Well, it finally happened. After 20 months of loyal service, I dropped my iPod mini one too many times. Various errors came up, and troubleshooting quickly revealed that its harddrive had failed.

I had got it cheap some time ago because Apple was transitioning from the (cheap, size-of-a-card-deck, hard-drive-driven) iPod MInis to the (more expensive, size-of-a-gum-pack, flash-memory-driven) iPod Nanos. Even after all this time, buying a new 4GB nano would be more expensive ($199) than what I paid for a mini ($149). Actually “upgrading” to an 8 GB nano ($249) would be as expensive as a 30 GB iPod.

Happily, I came across Geek Technique and its series on replacing the iPod Mini’s harddrive with flash memory.

• put flash memory into (almost) any iPod
• How to turn your iPod into a flash based iPod.
• flash based iPod mini update, now up to 8GB!
• the iPod mini remastered, now with 16GB!
• battery life on the flash based iPod minis

From there i found iFix iPods Fast, and there $144 deal of a flash upgarde to 8GB, service, and warrenty. I wrote in confirming the price, and the owner solicited a $20 rebate in exchange for some press. So here it is, tdaxp iPod payola.

What happens next? I’m not sure. I paid for shipping, paid iFixIpodsFast, and sent off my former iPod mini. Will my iPod come back, flash-based, double-sized, and longer lasting than ever before?

Will it catch on fire and explode? Stay tuned, and find out!

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iPod Reloaded, a tdaxp series
1. A Shot in the Dark
2. Broken, Fixed, Upgraded
3. It works!