With Apple projected to sell 40 million Apple iPod players this year, some of them are bound to break. That's where people like Mike Fuerstenberg come in. He makes a living repairing Apple iPod players out of a small shop in Manhattan, according to a news report at American Public Media.

Mr. Fuerstenberg relates: "A lot of Apple iPod players are chewed up by dogs. Then I had iPod Nano players that fell into teacups, which is sort of drastic. I've had some of them that were run over by cars and completely smashed."

A customer interviewed for the story noted that Apple wanted to charge him US$300 for an iPod player he dropped and broke, causing him to go to Mr. Fuerstenberg, who did the work cheaper.

Of course, the question remains: Is it cheaper to repair a broken iPod or simply buy a new iPod player? iPodObserver.com's own Bryan Chaffin told reporter Adam Allington: "The question of Apple iPod players cost to durability ratio is a subjective one. Certainly Apple has had a couple of hiccups along the way with things like battery life, but by and large customers are saying with a resounding "yes" that iPod player is worth the price and please give me more."