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Media (Apple) Businesses Media Apple

"iPod's Dirty Secret" 262

Posted by pudge from the it-lasts-eighteeen-months-and-what-do-you-get? dept.
akpoff writes "Have you ever made a promise while in tech-support hell to let everyone know how bad the product is? The Neistat brothers followed through after the batteries in an iPod died and Apple told them it would cost US$250 to replace them. The tech rep told the guys they might as well buy a new iPod. The brothers thought differently and made a movie showing how they got the word out in a large metro area. Of course it was made on a Mac with iMovie." Their statement is a bit misleading: many people have iPods that have lasted a lot longer than 18 months (the iPod was released over two years ago). But the batteries don't last forever. What is their life expectancy? Does Apple notify consumers of a life expectancy?
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"iPod's Dirty Secret" More

"iPod's Dirty Secret"

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  • Oh my gosh! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BobTheJanitor ( 114890 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @09:33PM (#7553464) Homepage
    Batteries don't last for ever and it costs money to replace them!

    Seriously, what were they expecting? When I bought my iPod, I don't remember Apple ever saying they would replace the batteries for free, and I'm sure I don't recall them saying used magical batteries that never die.

    • Re:Oh my gosh! (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jellomizer ( 103300 )
      But $250 for a battery or as some of the other post suggest $99 for a battery, a battery!. I like Apple as much as any moderate Apple fan, I have a slightly dated PowerBook G4, but yes batteries die, and it does cost money to replace them, but I think $25 is a fair price to replace an iPod battery, if this is not the case then they should redesign the iPods to use more affordable/standard rechargeable batteries.

  • They must work for SCO (Score:5, Insightful)

    by hobbestcat ( 473268 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @09:40PM (#7553519) Homepage
    Apple's iPod support page [apple.com] says you can get your battery replaced for $99 - not cheap but not $250 either.

    PDA Smart [pdasmart.com] offers $69 replacement service or a do-it-yourself kit for $59. Which Geek.com raved about [geek.com]

    If the guys can't Google [google.com], they shouldn't buy expensive toys.
    • Maybe that was Apple's response to their "feedback"... I wonder what date the brothers began spraypainting and distributing the video vs. when Apple starting shipping battery replacements?
    • I really don't want to fan a flame, but perhaps you should watch the video and read the summary closely.

      Here's how I understood it:- two brothers have certain issues with their iPod battery. They call up Apple support and ask if there's anything they can do about it, presumably because, as you mentioned, it's an expensive toy and would want to do things the Right Way (tm). Apple support says, sorry, your replacement costs US$250/-, which, obviously, pisses them off to creatively protest about it.

      I know I

      • Re:They must work for SCO (Score:5, Insightful)

        by jtrascap ( 526135 ) <bitbucket.mediaplaza@nl> on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @02:13AM (#7555523)
        I don't think it's that...

        Everyone gets a bad phone rep - these things are farmed-out, But instead of asking for a supervisor, or calling back and getting someone with a braincell, or getting his name and then writing Apple, or doing any research themselves to find out about replacing batteries and why batteries fail, they decided to go ballistic and go to war with Apple.

        They remind me of he people you see in a store, who - if they don't get what they want, right then - decide to start yelling at the tops of their voices to get a crowd. You know the types - they want what they want because the "client is king", which is always true until they start acting like one.

        I can be an Apple apologist, but I have an iPod too and if I thought I was going to get screwed, I'd complain. And I have - my iPod was 4 weeks old when one of the earbuds gave up. They sent me a new set in 3 days. The pod skipped the first song occasionally (Toshiba HD issue - known in the forums) and the screen, while it worked, didn't seem to be the bright-blue screen you see in the commercials but instead a weaker green that washed-out a bit in the sun (polarizing, I guessed). I even scuffed the screen and back a bit - it looked old.

        All this is 6 weeks after I buy one in NY and take it home to The Netherlands.

        Called them up, told them the story, got a rep who sent a box Airborne the next day. It was in for repair. Then, a week and a half later, I get a brand-new iPod with a new blue screen and un-skipping drive, just as I asked. Perfect condition, just as I expected.

        They idiots plain lie on their site. Their guerrilla tactics don't impress me because I know their tactics aren't about respect but about public embarrassment.

        They should enjoy their 10 min/MB of fame. I hope Apple sues 'em.

        • mod parent up, insightful (Score:4, Insightful)

          by Artifex ( 18308 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @05:30AM (#7556188) Journal
          Not taking the first no for the final answer, and working a bit with the company, goes a long way towards fixing most issues.

          • Re:mod parent up, insightful (Score:4, Insightful)

            by andyt ( 149701 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @07:27AM (#7556596)
            Not taking the first no for the final answer, and working a bit with the company, goes a long way towards fixing most issues.

            Yeah, but y'know so would not being given the first no by the company in the first place.

            I mean come on, what, we're all telemarketers now and have to ignore the first three times a company says "no" until we get what we want?
        • Everyone gets a bad phone rep - these things are farmed-out,

          No excuse. If they're farmed-out phone service sucks, they can either do better contract management or bring it in house. Outsourcing the function does not allow them to outsource the responsibility.

        • I guess if you mean farmed out to Apple Austin, TX than I will accept the term "farmed out."

          Having supported NeXT & Apple with NeXT's Openstep User/Developer Tools I can assure you no two representatives are the same.

          However, the level of competence at NeXT was exponentially higher, on average, than the rest of the industry.

          How so? Professional Services like Software Quality Assurance were entry points into NeXT and more importantly every door in Engineering was open at NeXT.

          If I needed an answer a
      • Apple only announced [macminute.com] their $99 battery replacement plan four days before these guys got their domain name. It's plausible that Apple's announcement was a result of the campaign waged by these guys before they were able to edit the video and get the site up.

  • And a third-party iPod battery costs... $50. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dbirchall ( 191839 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @09:41PM (#7553532) Journal
    Quite honestly, if someone insists upon Authentic Apple Parts for everything, when there are commodity parts available -- this goes especially for RAM, and now also apparently for iPod batteries -- I don't see how they've got a leg to stand on whilst griping and moaning about how unfair life is.
    • You can't compare this to ram, hard drives or any replaceable computer part. This *isn't* a PC or a Mac, it's a consumer electronics device. Opening the case of a consumer electornic device more often than not voids the warranty. Not only that, since it's not created to be opened at will by someone such as yourself, it's possible to break certain devices unless you know what you are doing.

      Would you pop open the case of your VCR and replace the damaged or worn out heads? Would you buy yourself a new DVD
      • Would you pop open the case of your VCR and replace the damaged or worn out heads?

        No, it's cheaper to get a new one, or use it as an excuse to switch to DVD.

        Would you buy yourself a new DVD tray and motor and replace it when it goes bad?

        No, that would be covered under warrantee.

        Would you replace the screen of your Palm when it gets scratched?

        Yes, wouldn't you?

        Would you replace the lense of your digital camera if it gets moisture inside?

        No, I'd probably just dry it.

        I could go on.

        Please do,
      • As you failed to note, the iPod in question was already out of warranty. Ergo, if the customer wasn't a rube and an asshole to boot, he'd crack the case and spend $50 on a replacement battery.

        As a rule, consumer electronics factory repair prices have been at or near replacement cost for all but high end gear (ie. >$2000US) for years. Consumers with enough brains to program their VCR who want to flog their gear a little longer have long been buying DIY books. As others have pointed out, Google is the frie

      • Opening the case of a consumer electornic device more often than not voids the warranty.

        Irrelevant in this case since if the iPod is under warranty Apple will fix it for you for the mailing costs.

        Would you pop open the case of your VCR and replace the damaged or worn out heads?

        Probably not because I don't have the equipment to do the alignment etc.

        You can't compare this to ram, hard drives or any replaceable computer part.

        I have seen plenty of PC's where installation of RAM requires pulling the po

  • No battery problems here (Score:5, Informative)

    by Stigmata669 ( 517894 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @09:44PM (#7553555)
    While I have heard of these issues, the battery does not die on all cases. I have a first gen ipod that I got almost two years ago and have noticed perhaps a 10% drop in charge duration. Part of this problem was addressed by a software update a few months back. My ipod had slipped to about 5 hours of battery life and jumped back up to 8-9 hours after the firmware update.

  • Idiots. (Score:5, Informative)

    by tdemark ( 512406 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @09:44PM (#7553558) Homepage
    The site was created in the last week.

    Days after Apple announced the $99 battery replacement policy.

    Months after www.ipodbattery.com [ipodbattery.com] offered $50 battery replacements.

  • Replacement battery for $49 (Score:5, Informative)

    by potuncle ( 583651 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @09:53PM (#7553666)
    Ipodbattery.com [ipodbattery.com] offers replacement batteries for $49.00. Comes with instructions and tools.

    Like anyone thought that Apple could summons the power of the Almighty and create a Lithium-ion battery that lasts forever...

  • Don't blame Apple (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The product has a one-year warranty. That means- you guessed it- Apple will back it up for one year. Want more? Lay out the $59 and buy an AppleCare Protection Plan- the service and support extends to 2-years.

    Tech Support is a business, boys and girls, not a public service. Apple has to compete with illegal abuses of monopoly power, and yet they still offer top-notch support and quality products. Don't bitch about them not doing more than they said they would.
    • There is an AppleCare plan for the iPods? I wanted to buy one for mine, but I never saw it advertised.

      Oh well. All that's happened is the remote wore out after living in my pockets, and I suppose I could replace it if I wanted to.
    • Story here on MacMinute [macminute.com], and here is the official Apple page [apple.com] on it.

      For you non link clicking types, this is MacMinute's blurb:
      21-Nov-2003

      Apple is now offering an iPod AppleCare Protection Plan for both Mac and Windows users. (Previously, AppleCare was only available for Apple's desktops and laptops.) iPods come standard with 90 days of phone support and one year of hardware service coverage. The US$59 AppleCare plan extends service and support coverage for your iPod, its included accessories, and iTunes f

  • website (Score:4, Insightful)

    by dema ( 103780 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @10:21PM (#7553905) Homepage
    Does anyone else find it amusing that they use and advertise Quicktime on a website meant to put down an Apple product?

    • Re:website (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Acidic_Diarrhea ( 641390 )
      Not really.

      What century have you been living in? Corporations have many product lines and many subsidiary companies these days. I can tell people that I think the PS2 is a great product while also laying claim to being one of the foremost experts on why the Walkman sucks. I mean, Quicktime and the iPod aren't exactly the same product, now are they?

      Amused? No.

    • You'll find that Mac users bash Apple more violently than PC users when there's something they don't like.

  • I know how they feel! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Johnathon_Dough ( 719310 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @10:29PM (#7553986)
    I just recently bought a new car and I had to put gas in it after only 350 miles! They did not warn me about THAT at the dealership.

    Maybe I had better buy a new car?

    • just recently bought a new car and I had to put gas in it after only 350 miles! They did not warn me about THAT at the dealership. Maybe I had better buy a new car?

      More like buying a car and having to replace the "gas tank" after 350 miles. They were recharging their battery after all with electricity. And I'm sure that Apple didn't advertise the fact that batteries need to be replaced after a year or so. In fact, I'm quite sure that Apple was playing up the "rechargability" as a feature.

      • Re:I know how they feel! (Score:5, Funny)

        by weave ( 48069 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @09:02AM (#7556980) Journal
        Apple's manual states that the battery is good for about 300 charges. If you charge it up daily, well, do the math.

  • Does it still work with a dead battery? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Kris_J ( 10111 ) * on Monday November 24, 2003 @11:17PM (#7554388) Homepage Journal
    If you provide an iPod with power from outside will it still run as normal even with a dead battery? If so, there are going to be some cool-looking firewire HDD arrays in the future.

    • Re:Does it still work with a dead battery? (Score:4, Informative)

      by iomud ( 241310 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @02:21PM (#7560163) Homepage Journal
      Yes. I've taken the case off my 5gig removed the battery and plugged in the firewire connector to my powermac and it spun up and functioned. I didn't try to play music through it but I assume since it synced and mounted it would play if plugged into the wall adapter.

  • I love it! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by martinX ( 672498 )

    Disclaimer: Mac user since OS7/LC III and I want an iPod once it becomes videoPod

    I think it's great. If this doesn't wake Apple up, nothing will. Seriously, how hard would it have been to design the thing with an easily replaceable battery? That's one of the things you look for when buying things like digital cameras: how much does a replacement battery cost?

    I love the iPod and I want one but here's to hoping that Gen 4 pods have easily replaceable batteries. Remember, the guys that did the vid are soli

    • Seriously, how hard would it have been to design the thing with an easily replaceable battery?

      Most rechargable devices have a little panel held in place with a screw which hides the battery. The problem is, Apple doesn't like screws, they're not "sleek" or "lickable".

      So Apple would have to design a battery cover that would glow a pleasant orange, and then pop open when you breathed on it. And that just made the iPod too expensive.

    • Re:I love it! (Score:3, Informative)

      by Jesrad ( 716567 )
      If this doesn't wake Apple up, nothing will

      Ah-hem. [apple.com]

      This was announced before this website was up.

  • This is pretty silly (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mOoZik ( 698544 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @11:40PM (#7554572) Homepage
    First of all, as many have said before me, the battery costs $99, not $250. Also, the site went up days *after* the announcement, which means they were irresponsible enough to keep it on.

    Second, batteries don't last forever. There can't be a life expectancy because that number is dependent on number of charges, hours used, length of time used, and other factors. If they said "13000 hours" and some fool's iPod went dead before that, then he'd be compelled to put it on a site like these people did, which IMO, is ridiculous.
    It is very possible their tech support guy was a moron, but they shouldn't tarnish the reputation of iPod or Apple. It's so pathetic how they always go for the most successful products and attempt to break them to pieces.

  • D'oh. (Score:5, Funny)

    by WCityMike ( 579094 ) on Monday November 24, 2003 @11:41PM (#7554580)
    1. Vandalize many Apple signs.
    2. Make video showing clearly your face and your acts of vandalism.
    3. Put audio into video that clearly reproduces call to Apple for easy identification.
    4. Put same on Internet. ...

    7. PROFIT!

  • 2 bad batteries... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by markyoshi ( 717944 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @01:00AM (#7555089)
    I don't understand why everyone is so quick to jump to Apple's defense. If you are paying $400 or more for a music player, you shouldn't have to pay another $100 every year to replace the freaking battery. I started having battery probs with my 10GB second gen. model a few weeks after i bought it. the replacement they eventually sent me (it took more than a month.) crapped out a few months later. and apparently that's all you get for $400. Two broken ipods and a years worth of headaches. If I had known the batteries would die so soon I wouldn't have bought an ipod in the first place. It was a really big financial sacrifice in the first place which i justified because music is my life and i thought i was buying the greatest device ever. But even $50 dollars is too much for me to spend right now, and i'm afraid i'll just get another bad battery. $400 is a hell of a lot of money, and it should buy you a product that works for longer than a year. I feel like I deserve a better solution.

  • Not that big a deal for some :) (Score:5, Interesting)

    by djupedal ( 584558 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @01:01AM (#7555096)
    When you race electric R/C cars on a serious level, you become quite adapt at building and servicing your own packs.

    Popping the back off my iPod and installing a fresh battery, bought off the net for less than US$75.00, is nothing... I look forward to the day :)

    • It's adept, not adapt, Einstein. (Score:4, Funny)

      by greygent ( 523713 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @01:37PM (#7570349) Homepage
      Well isn't that just dandy? I guess we should all go out and race R/C cars!!! Sounds like so much fun!! And it's so popular, I bet tons of people on my street race R/C cars!!! They could probably fix my iPod battery! Yeah!

      Oh god this is great. R/C car enthusiasts are here to save US! Joy! Bless you, R/C car enthusiasts, bless you!

      Some other "not that big a deal for some's":

      Metalworkers:
      "When you work with sheet metal on a serious level, you become quite adept at remounting your Pinto's rear bumper to the frame."

      EMTs:
      "When you work with saving lives on a serious level, you become quite adept at removing those small plastic parts from choking children's throats."

      Waitresses:
      "When you work with coffee on a serious level, you become quite adept at not dumping scalding coffee on your lap."

      Hairstylists:
      "When you work with shampoo on a serious level, you become quite adept at not eating the shampoo."

  • Defective by Design (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DDumitru ( 692803 ) <doug @ e a s y c o .com> on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @02:03AM (#7555477) Homepage
    It is not acceptible design for a device with a part that will wear out during the useful life of the device not having that part serviceable. This is as bad as the old V-8 Mustang-IIs that required the engine be dropped to replace the back two spark plugs. Even the game boy advance has a user replaceable battery (albeit behind a screw).

    While Apple might not be guilty of any crime in their handling of this, they are definately guilty of:

    o Very poor design
    o Very poor handing of the problem.

    Apple relies on very high customer satisfaction to justify their premium products. This type of incident does not bode well.
    • powerbook g4 (titanium, not the new aluminum ones), the hinges (common breakage point) and backlight are all part of the same part number... $1100 new from apple. dim screen? broken hinge? fix it? nah, it's cheaper to buy a new ibook g4.
    • This is as bad as the old V-8 Mustang-IIs that required the engine be dropped to replace the back two spark plugs.

      So, removing the back of the iPod is as complicated as removing an engine from a Mustang? I think you're being overly-dramatic here. Batteries have a finite life; always have, always will. Battery hatches can be held on with a screw, or a clip, or any other manner of things. The fact that the hatch isn't separate with the cover, hardly makes this a non-servicable part. If someone wants t
    • It is not acceptible design for a device with a part that will wear out during the useful life of the device not having that part serviceable.

      Nevertheless, this is fairly routine with products containing rechargeable batteries. The instructions for my Norelco electric razor (which probably cost as much as a low-end iPod) includes a procedure for "safe disposal" of the rechargeable batteries, and explicitly states that the batteries cannot be replaced. Many other such products have batteries that are tec

    • It is not acceptible design for a device with a part that will wear out during the useful life of the device not having that part serviceable.

      you should complain to any company that makes CRT monitors.

      This type of incident does not bode well.

      This type of incident is a flash in the pan. Smart people know how to get the part for lower than $30, and have already replaced it themselves. Apple already has a support policy for it. Newsflash! Some people not happy with some product! Film at Eleven! Get
    • Good analysis.

      If we inspect a relevant design problem - user-replaceable batteries in iBooks - we see that Apple previously engineered a nice, effective solution.

      Why hasn't it done so with the iPod?

      One obvious reason is iPod size. Looking at photos of a battery replacement in action (see http://www.ipodbattery.com/slimipodinstall.htm) it's fairly clear that the nested battery could have had a removable back cover, but for the fact that the hdd is on top of it! What a peculiar arrangement. Presumabl

    • This is as bad as the old V-8 Mustang-IIs that required the engine be dropped to replace the back two spark plugs. Even the game boy advance has a user replaceable battery (albeit behind a screw).

      There some reason you feel you always need to hit on all cylinders? Or that you can't rip a couple of holes in the firewall? ;^) There's nasty bolt in the top of my Jeep's Tremec T-150 tranny that's a real bear to get to, so I just busted a hole in the body big enough for a rachet wrench, and voila!

      Which is th

  • Mine is fine and it is from Day 1 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by azav ( 469988 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @02:04AM (#7555480) Homepage Journal
    I ordered an iPod a few hours after the first ones were announced in 2001. Still have it. Battery still works fine.

    That's a 2 year old iPod for those who are curious.

  • Bad tech support rep? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Dominic_Mazzoni ( 125164 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @05:56AM (#7556275) Homepage
    The cost for repairing an iPod is $250, however if the battery is the only problem it costs $100. So either:

    1. There was something wrong with the iPod other than the battery (maybe it fell our of their pocket one too many times?)

    2. Or, the tech support rep from Apple goofed and forgot that battery service is cheaper. Heck, not all of the Apple tech support reps can be stellar. If you don't like what you hear, call back.

  • Other products ... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Midnight Thunder ( 17205 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @10:25AM (#7557608) Homepage Journal
    The iPod is not the only device to use built in rechargeable batteries. Other examples of such devices are cell phones and Palm PDAs. Cell phones usually have easy access to the batteries, but the high end Palm PDAs don't. Does anyone know in comparison how easy it is to change these batteries, how much they cost and what is their life span?

    I think the issue may need to be making people aware of the lifespan of 'integrated' rechargeable batteries, no matter the product.
  • I saw the solution to this months ago when researching my purchase of a ipod... ya know this is something that you do when you spend hundreds of dollars on something... I mean come on, I saw the ipod for sale and saw that there was no option for buying a battery... so i did a google search and ta da... http://www.ipodbattery.com these guys should have spend as much time typing "replacement ipod battery" in google as they did carving out those stupid letters in their graffiti templete... an Idiot is born e

  • iPod Lifespan (Score:3, Informative)

    by Rufosx ( 693184 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @11:01AM (#7557982)
    I got a 5 GB the day they were announced (well, I ordered it that day). Never had a battery problem with it, and it continues to play just fine as my backup iPod. However, the FireWire chip in it fried when I connected it to my Mac back in March. I pulled it apart and checked everything and verified that the chip was the culprit. It still works, it just will never sync again.

    I bought a 15 GB to replace it, but paid more than I needed to just to get it at Best Buy and get the $40 extended warranty. I NEVER buy extended warranties, but in this case, Best Buy is crazy - for $40, I guarantee the life of my iPod to 3 years. iPods are great, but I would never put their average lifespan as that long.

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @04:14PM (#7561468)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Post from Mac/ (Score:4, Insightful)

    by SavoWood ( 650474 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @04:48PM (#7561810) Homepage
    So basically, if I go out and buy a new portable CD player, a pair of AA batteries to go with it, and start feeding it CDs for me to listen to, I should expect to get more than 18 months out of the batteries? If that's the case, then we all need to be suing the Energizer, and Duracell makers.

    I typically listen to my iPod for about 6-8 hours a day. I charge it up every two days. I've had it for almost a year now. The battery is fine for me. But of course, being an audio engineer, I don't listen at earsplitting levels so my battery isn't used up by driving the output amplifier.

    Let's do a little basic math here. I spend $3 on some batteries...long life Duracell or Energizer. I go through a pair in two days at my usual listening rate of 6-8 hours per day. So that's $1.50 a day in batteries. In a month, I've spent $30 (an average of 20 work days a month, at $1.50 per day). In a year, I will spend $360 in batteries. If you stretch that out to the 18 months the guy is complaining about, you end up spending $540.

    So, in 18 months, he can spend $540 on batteries, or $499 on a new iPod and $41 on music from the iTMS.

    Or, he could spend $499 on a new iPod, and in 18 months, for only an additional $10 investment, get a new battery. So he now spends $550 and get's an iPod for 36 months.

    This is utter silliness.

  • Not that one. (Score:3, Funny)

    by blackmonday ( 607916 ) * on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @05:08PM (#7562026) Homepage
    I know the iPod's other dirty little secret. Sometimes people do things with their hands, then touch the iPod without washing themselves. I guess you could call those people "Palm Pilots".

  • For your information only. (Score:3, Informative)

    by ITR81 ( 727140 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @08:20PM (#7563994)
    Apple has recently started selling iPods through Target, CompUSA, Best Buy and Circuit City and all 3 offer insurance that basically replaces your iPod with a new one if issues happen to it. Most are offering 3yrs for $30.00 approx. and 4yrs for $40.00 approx. Also Apple now offers AppleCare for all new iPods and for iPods under a yr old like mine. This is 2yr deal from the the date you bought your iPod. This includes tech support which now has tips to help improve your battery charges. The price is $59.00 or $46.00 with edu. discount. Apple has also a battery replacement program for $99.00 for users with original iPods or iPods out of warranty. There is also many 3rd party battery service now available to iPod users that either gives them DIY kit or they actually do all the work for you type service. Most places are charging between $25-50 dollars range depending on what you get. So stop complaining and use one of the above services. Also if you don't want to mess with any of it get creative and make nice firewire external HD out of it. I currently have 40GB iPod and had no problems with it at all. I plan on buying the new vPod as soon as it comes out next yr.

  • strange reminder (Score:2, Informative)

    by ack154 ( 591432 )
    A little while ago (11/11) I was reading a blog of some girl who lives in NYC and she had these pictures [rachelleb.com] of where someone had spray painted over tons and tons of iPod ads in NYC.

    I thought nothing of it, seeing as how I could understand how some stupid people could take something the wrong way and do something stupid about it. Now... there's a slashdot article and a little movie about it...

  • Apple Support (Score:3, Insightful)

    by customjake ( 662717 ) on Tuesday November 25, 2003 @11:28PM (#7565423)
    I am almost ashamed to call myself an iPod user. First there was yelling about how the older iPods didn't get the features from software v3.x. Boo Hoo Hoo.

    Now they're complaining that the battery doesn't last forever. I find it amazing that after Li-ION batteries have been out for years that people don't understand that these things don't last forever.

    When i purchased my Powerbook G4, i was told by the reseller that i would go through about a battery every year. I opted for the Applecare and they have given me a new battery every year. My first battery dropped to about 50% life after a year and now i'm on number 2. While this isn't great, it's certainly better than my fathers Dell laptop that has about 20mins of life after about 1 year. For those of you who don't understand why Apple will not repair things like powersupplies, it's because it would cost more to fix one, than buying a new one.

    As for batteries, has anyone looked the market full of portable electronics lately. A large share of PDAs do not have replacable batteries. Once your Clio battery dies, you have a $200 paperweight.

    Unfortunately, i have yet to find a battery that lasts forever. You have to change the battery in your car every 3-5 years, and it's only really used to start the car. PDA, Laptops, Cellphones, none of these devices have batteries that last more than a couple years, yet it is the iPod that gets complained about.

    People need to realize that every device has a "cost of ownership." With most devices this consists of purchase cost, maintanence costs, repair costs and so on. Having a battery fail in a device after 18 months is not out of the ordinary, especially with heavy use. You have to change the oil in your car, rotate the tires, and tune it up every 60,000 miles, yet none of these things anger people as much as the battery failing in the ipod.

    Just sit down, shut up, and stop blaming Apple for the simple fact that their hardware makes it through the warrenty period without issue.

  • Product Safety (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Detritus ( 11846 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @07:08AM (#7567155) Homepage
    I believe there are some relevant issues with lithium batteries and product safety. If the iPod is only designed to work safely and reliably with Apple specified and tested batteries, they may want to prevent end-users from mucking with the battery. Nokia has been blamed for catastrophic battery failures that were caused by sub-standard counterfeit battery packs. Apple may have decided that making it a user-replaceable part wasn't worth the risk. Plus, it avoids the added cost and reliability issues of a case with a user-accessible battery compartment.

  • These guys are wrong but... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by thatguywhoiam ( 524290 ) on Wednesday November 26, 2003 @12:57PM (#7569881)
    ... the point stands that the iPod could use a detachable battery.

    I don't think these guys had all the info, or were possibly led astray by the Apple rep. But really, as big an issue as this has become, Apple would do well to offer a 4G iPod with an external battery pack. I mean, c'mon, Ives and crew are more than up to it. If the design was more or less exactly like the PowerBook design is, it would make no difference at all to daily use (i.e. battery flush with the body, like a cell phone).

    In fact one of the unexpected bonuses to this kind of design I've observed, on my T68i, is that if I drop it the phone has tended to land on one of the bottom corners, or scrape the back - which is the battery itself. I can remove the cosmetic damage to the phone by changing that battery.

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