the consumer is in charge

as an keen reader of steve rubel's blog i saw a post a while back which showed how bloggers were getting a bit antsy about the cracks and scratches appearing on their ipod nanos. looking at a more recent plot (below) we can see how the story has evolved over time. a quick delve into the posts reveals this kind of momentum: -

• consumers start to grumble on the apple forums
• a few bloggers start to make passing mentions on how easy it is to scratch the nano
• www.flawedmusicplayer.com makes its debut
• the register notices the chatter
• bloggers notice the the register
• slashdot notices the register and mentions the apple forums
• the register notices the increased chatter and references www.flawedmusicplayer.com
• steve rubel posts a graph showing the increased chatter and asks "Will Apple respond?"
• it hits the mainstream media
• apple responds and says it will replace damaged screens

here's an updated chart on the buzz surrounding this issue: -

the consumer is clearly in charge and apple had to do something.