A creeping fear is in my ears.

A creeping fear is in my ears.

So Photogal comes up to me yesterday and tells me that the pair of iPod headphones I loaned her months ago has finally broken. Keep in mind these headphones were the ones that came with my original 3G iPod (the original tankPOD) that I got years and years ago. So I gave her the pair I've been using (also a 3G back-up pair) and finally broke out the 'phones that came with one of my snazzy brand new iPods a few months ago.

And I immediately noticed the sonic difference.

Where before I had a nice bass tone, distinct high-end, and silence when nothing was playing; now I have hiss when there's silence and a sonic spectrum that can only be described as flat.

I understood when Apple stopped including cases and power adapters and all those other little amenities that came with the original couple of generations, but now that they're scrimping on items I consider rather integral to the whole purpose an iPod is supposed to serve, I am growing even more worried that my little four-month-old models will have a much reduced life-span than one would expect for a luxury item that's supposed to be at the forefront of technological innovation.

As a point of reference, I still have my 3G iPod, and while it's battery life is ridiculously short when compared to the newer models, it is still functioning. I can still count on it. It was built securely and with great care. Is that no longer the case with the newer models? Are they like a pair of jeans that is designed to break down relatively quickly in order to spur an upgrade? I sure hope not.

I'm still knocking on wood and hoping that the complaints I hear about Apple's quality control with the iPods are merely the voices of an unlucky few amplified by the echo chamber that is internet opinion. I'm hoping that my little tankPOD and diPOD v2.0s are still running strong this time next year.

But I have to admit, the sound in my ears doesn't fill me with confidence.