Apple launches iPod nano replacement program in Japan

Apple has launched a new replacement program for potentially troublesome first-generation iPod nano units in Japan. Following another rash of overheating incidents, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) told Apple last week that it must post an “easy to understand” statement on its website explaining how users of first-generation iPod nano can receive a replacement battery. Apple seems to have gone one step further, and is offering full replacements for any units that overheat. “We’ve worked closely with METI to make sure first-generation iPod nano customers who are concerned with their battery have the latest information,” U.S.-based Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told Reuters. Apple faced a similar situation in 2008, during which it blamed the problem on faulty batteries from a single supplier and offered to replace the batteries of affected, or even concerned, customers.