology corporation that invents nothing! They have learned the value of packaging, presentation, and yes, have forced the rest of the marketplace to become more savvy in this respect. They DO pursue betterment of the interface, but they charge so MUCH for it. Basically, their like gold digging women, con artists, that overcharge for a feature that we humans over-emphasis value in.
I own an iPod – I have owned an OSX 10.5 computer. I feel OBLIGATED to search for best products, no matter WHO the manufacture. I rarely hold grudges against companies that prevail over “best product wins” mentality. And in accordance, I can say first hand, most of Apple’s products DO suck. They edge out the competition on the iPod, and with the iPhone, they do have a very nice interface, with GLARING oversights, centralized around staggered releases of incremental improvements of obvious needs.
Some etymology for the lay…
What we colloquially refer to as a business is also a proprietorship, it owns proprietary things when they are it’s intellectual property, the owner(s) who run/start the business … proprietors. But what businesses so often forget … is the root word, is propriety.
1. conformity to established standards of good or proper behavior or manners.
2. appropriateness to the purpose or circumstances; suitability.
3. rightness or justness.
Briefly, it means ETHICAL. And by a pattern well evidenced, I do NOT deem apple an ethical corporation, despite the idealist communities they target with their marketing, and it is pitiful that this isn’t more transparent.
“In fact, he even pokes some fun at Apple on his site with an “iPod Deathclock” where visitors can input their iPod serial numbers and usage habits to learn the approximate death date of their iPod.”
He would be waaay off for my iPod bought in Oct. 2001–it still works fine.
What a joke apple taking someone to court over something so trivial lets hope he gets off. shame on apple.
always hate apple for this reason buy there products and do what they want. DOWN WITH APPLE.
How’s the view from your horse? Excellent use of unnecessary words, though. It almost makes you sound intelligent.
What happened to BGR?
There used to be interesting stuff.
Now it’s a 2 digit MacSux T-shirt wearing, Apple hating sewer.
I opened up my own iPod repair shop in New Orleans.
I’m not trying to break any laws like this guy, but is it ok to call myself the “Ipod Repairman” or will that make Apple Mad too?
^Your attorney doesn’t know so you’re asking here?
Ok this guy was in the wrong for defrauding Apple with the back plate swapping but fixing iPods is not a crime and saying you fix iPods shouldn’t be a crime. Apple wants everyone in the world to know they own the word “iPod” and any use of it on the web from a business perspective is strictly prohibited whether it be in a domain name or company name they will eventually fight it as Trademark infringement. Meanwhile there are about 50 companies currently using the word iPod in their names besides the ipod mechanic. What about ipodjuice, kingipod, ipodrepair, ipodlcdrepair, ipodrepairguy, ipodrepairclinic, ipodcorrectors, ipodrefresh, ipodparts, ipodsickbay, just to name a few.
I think Apple has it all wrong. Instead of fighting these small businesses, which actually help Apple retain customers over the long run, they should endorse them, create a repair certification, and create an alliance rather than a battle. What they don’t realize is that these companies actually alleviate some of the backlog of repairs that Apple has and keep their customers coming back. Some of the best businesses work strategically and create partnerships. Of course there should be no misunderstanding on a repair site that they are not affiliated with Apple but beyond that it should be a non-issue for them. These companies are doing out of warranty repair work, or repairs that are not covered under warranty.
Apple you need to leave these people alone. They are doing you a favor by helping keep your customers loyal. People will keep coming back if they know there are some services available for fixing their old equipment. If you are worried about diminishing the ‘iPod’ name then you need to change your mindset. These small businesses are helping to promote your product in a much more positive light than you are aware of.
I had my iPod repaired by one of these companies. They not only saved a sentimental iPod for me they have kept me a loyal customer to you!