Apple offers to replace burning Ipod Nanos

THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT has stared down Apple and forced it to cave in to demands that it replace faulty Ipod Nanos that get too hot to handle.

Last week the Japanese ordered Apple to offer new batteries after 27 reported incidents of first generation Ipod Nanos overheating, despite Apple's attempt to lay the blame squarely on one of its battery suppliers. Now, for once, it seems that the flogger of overpriced toys has done the right thing and offered its Japanese punters replacement Ipods.

The cappuccino company rarely admits that any of its products have faults, with the recent Iphone 4 antenna issue being one of the most recent in a long line of denials. However with the Japanese government wading in on this, Jobs' Mob must have felt compelled to do something useful and forgo the usual round of blaming its customers and releasing magical software fixes that do nothing.

Originally it had offered to just replace the batteries rather than the whole unit. Now it seems Apple has capitulated and offered replacement Ipod Nanos. It's quite likely that, given the age of the original Ipod Nano, which first went on sale almost five years ago, Apple is having difficulties in obtaining replacement parts.

With the original Ipod Nano not in production anymore it is likely that users will end up getting a model from the current generation. If that is indeed the case, those who have white Ipod Nanos could be disappointed as the current version of the diminutive music player doesn't come in white.

Credit where credit is due, however, and in this case Apple did the right thing. Now everyone knows the formula - get a government involved and Jobs' Mob can be brought to heel. µ