Breathe New Life Into Your Dead iPod

FreakyControl writes "Popular Science is running an article this month about how to change that dead iPod battery, along with links to sites that have other cool iPod hacks. It looks like Casey Neistat figured out how to do it for them, after ruining his own during a similar attempt: 'A few weeks later, PopSci gave him another third-party battery, this time from pdasmart.com ($60), and another iPod from a staffer with the same problem. That one survived and went back to its owner. And Casey ended up spending $400 on a new one.' Looks like all you iPod people may still have hope!"

What's that about?

[Kris_J]

Looks like all you iPod people may still have hope!

I never knew that hope was required. Aren't there a bunch of options available to replace the battery? Sorry if I don't feel outraged about the cost of the iPod battery, I just received a quote to replace the battery on my Sharp Actius 150 Ultralight at A$500. Fortunately I bought an external pack with the machine so it doesn't matter that the internal one's capacity is down from 90 minutes to 30. (The same trick can be done with the iPod [lunacy8m.com].)

Re:Which iPod does this affect?

[Quobobo]

All generations of iPods can be affected by this.

By the way, it seems like some batteries are more susceptible than others. My first iPod worked fine, but it was replaced on warranty for unrelated issues and the replacement's battery started to go in just a few months. You might get lucky and have a long-lasting battery, or you might get screwed.

P.S. You have a 3rd generation iPod. The second generation added a touch-sensitive scroll wheel, the third is entirely touch-sensitive.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

iPod battery problems? Not me.

[Dylan Zimmerman]

My battery works just fine. However, it seems that iPod firmware 1.3 has broken my contrast. I have to turn it all the way up to see anything under the best of lighting conditions. When I turn the backlight on, the contrast inverts or something, such that it's only usable with the contrast all the way down. I know that my screen isn't broken because after reflashing to 1.2.6 and rebooting about a dozen times, it booted with normal contrast. However, the next time I rebooted it, the contrast problem was back. Perhaps a loose connection, but when I opened my iPod, everything seemed fine. Got it for Christmas over a year ago, so no warranty for me (I was 3 days out of warranty when I first called it in), but this problem didn't start until after I put firmware 1.3 on it.

Anyone else have this problem? I heard from a bunch of 3G iPod owners that the latest firmware for them does something similar.

Anyway, although I don't have any problems with my iPod battery, I can't honestly recomend Apple's products to people anymore. If this issue isn't fixed, I'm going to have to tell people not to buy Apple hardware because they'll be left out in the cold when Apple breaks it with an update.

Re:Which iPod does this affect?

[Unregistered]

Any electric device with a rechargeable battery will be affected. The iPods are no more vulnerable than most, though.

Re:AppleCare : What about the engravings

[ack154]

From the iPod Battery Service FAQ [apple.com] on the Apple Support [apple.com] site:

Will my iPod personalization be preserved?
If your original iPod was personalized by Apple, your replacement iPod will be automatically personalized with same text. If your original iPod was custom laser engraved by another company, your replacement iPod will not be personalized.

Re:sheesh

[GlassHeart]

Buy a mp3 player, try and replace the battery and end up spending another $400 on a new ipod. Whats that, $7-800? Is that ipod still a good deal?

Apple offers to replace the out-of-warranty battery for $105.95 including shipping. You can buy your own battery for less and replace it yourself, but you assume the risk of breaking it. Apple doesn't even say that it's easy to do it yourself.

I could have bought an entire working automobile for $800.

That's right, and if you try to perform repairs on that car yourself without really knowing how to, then you'll probably have to spend another $800 on another car.

Concept of the day: your choices carry consequences.

Re:Which iPod does this affect?

[gamgee5273]

Actually, the technical assessments of the iPod's battery place the battery life anywhere from two to nine years. It all depends on how the user uses, or abuses, the iPod. I know of 5GB original iPods, used daily, that are still going strong. I know of 40GB iPods bough six months ago that are hosed because the user doesn't charge it properly, uses the backlight all the time, can't figure out how to use the hold button to stop the iPod from playing when no one is listening, etc.

As for the "sane" devices you mention: Looking at my Palm Tungsten T - there's no way to (easily) replace the battery in there, nor can the same be said about the other PDAs (Palm and Pocket PC) I see around me in my office.

Your rationale leaves something to be desired.