Will Parts Be Available?

I did not see anything on your site about if or when you would be getting parts for the 5th gen iPod touch, so here I am asking. I'm also going to share some thoughts.

Of course the reason I am asking is because I have done something stupid: I tested the iPod's ability to withstand going through the washing machine. Result after drying in oven at lowest setting for 6 hours: Sound output works; WiFi works; Wired communications work; Switches work; Display does not work; touch screen does not work (so I cannot power the iPod down); can't test more than that. It looks like I need a new display. I suspect I will need the 5M pixel camera as well.

Getting the iPod apart did not seem any worse than when I took apart a 2nd generation iPod touch. Yes, dealing with the adhesive took the heat gun (who does not have access to a hair dryer, which would work). And since the tear down was not a dis-assembly guide, it was not as easy as it might have been and I may have over stressed the already non-functional display. But I think with the right set of steps it would be no worse than the older iPod touches.

I thought the way the display attached to the iPod made sense. There is a lip at the top of the iPod which would be the first edge together or the last edge apart. Next, the clips on the side helped secure that part. With the machined aluminum housing, the space for prying these seems tighter than the 2nd generation iPod touch, with which I also have experience. I used a number 17 (chisel point) Xacto knife blade,which worked well. I may take the edge off one of these to help avoid damaging stuff inside the iPod. The adhesive should not be an issue if you know about it in advance. A dis-assembly guide would tell you that you only needed to heat the bottom edge of the iPod and that you should do that before you start prying the sides. As with all small devices with relatively delicate flex circuit designs, you need to be careful not to tear the flex circuit. I had problems with that on one of the 2nd generation touchs that I took apart

I really think you do a good job at ifixit with the dis-assembly guides and hope you are not done with the 5th gen iPod touch. I would like to keep mine working and loath buying another one if all I need is a new display.

Apple has not endeared itself to me by obsoleting my older iPod touch (no new operating system versions; many apps won't run). It may not be a problem unique to Apple though. I suspect it is a common software development practice that results in bloated software that needs an ever-increasing amount of memory and processing power. Software developers think that processing power and memory are free. It isn't when you have to buy an entire new system to upgrade. I think this practice is encouraged by many companies because it pumps the sales of new hardware. It is interesting how small the memory and processors for Android systems are compared to Windows systems. If a company other than Apple made something better I would buy one.

Thanks for supporting the postponement of obsolescence of perfectly good gadgets.