Rapid Repair is generally in the business of fixing iPods. But when Microsoft released the slick little Zune HD music player on Sept. 16, Rapid Repair promptly tore one apart to take a look at its insides. The Zune HD’s most highly touted features are its touch-screen—which Rapid Repair advises against marring up with fingerprints, once you pull it off its frame—HD Radio, a Web browser with an on-screen QWERTY keyboard, wireless connectivity, a Quickplay feature that offers shortcuts to favorite apps, and support for 720-pixel HD movies, TV and videos. The 32GB model is capable of storing 8,000 songs or 10 hours of HD video from the Zune Marketplace. In all, Rapid Repair found the Zune HD to share a few features with the Apple iPod Touch and Nano, and applauded its very replaceable parts—perfect for butter-fingered users.
The Government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program may be history, but the idea lives on.
The Department of Energy recently launched a Cash for Refrigerators program to encourage consumers to replace their old appliances with new, energy-efficient ones. Babies “R” Us now offers a 20% discount on cribs, strollers and other pieces of baby gear to customers who bring in used ones.
Other retailers will pay you cash for your unwanted books, CDs, DVDs and old and broken iPods — without requiring you to purchase new ones.
However, unlike the government-run programs or in-store promotions, most of these services operate exclusively online. Consumers are required to mail in their items and then must wait to be paid by check or PayPal deposit. The draw is the convenience. For example, rather than lug your books to a used-book store, you can bring them to the nearest post office or FedEx (FDX: 73.98*, -1.24, -1.64%) drop-off location. And with most services, mailing charges are paid by the retailer.
Of course, any business transaction conducted through the mail and on good faith comes with risks. You may have been quoted a certain price for your stuff, but if the business deems your description inaccurate, that quote may change. Or they may reject your items altogether and discard them unless you cover the return shipping costs. And because these are all for-profit ventures that resell your items and pay for your shipping costs to them, they’re likely to offer you a lower price than you may get dealing directly with a buyer on eBay (EBAY: 23.09*, -0.51, -2.16%) or Craigslist.
Still, if you’re looking for a no-hassle way to clean out your bookshelves or entertainment center, these services may be worth a try. Just be sure to vet a company before putting your stuff in the mail. Check its Better Business Bureau rating: Anything lower than an A or B grade should raise a flag, says Michael Galvin, a spokesman for the BBB of Southeast Florida and the Caribbean. If that’s the case, call the local BBB and find out why that is. The branch can tell you if there’s a pattern of complaints about the business and point out other concerns. If there are registered complaints, check whether they have been resolved.
And before you send in your stuff, get an idea of what it’s worth and how it compares to the company’s quote. The easiest way to do that is to check the selling prices of similar items on eBay, says Doug Norwine, the director of music and entertainment memorabilia at Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries.
Here are three businesses to consider:
1. Books
Run by Beaverton, Ore.-based McKenzie Books, Cash4Books.net will pay you between 57 cents and $120 per used book. How much you get depends on the book’s weight and retail value, how quickly it is expected to sell and how many copies are already in the company’s warehouse, says Crystalin Tadano, a senior customer service representative at the company. The firm specializes in college textbooks and technical books, which are more likely to pay top dollar than, say, paperback novels.
On average, sellers get around $20 per book, according to Tadano, though a recent check by SmartMoney.com yielded lower results. The personal finance and investing books we ran through the Cash4Books.net system would fetch around $5 at best (we were quoted $4.59 for “The Progressive Discipline Handbook: Smart Strategies for Coaching Employees” (with CD Rom) by Margaret Mader-Clark and Lisa Guerin). Getting an online quote is easy: Just enter the book’s ISBN number.
The perks: Shipping is paid by Cash4Books. You get free FedEx shipping if you sell five or more books. You can get paid by check or PayPal. If you choose the latter, you get a 3% bonus to offset the Paypal fees.
The fine print: Cash4Books will not accept books with tears to the cover or pages, major wear to the binding, missing or loose pages, water or other damage, and strong odor. Writing, underlining or highlighting is OK as long as it appears to be on fewer than 20% of the book’s pages, but it may result in a reduction of the quoted price. If not accepted, McKenzie will ship books back only at your own expense.
Due diligence: The Better Business Bureau has registered nine consumer complaints about Cash4Books.net over the past 36 months. All have been resolved. The company has an A rating.
2. CDs, DVDs and games
Old CDs, DVDs and games gathering dust on your shelves? Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Morninglory Music, which runs CashforCDs.com, will pay you between $1 and $3 per CD and DVD, and between $3 and $5 for each PlayStation, Xbox or Wii game, says Stan Bernstein, the company’s owner. How much you get depends on the title and the condition of the disc.
The average customer gets between $4 and $20 for six CDs (the minimum number of discs you have to ship to participate). Our experience was pretty much in line with that estimate: We were quoted $20 for two CDs, one DVD and three games (one each for PS2, Wii and Xbox), each in good or excellent condition. But we did strike out on the six other CDs we checked out, which included INXS’s 1990 album “X” and Pearl Jam’s “Ten” from 1991.
CashforCDs.com isn’t currently buying them. Bernstein says there is an oversupply of certain CDs and not much demand on the marketplace — a trend that isn’t likely to reverse.
The perks: You don’t need the cases. The company will send you a paid-postage mailer for the CDs and front and back covers.
The fine print: For copyright purposes, the company requires the front and the back cover of each CD, DVD or game.
Due diligence: Morninglory Music is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. It had one complaint within the last 36 months, and it has been resolved.
3. iPhones, iPods and other small electronics
Don’t just toss away your old or broken iPod, Zune or iPhone. Kalamazoo, Mich.-based RapidRepair.com will be happy to pay you for it. The company, which has been in business since 2004, specializes in repairing small electronics but also buys them from consumers to use for spare parts or repair and resell as refurbished. How much you get for your unwanted gadget depends on its model and condition. You may get anywhere from $20 to $50 for an old iPod with a broken screen, if the device or its spare parts are in demand, says Ben Levy, the company’s owner. An iPhone 3G can fetch up to $200.
The perks: You can get cash for an item that you can’t otherwise sell or repair.
The fine print: RapidRepair.com doesn’t accept gadgets with liquid damage — a diagnosis few users can pronounce on their own — so you may end up sending in an iPod and getting nothing in return. Postage is paid by the seller, though given the size of the items, the cost is fairly low.
Due diligence: The company has an A rating with the BBB. All five complaints filed against the firm in the last 36 months have been resolved.
With the holiday season suddenly upon us, consumers are searching for the right digital media devices to suit their loved ones. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has led and continues to lead the market with its iPod series, posting sales figures as high as 11 million units sold in Q3 of the current financial year. Although these figures are just less than half of Q1 sales numbers, a single quarter of iPod sales still equals more than five times the collective number of Zunes that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has sold since the brand’s inception. Sales numbers aside, consumers should make a decision based on the overall quality of each product. Does it make more sense for you, the gift-giver, to purchase a Zune or an iPod for your loved one?
Let’s examine how the two devices compare when it comes to features, display, interface and general usability, content management and download compatibility, and hardware quality.
The Features
While both iPods and Zunes support the standard audio, video, photo and gaming capabilities, the Microsoft Zune brand embraces two features that the iPod does not support. The Zune’s FM tuner allows users to receive FM radio signals in their areas and tag specific songs for download later (only with the new Zune 3.0). Additionally, Zune users can network over WiFi with nearby Zunes to sample songs they have, for up to three days.
While it may seem that you will never need an FM radio with thousands of songs at your fingertips, it gives you the chance to break your bubble of isolation and tune into the latest music or catch news from the outside world. This is supported by the many iPod users who have clamored for built-in FM in the past, and a vocal minority will probably continue to do so.
Not as useful at this point is the Zune’s WiFi music sharing feature, which is unfortunately rendered ineffective by the need to have … another Zune in beaming distance. Combine this will the digital rights management (DRM) limitation of 3 days or 3 plays, and some question if this addition is even worth it. We still expect this will be a fun and interesting feature if Microsoft ever figures out how to steal some of the iPod’s market mojo.
The Display
The iPod Classic’s 2.5-inch color LCD screen is a significant drawback for the Apple device when compared to the Zune’s 3.2-inch screen. The size difference affects the quality of the video media experience, putting Zune well in the lead for visual content superiority.
Earlier generation Zunes and iPods had front panels constructed of polycarbonate plastic. These panels were impact-resistant but scratched easily and transmitted force to the LCD screen. Front panels and lenses wouldn’t break often, but LCD screens — the most expensive of the three visual hardware components — would take much of the force, ultimately breaking much more often.
New-model Zunes and iPods have moved to laminated glass for the lens over the LCD, which is more scratch resistant but more easily broken. If the device is dropped, the lens takes much of the force, in turn sparing the LCD. We rarely see broken screens with Zunes, most likely due to a safer design.
Replacing a lens is far less expensive than replacing an LCD screen. Remember, neither company covers screen damage under warranty.
Interface and General Usability
While the Zune might have more features, the iPod gains a unique advantage in its simplicity, allowing a less savvy user to navigate and utilize the included features. But a huge contributor to the iPod’s success has been the click wheel, which has been the navigation key since the release of the iPod mini in 2004. Customers simply love the interface; you can scroll large lists quickly, with as yet unmatched precision. Thousands of songs, organized by any major category, can be accessed depending on how quickly you move your finger.
In contrast, the Zune began without touch-sensitive functionality. Manipulating early generation Zunes provided users a quick mode of transportation but very little precision. Newer generation Zunes come equipped with the “squircle” (square-circle hybrid), which is touch-sensitive and enables users to navigate large lists more precisely. Still, with a few years of trial and error, the iPod click wheel is more refined.
Content Management and Download Compatibility
The usage of all included features and the simplicity of accessing all the content you could want and loading that content to your device are a few of the iPod’s greatest perks. The Zune’s content management platform isn’t quite as universal or comprehensive.
The iPod/iTunes package integrates and simplifies the content loading process. Both iTunes and Zune Marketplace are software installations that integrate with the device that each program supports. Because of its notoriety and the length it has been on the market, iTunes is a one-stop shop for almost all media, providing music, tons of movies and television shows.
Zune Marketplace, on the other hand, is not as well organized and isn’t nearly as extensive with its content offerings. Therefore, Zune owners have to find other ways to find content that the Zune Marketplace might not offer, like ripping owned CDs and movies and converting downloadable media purchased from other outlets.
Both programs accept plain MP3s, but neither device is compatible with its competitor’s content. So if you use iTunes, you won’t be able to load or play iTunes content on a Zune device.
Hardware Quality
Audio Processor: The audio processors on new Zunes integrate power management directly onto the chip, which allows it to sip slowly and offset the extra power usage from its added features. Advantage iPod, but not by much.
Batteries: Neither the Zune nor the iPod is built for consumers to easily replace a worn-out battery, which is part of the device’s built-in obsolescence. However, with some bravery or professional help, you can easily get your battery replaced.
Low Insertion Force (LIF) Cable: The new Zune uses a Low Insertion Force (LIF) cable that connects the hard drive to the system board. Due to a design flaw, the LIF is flimsy and breaks much easier than the iPod’s well-positioned cable. Therefore, trauma or force effects the connection to a greater extent with the new Zune.
The iPod has also had its share of LIF cable issues. With the fourth- and fifth-generation iPods, the LIF cable would lose connectivity over time. The iPod’s LIF was held into the socket with a clip, which would dig into the pin leads and create divots. However, the manufacturer has attempted to fix this flaw with the new generation of iPod, which features a redesign that appears to address the problem. We won’t know for about another year if the redesign will factor into the device’s built-in obsolescence.
Built-In Obsolescence: iPod and Zune manufacturers have learned from design flaws over time, and it appears that most of the significant problems have been fixed with their latest iterations. Still, neither company has made changing the device battery any less difficult for consumers. Consumers who find that a broken device doesn’t fall under warranty can employ any number of professional repair services to perform an affordable fix.
Remember, the industry standard is that fifteen percent of electronics devices will fail in the first year. Don’t let designed obsolescence get you down; talk to a professional about how you can salvage your device.
