As with any device capable of outputting to a pair of headphones, an iPod turned up to an excessive volume can cause noise-induced hearing loss. Since users often turn the volume up to compensate for background noise, a study found that headphone users who listen in noisy environments are at risk for permanent gradual hearing damage.[126]
People have expressed concerns about users, especially young people, being more prone to developing hearing loss from iPods in particular. Some iPods and their headphones can reach sound pressure levels of 115 decibels, and the iPod and included materials do not contain much information about the risks of hearing loss or what a safe volume and/or duration can entail. People would often have misconceptions about what a safe level is, assuming that a dangerous device would not be sold, that only maximum volume causes deafness, or that sound needs to be painful or literally "hurt your ears" to be deafening.
Even if users listen at a moderately loud volume (85dBA or louder), an iPod battery lasts longer and is cheaper to charge than it is to replace the batteries of a Walkman, meaning that the longer duration can make even medium-loud sounds (85 dB) dangerous. Apple has since adjusted their devices to only output sounds up to 100 dB, which is still deafening over a longer duration, but not quite as loud. Listening at a low volume is generally considered safe.[127]
The advertised battery life on most models is different from the real-world achievable life. For example, the fifth-generation 30 GB iPod Classic was advertised as having up to 14 hours of music playback. However, an MP3.com report stated that this was virtually unachievable under real-life usage conditions, with a writer for the site getting, on average, less than 8 hours from an iPod.[128] In 2003, class action lawsuits were brought against Apple complaining that the battery charges lasted for shorter lengths of time than stated and that the battery degraded over time.[129] The lawsuits were settled by offering individuals with first- or second-generation iPods either US$50 store credit or a free battery replacement, and offering individuals with third-generation iPods an extended warranty that would allow them to get a replacement iPod if they experienced battery problems.[130][131]
As an instance of planned obsolescence, iPod batteries are not designed to be removed or replaced by the user, although some users have been able to open the case themselves, usually following instructions from third-party vendors of iPod replacement batteries. Compounding the problem, Apple initially would not replace worn-out batteries. The official policy was that the customer should buy a refurbished replacement iPod, at a cost almost equivalent to a brand new one. All lithium-ion batteries lose capacity during their lifetime even when not in use[132] (guidelines are available for prolonging life-span) and this situation led to a market for third-party battery replacement kits.
Apple announced a battery replacement program on November 14, 2003, a week before[133] a high publicity stunt and website by the Neistat Brothers.[134] The initial cost was US$99,[135] and it was lowered to US$59 in 2005. One week later, Apple offered an extended iPod warranty for US$59.[136] For the iPod Nano, soldering tools are needed because the battery is soldered onto the main board. Fifth generation iPods have their battery attached to the backplate with adhesive.[137][138]
The first generation iPod Nano may overheat and pose a health and safety risk. Affected iPod Nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. This is due to a flawed battery used by Apple from a single battery manufacturer.[139] Apple recommended that owners of affected iPod Nanos stop using them. Under an Apple product replacement program, affected Nanos were replaced with current generation Nanos free of charge.
iPods have been criticized for alleged short lifespan and fragile hard drives. A 2005 survey conducted on the MacInTouch website found that the iPod line had an average failure rate of 13.7% (although they note that comments from respondents indicate that "the true iPod failure rate may be lower than it appears"). It concluded that some models were more durable than others.[140] In particular, failure rates for iPods employing hard drives were usually above 20% while those with flash memory had a failure rate below 10%. In late 2005, many users complained that the surface of the first-generation iPod Nano can become scratched easily, rendering the screen unusable.[141][142] A class-action lawsuit was also filed.[143] Apple initially considered the issue a minor defect, but later began shipping these iPods with protective sleeves.[144][145]
On June 11, 2006, the British tabloid The Mail on Sunday reported that iPods are mainly manufactured by workers who earn no more than US$50 per month and work 15-hour shifts.[146] Apple investigated the case with independent auditors and found that, while some of the plant's labor practices met Apple's Code of Conduct, others did not: employees worked over 60 hours a week for 35% of the time and worked more than six consecutive days for 25% of the time.[147]
Foxconn, Apple's manufacturer, initially denied the abuses,[148] but when an auditing team from Apple found that workers had been working longer hours than were allowed under Chinese law, they promised to prevent workers working more hours than the code allowed. Apple hired a workplace standards auditing company, Verité, and joined the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct Implementation Group to oversee the measures. On December 31, 2006, workers at the Foxconn factory in Longhua, Shenzhen formed a union affiliated with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions,[149] the Chinese government-approved union umbrella organization.[150][151]
In 2010, a number of workers committed suicide at a Foxconn operations in China. Apple, HP, and others stated that they were investigating the situation. Foxconn guards have been videotaped beating employees. Another employee killed himself in 2009 when an Apple prototype went missing, and claimed in messages to friends, that he had been beaten and interrogated.[152][153]
As of 2006, the iPod was produced by about 14,000 workers in the U.S. and 27,000 overseas. Further, the salaries attributed to this product were overwhelmingly distributed to highly skilled U.S. professionals, as opposed to lower-skilled U.S. retail employees or overseas manufacturing labor. One interpretation of this result is that U.S. innovation can create more jobs overseas than domestically.[154]
iPods often received favorable reviews; scoring high on looks, clean design, and ease of use. PC World wrote that iPod line has "altered the landscape for portable audio players".[124]
The iPod has also been credited with accelerating shifts within the music industry. The iPod's popularization of digital music storage allows users to abandon listening to entire albums and instead be able to choose specific singles which hastened the end of the album era in popular music.[125]