Apple has responded to complaints that the screens on its new fast-selling iPod Nano are so delicate that they can break in your pocket.

Praised by reviewers - one technology writer called the sleek new music player "so teensy and glossy and perfect, you want to put it in your mouth like a hard candy" - the £179 iPod Nano has been selling out on high streets across Britain since its launch earlier this month.

But many customers found that the screens on their new favourite toy, which holds 1,000 songs, were either extremely vulnerable to scratches or cracked completely.

One Nano owner, Matthew Peterson, a business consultant in Orange County, California, went so far as to set up a website, which attracted complaints and photographs of damaged Nano's from around the world.

Under pressure from a blizzard of posts on technology websites and message boards, Apple addressed the problem yesterday in an interview with Macworld.

Philip Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, admitted that there was a defect that had led a small number of iPod Nano screens to break but said that, generally, the screens on the pencil-thin player were sound.

"This is a real but minor issue involving a vendor quality problem in a small number of units," said Mr Schiller, referring to the screen breaks. "In fact, this issue has affected less than one tenth of 1 per cent of the total iPod Nano units that we’ve shipped. It is not a design issue."

Mr Schiller said that Apple would replace players that broke in this way, but insisted that the screens on the Nano were no more susceptible to scratching than other models of the iPod.

"We have received very few calls from customers reporting this problem – we do not think this is a widespread issue," said Mr Schiller.

"If customers are concerned about scratching we suggest they use one of the many iPod nano cases to protect their iPod."

Apple's acknowledgement of the problem was welcomed, if a little gruffly, by customers. Mr Peterson, the internet campaigner, swiftly replaced the homepage of his website to read: "Apple does the right thing."

"I am very delighted to see Apple take this issue seriously. It is sad that it took a website and a lot of publicity before they finally investigated but at least future Nano users with the same problem I had will not be subjected to the same treatment that I was," wrote Mr Peterson, whose Nano broke in his jeans pocket on his way to work.

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