In Defense Of iPod Ruggedness

Van Halen Fell Silent On Top of the World, Washington Post

"Last year my team on Mount Everest witnessed firsthand how lousy the iPod is. On our expedition, we brought enough electronic gadgetry to outfit an army. What broke first? The iPods. The batteries croaked, the cases scratched and the hard drives seized from the rarified air."

Editor's note: Well I wasn't at 29,000 feet - but I did take my first generation iPod to Devon Island at 75 deg north - twice - for a month each time and the little darlin' worked just fine throughout even though I was living and sleeping in a tent in a polar desert. I just took my fourth generation iPod on some parabolic (weightless) flights and it recorded every little hoot and giggle I made - again without incident.