A Bad Combination

I’m sure there’s a way to write this all scientifically, but basically:

Apple + FedEx + A route through China + Hurricane Rita = two weeks of travel time for a package

Yesterday I finally received the iPod nano, which has received considerable praise from credible sources.

I’m glad that I finally was able to get my hands on this beautiful gadget, but it did take a really long time. First, there were issues with customs in China because someone at Apple had forgotten to declare the value of the package. As a result, it stayed in China for almost a week. Then, when the package finally did leave China, Hurricane Rita decided to come out of nowhere. The FedEx offices closed down before the package had a chance to arrive in Houston, so it sat in Indianapolis for a few days. When the hurricane did leave, it took FedEx a few extra days to, according to one FedEx representative I spoke to on the phone, “make sure the roads are clear”. Right. Sounds like they were understaffed because most of their employees had evacuated. The hurricane was Friday night..by Monday the roads aren’t clear?

As long as I’ve got my nano, I’m happy. I never realized how much a color screen makes a difference. When the larger iPods first came out with new screens, I thought it was just some hype; but in fact, I’m seeing the iPod user interface in a whole different light. Not to mention that it’s tiny; if my wallet wasn’t so small, I could probably fit it in there easily.

I hope that Vaja comes out with a nano case soon, as I’m really liking the iVod DJ case that they have for the 20 gig iPod.