Death watch over, burial begins.

Well it appears that my iPod has finally bit the dust. Having commented previously about the iPod Death Watch site, which uses statistics from their iPod repair center to estimate the average life left on your iPod, I thought it proper to give an update as to the accuracy of the site. Well it was pretty accurate and only 15 days off the mark. Tonight my little 4th generation iPod died.

I had been having trouble with the device recently and had performed a disk repair on it twice. Tonight while playing a few tunes, I noticed that it was getting choppy as if the songs had random pauses in them. Much like the effect of a radio cutting in and out. Eventually I saw the icon indicating the iPod was in need of servicing. I was able to connect it to a computer and it recovered fine for a brief period. By the time I got home it had completely died. This was only after a few songs and a couple of hours later.

Finally, after many attempts to start the iPod I saw the infamous Sad iPod Face . I knew this was not a good sign. It was also starting to make an audible clicking noise as it started up. It was as if the iPod was starting only to encounter an error, stop the internal drive, and attempt to start again. No number of attempts to connect the device to the computer, restore it, or refresh it has delivered any success. The little guy is gone. The only way it will stay on is if I connect it to the computer and then it is unresponsive. It is like life support for electronics.

This is the downside of portable devices like the iPod. They work really well for a few years and then take a rapid decent into malfunctions and eventual electronic death. Combine that with the cost of a replacement and it is like a double slap in the face. Cell phones, iPods, and blackberries all come with hefty price points making them luxuries, not must haves (with the exception of a cell phone if it is your only phone). That said, I used my iPod on average of about 2 to 3 hours a day and would notice its absence during my commute and at work. So it will get replaced in time with a new iPod Touch or a regular iPod. Like I said, in time.

Now if Mr. Jobs reads this – and I doubt he does – feel free to send a replacement.