A man going by the alias of Mike Teevee in Kalamazoo Michagan, scammed Apple out of 9,000+ iPod Shuffles between March of 2006 and October of 2007.
The man’s real name is Nicholas Arthur Woodhams. He was sued by Apple over this debacle in June of 2008, and prosecutors are just now getting around to pressing federal charges of fraud and money laundering against him.
How did the scheme work? Woodhams figures out the sequencing of valid, serial numbers of iPod shuffles that were under warranty, claim they were defective, and have Apple send him replacement products. Then those would be sold for $49.
There was one glich standing in Woohams way, Apple’s return policy. Apple requires that defective units be returned within a certain period of time. To get around this he used prepaid VISA gift cards and a UPS store mailbox. So, instead of having Apple charge him for the replacement iPods, these VISA cards would reject that charge.
Dexim just announced a USB adapter for the iPod Shuffle named Shu-Lip, it’s made from aluminum and its designed to plug into the end of the iPod to make it a cool looking, fully functional thumb drive for just $10.00, this way you don’t have to carry the cable it includes.
So far, this is still work in progress. Would you buy one?
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Apple has released the new iPod Shuffle having as major features VoiceOver technology and included headphone controls, both nice but the last one is something to think about.
To make your iPod Shuffle play you will need headphones with integrated remote, you can’t use your $450.00 ultra high quality earphones that you already have, you have to use the included good quality earphones but, what if you break them or lose them?, right now the only compatible headphones are the Apple’s originals so let’s take a look at the Apple Store, the basic earphones with remote and mic are $29.00, a reasonable price, but almost half the price of the Shuffle.
If we want more sound quality we have the Apple In-Ear headphones with integrated remote and mic wich are just $79.00, wait a minute, that’s the price of the Shuffle!.
Buying this iPod means you have to be careful with your earphones.
The lights are off, all of the reporters and live-bloggers have gone home to hunch in front of their laptops… So that can only mean one thing… It’s time for a roundup of today’s ‘Let’s Rock’ Event! If you’re big into music, movies and any sort of digital download for that matter, chances are you’ll want to take note of the new iPod’s and iTunes 8. Let’s get started…
Of the less-important news, the iPod Shuffle now comes in 4 colors… And Apple is also now selling in-ear headphones with in-line volume control. They look purty nice, but I think I’ll hold off on purchasing them for now. They go for $79.
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Yes, Apple users love their iPods. Often a little too much. We sleep with them, we shower with them and often we may even occasionally listen to them, but in essence they aren’t really ‘ours’. They all look the same, come in the same colors and often sound the same. With the amount of iPods in peoples pockets at the moment it can be quiet easy to confuse yours with someone else’s.
I’ve stumbled upon a solution. Personalized stickers available through Shufflesome.com, a website devoted to stickers designed specifically to personalize both your iPod Nano’s and iPod shuffles. The stickers are designed by artists from all over the globe and suit a range of tastes and styles. The stickers are edgy and offer style to your music lifestyle. They’re not only really cool but there also really easy to use and are quiet inexpensive. Check them out at www.ShuffleSome.com
Today was a big patent day for Apple. They won 6 new patents published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark office.
One of these patents looks like a remote control that resembles the current iPod Shuffle. You can see for yourself by the drawing to the right.
The remote control has a belt clip built into the back, and has a round click-wheel on the front. Function of the remote was not defined, but I can certainly guess that it could be used to control your iPod, iTunes, AppleTV, etc… The list goes on.
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While flying to Norway last month, I noticed an ad of an unusual iPod shuffle in the flight magazine. It was an iPod shuffle encrusted in 430 diamonds! And let me tell you… it does not come cheap. You can pick one up for $41,000 USD!
Which things can you buy with that amount of money today? Well, you could buy 520 shuffle iPods or even a car! This iPod was designed by a Norwegian jeweler called Heyerdahl. Their website also says that the iPod is made of 18 carat white and pink gold. They also say the iPod will be donated to a charity cause auction in London in March 2008.
In case you are the modern guy who would like to propose to someone with an iDiamond, instead of the ubiquitous diamond ring… And in case you don’t have THAT kind of money, you can still buy one for around $600 USD! This cheaper more ‘affordable’ one is found at a jeweler in the United Kingdom: John Harrington.
So hurry! Diamonds are still a girl’s best friend, I mean iPods are still a girl’s best friend! Or is that both?
Brazilian ice-cream company Kibon is taking popsicle promotions to a new level. They’ve done away with the old prize printed on the popsicle stick… Instead, for this unique givaway they are putting an iPod shuffle right in the popsicle!
Kibon is manufacturing 10,000 specially made ‘propsicles’. They are identical in size and color to the real thing, but obviously aren’t actually popsicles.
The original idea was to put a shuffle inside the package. But due to the fact that people would easily be able to tell what popsicles had the prize in them, they had to think of a different way of concealing the shuffle. That’s when they came up with the idea of the ‘mock’ popsicles with the ipod shuffles inside. The ‘mock’ popsicles are made of a fake ice-cream that will not damage the iPod in any way.
They seem to have thought of everything. Once a winner realizes they’ve won a shuffle, Kibon has provided a phone number to call so that they can claim their manual and charger. Two thumbs up!
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