Your iPod has been a faithful travel companion, guardian of your most sacred digital music and status symbol among today’s technorati. So what will you do when it reaches its golden years and the screen begins to flicker or the battery begins to fail? Repair or Upgrade? You have more options than Apple might like you to know.

Considering that Apple has sold over 141 million iPods worldwide since it was first introduced on October 23, 2001, millions of people have and will grapple with the “Repair or Upgrade” dilemma.

If you’ve upgraded to a new iPod, you may already know that Apple offers a free iPod recycling program which includes “environmentally friendly disposal” and a 10% discount on the purchase of a new iPod. (Upgrade! Upgrade!). Sounds like it’s time to upgrade – no?

Not so fast. This program feels more like a thinly veiled marketing ploy to drive sales of new iPods than a sincere attempt at sustainability. Why so cynical? Personal experience…

I bought my iPod in November 2003. It’s a third generation with 20 gigs of memory, ancient by today’s standards, but still more than enough to accommodate my entire music collection. I’ve tried to stretch out its life as long as possible (Repair! Repair!), in part to save money, but also to avoid contributing to the growing volume of e-waste and to reduce my personal consumption footprint.

I’m sure you can imagine how difficult this has been. With Apple introducing a new iPod on average every 6 months, there’s always a better screen, more memory, longer battery life or new feature screaming “Upgrade! Upgrade!”

So when my iPod’s screen failed last year, I once again faced this dilemma and was very tempted to fork over $300 for a shiny new color screen and video capability. Fortunately, my conscience got the best of me and I decided to investigate my repair options at the Apple Store in Pioneer Place (Repair! Repair!).

Much to my dismay, the Apple tech told me that because my iPod was so old, it would cost about $200 to repair. “That’s almost as much as a new one!” I replied in shock.

When I expressed my frustration that this pricing didn’t leave environmentally minded consumers like me much of a choice but to purchase a new iPod, the Apple tech suggested that the constant upgrade cycle was the only way our society could sustain economic growth. That really pissed me off…

I told him I felt manipulated by Apple’s pricing. I told him I didn’t want to contribute to more e-waste. I told him I didn’t want a new iPod made of virgin metals and plastics. I told him my 20-gigabyte, black and white screen iPod was just fine for me, so why wouldn’t Apple help me to make the right choice for the planet?

After arguing with him for almost 10 minutes, he finally mentioned, iResQ.com, a Florida based website that does fast, affordable iPod and iPhone repairs. (Repair! Repair!)

Thank you! Why didn’t you mention that in the first place? If Apple were genuine about sustainability, why not mention this sooner? Why did I have to argue for 10 minutes? Most consumers would not have been as persistent and would’ve ended up buying a new iPod...something I’m sure Apple wouldn’t complain about.

iResQ is fantastic. For $29.00, they overnight you a pre-paid DHL box for you to send in your iPod. All you have to do is call the courier to pick it up for overnight return to iResQ. The techs at iResQ diagnose the problem and get you an estimate within 1 business day. Once you approve the repair, they fix your iPod and send it back to you overnight. There’s also a $19.00 ground shipping option if you can go a bit longer without your iPod and a $9.00 option if you want to handle shipping yourself.

Most screen replacements range from $58.00 to about $100, while most battery replacements range from $54.00 to $63.99. But be warned that repairs for newer models can be quite a bit more expensive, in which case Apple’s repair program may be more economical.

Turns out my iPod needed a new battery. I opted for the ground service at $19.00 and paid only $29.00 for a new battery. I had my iPod back and working perfectly within a week – all at a cost of less than $50…that’s a quarter of the price Apple had quoted me.

Again, if Apple is genuine about sustainability why don’t they offer an affordable service like this? If a small company like iResQ can do it, why can’t a multi-billion dollar company like Apple?

Perhaps it’s better to let a small company like iResQ fill this niche. But then why not let Apple customers know there’s an affordable, socially responsible alternative to replacing their iPod without making them argue for 10 minutes?

I’m a huge fan of Apple. I’ve been a customer for almost 20 years and own a little bit of Apple stock. But as I write this blog on my MacBook, I’m left feeling disappointed in the brand. If you expect more socially responsible behavior from Apple, I encourage you let them know. Paste this blog into the Apple product feedback form for your and tell them to help us all live more technically green.