The Technician notes:
There are a several major hardware updates and design changes in the new 4th Generation iPod Nano.  The lens over the LCD is now glass instead of plastic, and instead of being glued in place, it is held by a recess inside the case and pressure from the LCD screen.  The design of the parts inside and how they connect has been changed.  The CW, LCD and hold switch interconnects are easily damaged, especially without experience servicing the unit.  If you plan on working on this unit yourself, make sure you are extra careful during the disassembly process!

The Technician states:
It seems as if Apple cannot decide on a design for the iPod Nano.  They have done away with the shorter, wider 3rd Generation “Nano Fatty” in favor of the 2nd Generation form factor, but with a “fish-shaped” top view.  They have kept the 3rd gen video capability alive with the addition of the tilt feature, so you can turn the unit to its side to watch video.  While the outside may look like a revision of an earlier iPod Nano model, the inside has been completely revamped.  Apple changed the chips used, the features offered, and layout of the parts.  The layout of the hardware seems to be an almost overt attempt to make the 4th Gen Nano nearly impossible to service without the experience of a professional.  Overall, it looks like a cool new unit, that is very different from its predecessors and Apple is showing that it really hasn’t found a design they love enough to stick with.

Leading iPod/iPhone Repair Company Pays Top Dollar for Fully Functional, First-Generation iPhones; Guaranteed Prices, Shipping Included KALAMAZOO, Mich., Oct. 14

KALAMAZOO, Mich., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ — Rapid Repair, the most well-known and reputable national online repair service for portable electronics like the iPod, Zune and iPhone, has unveiled its iPhone Buyback Program, giving first-generation iPhone owners a new option for generating the
funds needed to trade up to the new 3G Apple iPhone — or just for turning their iPhone into cash.

“Lots of 1G iPhone owners are excited about the 3G — but they don’t know what to do with their current device,” said Aaron Vronko, CEO, co-founder and service manager of Rapid Repair. “Our iPhone Buyback Program is a unique alternative to eBay, Craig’s List or other self-directed sales channel. It’s fast, simple, and best of all, our prices are both fair and guaranteed.”

Rapid Repair’s iPhone Buyback Program pays top dollar for fully-functional iPhones. Current prices range from $100 for the 4GB model to $200 for the 16GB (prices subject to change). Upon contacting Rapid Repair and qualifying for the program, an overnight shipping label is immediately sent to the seller to cover the cost of mail-in.

Furthermore, Rapid Repair guarantees its buyback price for up to 14 days. “If for any reason our price changes, either up or down, during the two weeks after the seller contacts us, we will still pay them the higher price,” stated Vronko.

Currently there is no trade-in option for iPhone owners at any iPhone retailer. “Apple and AT&T do not accept trade-ins. Best Buy is not expected to accept 1G iPhones either,” said Vronko. “To our knowledge, Rapid Repair’s Buyback Program is the only such program from a reputable company.”

To take advantage of the Rapid Repair iPhone Buyback Program, interested individuals should go to the program Web page at http://www.rapidrepair.com/iphonebuybackprogram.html. After filling out a
short form, a Rapid Repair sales associate will contact the individual with the information he or she will need to mail in their device. Rapid Repair will accept all standard accessories included with the original iPhone device; no offers are currently available for aftermarket accessories.

For those individuals with a broken or damaged iPhone, Rapid Repair offers an iPhone repair service as well as a full line of iPhone replacement parts. The company also buys damaged iPhones and will soon begin selling used, fully-functional iPhones equipped with 90-day unconditional warranties. To
learn more about Rapid Repair’s sales and service programs for iPhones, iPods and other handheld devices, go to http://www.rapidrepair.com.

About Rapid Repair:
Rapid Repair is dedicated to the service, repair, and modification of all iPod, iPhone, Zune, and other small electronic devices. The national company specializes in small electronics repair, with quality workmanship, speed and efficiency, and offering customer service that is second to none. Rapid
Repair is headquartered in a 3,000 square foot building in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with 15 employees.

iPod and iPhone are registered trademarks of Apple. Other products and trade names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Rapid Repair

http://www.earthtimes.org

The original article can be found here.

The folks at Rapid Repair recently took apart a new PSP Go, and took a look at its insides.  The instructions are on their website complete with a bunch of pictures.  You can click on them and see all the details.  If you are doing a repair on your PSP Go (read this statement:  IF YOU ARE DOING A REPAIR, YOU WILL INVALIDATE YOUR WARRANTY), check there for the step by step on how to crack it open without busting it.

http://www.rapidrepair.com/guides/psp-go/psp-go-repair-guide.html

The original article can be found here.

They are young alumni who met as coworkers and soon became roommates. But it was inconceivable that Ben Levy, BBA ’04, and Aaron Vronko, BBA ’06, would still be together today as founders of a multi-million dollar iPod repair business. “It all sort of happened by accident in 2003,” says Vronko. “It was my junior year in college and Ben’s senior year. We had both been laid off from a local pharmaceutical company. I moved in with Ben and slept on the couch … we were broke,” says Vronko. “Ben’s iPod was in need of repair, and we were hard-pressed to find a service to fix it. We soon realized that other iPod owners were in the same boat. To save money, we tore apart the device to see if we could fix it ourselves.” Their inquisitiveness paid off as they managed to repair the unit. Then through discussion forum postings on the Internet, and as they searched for further information on parts and repairs, they
began to draw interest from even more iPod owners and businesses who were searching for help with iPod repair. At the
time, the devices were still fairly new— so no one really knew where to go for service. “Within a month, the whole thing
snowballed from repairing 3-5 devices a week to 20-25,” says Levy, “and it wasn’t long before we converted a second bedroom in the apartment to a work area. We both had our brothers working for us to keep up with the rising demand. It was quite evident that we had struck an opportunity in this niche market,” says Levy, who developed the concept that would become iPodMods, and later, Rapid
Repair.
The new company grew 50 percent in its first year and the duo moved the business out of the apartment to an office on West Main St. in Kalamazoo. Last year the business realized between $2.5 and $3 million in sales. Levy serves as the president and CEO and focuses more on the purchasing aspect of the business and scoping out new products to sell. Vronko handles the day-to-day operations. The two have learned a lot firsthand about running a business over the past four years. Levy worked particularly hard in the beginning by reaching out to others and forming relationships with clients. “Some of the clients ended up being some pretty big companies that we still work with today. Back then, there was slim to no competition, but now it’s an everyday battle with 50 to 100 competitors.”
Vronko talks about the important skills required of today’s entrepreneur – adaptability, persistence and passion. “We recognized early on that business environments change quickly and this means we have to have the ability to adapt to markets at the speed of change,” says Vronko. “We expanded to include other devices such as iPhones, Zune, and video game consoles like PlayStation3, Nintendo

Wii and PlayStation PSP.” And as new devices are rolled out, you can be sure that Rapid Repair will be upto-date on what’s out there. Last year, 12 hours prior to the latest iPhone release in the United States, Vronko flew to Paris to be one of the first to pick his up at a midnight iPhone release event—only to tear it apart to see how it was assembled. “Today, there is a real demand for the ‘doit-yourself’ market,” says Vronko. “We could have viewed this as a lost opportunity, but you’ve got to get your head out of the clouds, figure out a way to make operational changes and have the courage and persistence to adapt a plan until it works for you. Through our online assistance, we now sell parts and accessories for these do-ityourselfers.” Vronko says the passion to be an entrepreneur is the most intangible requisite. “If you can’t get up in the morning and be excited about making something happen for your business, you’re in the wrong place,” says Vronko. “You have to wake up knowing that every day you are ultimately responsible for sales, finance, labor, expenses, and every other facet of your own success. While most people understandably prefer the comfort and security of having a limited scope of functions of the company, an entrepreneur sees this responsibility as the  call to arms of each new day.”

As business continues to grow, Vronko and Levy are moving the business to a 4,300 square foot building in early fall. Rapid Repair employs 15 people. The Web address is: www.rapidrepair.com.

Aaron Vronko, BBA ’06
Aaron Vronko’s inquisitiveness was evident at an early age. He admits to always questioning how things worked while growing up and credits his parents for putting up with the question “why” a million or so times. A highly energetic individual, Vronko attended
classes at Grand Valley State University to obtain a Microsoft Systems Engineering certificate while still a junior in high school in Grand Rapids, Mich. He entered WMU as a freshman undecided in his major and admits he “bombed out” the first semester. He took the next semester off and landed a job at the help desk of a local pharmaceutical company where he worked for 2.5 years before losing his position, along with many others, through a merger. “I soon realized that I had to get my life back on track, so I enrolled in
classes at a local community college for a year before transferring back to Western as a management major.” He graduated magna cum laude in 2006 and from then on he began to devote all of his time to the business. Vronko credits his professors at the Haworth College of Business with “teaching me the sound fundamentals of running a good business,” and for “showing me how to advance business development.” Vronko married fellow WMU alumna Lindsay Scott, BS ’08, this summer.

Ben Levy grew up in Kalamazoo, but spent his high school years in Grand Rapids, Mich. Ben was an all-state wrestler. “My coach, Dave
Mills, helped me excel in the sport and also taught me many things about life and ethics,” says Levy. Levy chose Western because
he had a lot of family and friends in Kalamazoo, and it was far enough away from home to live on his own. He started as a computer science major, and then switched to computer information systems. Levy graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in 2004 with a major in computer information systems.

The original article can be found here.