iPod ‘doctors’ resuscitate broken music players

As iPods and its competitors shed their girth and the devices rely on ever-smaller components, Leontaris expects his job will grow more difficult. “They’re getting more complex. I’m probably going to be obsolete as time goes on.”

For now, though, he has found a business that enables him to help support his wife and three children, charging $45 and up to replace a battery and $59 and up for a new screen, for example.

Others have carved out a business as well. Web sites likes www.iPodResQ.com and Vronko’s www.ipodmods.com have sprung up for those looking to inject new life into their iPods.

Vronko, 24, founded iPodMods in Kalamazoo, Mich., with a friend after studying business in college; they set up the Web site in 2004. It has drawn customers from more than 65 countries.

With 90 million iPods sold, Vronko sees a growing pool of potential customers.

“We’ve gone from five a week to 500,” he said. “Within a week of the model debuting, we get a phone call saying someone dropped it and broke the screen.”

While the repairs could mean fewer iPods are sold, third-party repairers say iPod owners are more likely to feel confident about later buying a new iPod knowing there are options should an accident occur or the warranty expire.

Apple doesn’t make repairs to products outside the warranty except to replace the rechargeable batteries. It will offer a 10 percent discount for trading in a broken iPod for a new one. Many third-party repair services buy broken iPods for parts.

Apple declined to comment on the role of third-party iPod repair.

“I think honestly they kind of happily ignore us,” Vronko said.

Meanwhile, customers have posted recommendations for Web sites that do repairs in user forums on Apple’s Web site.

Not all customers want to repair their iPods. Dan Williams, an 18-year-old college freshman in Akron, Ohio, has a nearly two-year-old iPod that’s had difficulty retaining its charge since he dropped it. While he’d consider trying to have it repaired, he confessed to wanting to trade up to more storage capacity for a burgeoning music collection.

“I’m probably just going to go get a new one,” he said.

And of course there are music lovers who might have difficulty facing a gloomy prognosis. Vronko recalled a man who was listening to his iPod while doing yard work and didn’t realize he dropped it until after he’d run over it with the lawnmower.

“I don’t think we did a lot for it,” Vronko said. “We refunded his shipping to him and sent it to a metal recycler.”

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