Jimi Michiel

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060202/...e_ipod_lawsuit

I'm sure a lot of us are aware of this, but now there's a lawsuit against apple claiming that iPods can cause hearing loss. I don't think Apple is the only culprit, but I also thing the "ear buds" they ship with iPods are bad news. I used the earbuds for a VERY short time, but it was just too loud and to far in my ear. Comments?

-Jimi

trumpet blower88

Personaly, I love the 'ear buds', but I never have the volume on very loud at all. I normaly have the volume bar thing filled about 1/8 of the way, maybe 1/4 if there is some extra noise in the room. Plus, they are comfortable. Lots of times I'll go to bed and just lay there listening to some Shostacovich or Mahler and I feel like I just have the sterio on because I can't even feel the things in my ears.

I think one way to make them safer is to use the little foam pad things they come with. I don't like the feel of those things in my ears, and I don't know if it would help or not, but it seems like it might help filter out some of the sound. Who knows....

Tootsall

Hearing loss from Ipod? Lawsuit? That's just plain stupid. Might as well sue airplane manufacturers for having jet engines that exceed 120 db... or rock drummers for "hitting the drums too loud".

Another sad case of someone not being willing to accept responsibility for their own actions (turning it up TOO LOUD) and a bunch of lawyers willing to "run with it" to see what they can get. End-of-the-day result?

Higher liability insurance costs for manufacturers and higher costs for the rest of us "reasonable persons".

I'd like to see the Supreme Courts of a few different nations to go after "frivolous" lawsuits and those who initiate them.

Jimi Michiel

Toots,
Normally I would agree with you. However, I think in this case apple should take a little responsibility. Turning the volume all the way up on an iPod can, depending on the type of music, be really friggin loud. It looks like France realized this and made them turn the volume down on iPods sold in France. I don't think this guy should make a profit off of this, but I wouldn't mind seeing apple being forced to change their product.
-Jimi

trickg

I see, so we need laws in place to protect us from ourselves? If you are so dumb that you crank the volume, then you probably deserve the hearing loss it induces. Just an opinion of course.

robertwhite

An IPod's controls are consolidated; meaning that one could inadvertantly turn the volume up while trying to switch songs, tweak the EQ, play Solitare, etc..

There's no limiter on the volume for these, so we're talking about deafening levels, here, folks.

Not all lawsuits are frivolous, ladies and gentlemen.

trickg

The answer here is simple - don't buy an iPod - buy something else with better controls if the controls are the problem. iPod is certainly not the only mp3 player out there, and it's not even the best in my opinion.

No one makes you buy one and certainly no one makes you use one.

robertwhite

Look, I love my IPod. It's just that one doesn't fully ascertain the control problems until one's used it. They've eschewed simplicity in favor of sleek design. Two issues that often get confused.

someone

I hate those headphones. My fat headphones may not be "chic," but they're comfortable and 100x better sounding than those stupid white earbuds.

robertwhite

True. But as far as hearing loss goes, doesn't air compression in those type of headphones pose even more of a hearing-loss risk than earbuds?