From the article: iPod Battery Replacement
A long-lived iPod will almost inevitably need to have its battery replaced at some point. But you've got a lot of options: Apple can do it, you can hire a repair company, or you can do it yourself. If you've dealt with iPod battery replacement, share your experience here. Did you do it yourself and regret it? Did you pay a repair company too much? Help other readers learn from your experience. Share Your Experiences
Actually yes
- Uhh, I have opened these $300 cases and replaced these batteries with $5 batteries. They are the same tiny phoenix/molex/ who knows 3-pin connector also found in some cordless phone battery. SO YES, put a battery cover with some screws on the back. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot with too much money. What other battery-driven device treats its user like this?
- —Guest A regular person
Not long enough
- My battery only lasted me 16 months with what I'd say is medium use. >.
- —Guest Caleb
actually no, you are wrong
- nice try. however, you do not mention the small fact that the devices can not be turned off. they can only be put into "sleep" mode. which in case you missed it, is not a small fact.
- —Guest wally
I'm the kind of guy who'd rather fix it
- Help me please. I'm no good at fixing things. The battery on my iPod 6th gen classic 80GB died and I went on eBay and bought a new battery and tools. Tried to fix it and I broke the little prongs holding the bottom right connector in place. I take it this means I need a whole new motherboard? Would it be worth it for me to send it in to you guys to fix? I could just as easily buy a refurbished one for $150, but I'm the kind of guy who'd rather fix this and maybe give it away someday.
- —Guest fnQkfIaJtRN
Apple do not play well with others.
- IMHO, technology moves on so fast that many of us like to upgrade after every few years. However, a 3-year battery life seems ridiculously short. And making it darned nearly non-user-replaceable is unacceptable. I have loads of items that need replacement batteries (flashlights, radios, etc. etc.) and I can replace the batteries easily. It upsets me to have to bin a very expensive piece of kit like an iPod just because battery replacement is such a pain. My answer - go lower-end technology without all of the bells and whistles that cost us so much. No more Apple stuff for me. I have learned my lesson! Cheaper, more reliable, user-servicable devices for me. AND I like to use open source stuff and dislike being shackled like a slave to Apple's expensive IStore.
- —Upsetagain
Nice, Informative Article
- I have to disagree with everything posted above me, just to make a point. I believe the purpose of this article was to teach people like me, who are new to the world of iPods or Apple products, what options are availble when my battery gets old. This article has answered my question. The reason a user-replaceable battery is preferable is because we don't want to have to pay $50-$80 to have a repairman do it for us, we can do it ourselves for merely the cost of the battery. But having a difficult-to-open case makes that all but impossible for most of us. Thanks for the great article.
- —Guest Ugh
Longer battery life is your answer?
- What a total line of crap! There is no such thing as a forever battery. There never will be a forever battery that a tech company would use in their dinky tech product that the consumer could afford to purchase. Apple does not use these batteries specifically to keep their iPhone or iPad smaller. Its a marketing scheme, which makes the iPad, and all other battery powered tech products, the Real Slim Shady. Apple, and all other tech product manufacturers, don't want you to use that iPad for 10 years, which is why the battery will never last 10 years in an iPad that is used even modestly. They want you to buy a new iPad in 3 years or less. Which is why most all tech products are not supported after a few years. The ONLY reason they get away with it is the gluttonous consumer. You the consumer has been conditioned in a way that ensures you will keep buying expensive tech products, and toss them in 2-3 years. That new iPad you just bought, for as little as $500, is meant to become a paper weight.
- —Guest Really?
Actually... what are you talking about ?
- Industrial designer, unless the author changed the article to which you were commenting, I'm not sure what your response is supposed to do for the reader. It is irrelevant that the battery technology now lasts for weeks vs hours. The general battery problem still persists: over years, rechargeable batteries lose their ability to hold a charge and the usable battery life gets shorter and shorter. We expect ipods to operate on a single full charge for some significant time now, especially if in standby much of the time. Old ipods, mine is 5 years old for example, still work perfectly well for their purpose: listening to music, but the 5 year old battery doesn't hold a charge well. The issue is NOT that I'd have to recharge it during the day.. the issue is I have to recharge it at least weekly when it mostly sits in my gym bag but for four 30minute listening sessions. A new battery is quite desirable in a rechargeable device.. and the design of the ipod not allowing the opening of the device without prying it is a bad design choice. It would be OK for a $20 device, but not for a $250+ device when a new battery can be had for less than $10.
- —Guest An electrical engineer
Actually no
- The reasoning behind apple having non user replacable batteries are many however none of which you listed. This shows how uninformed you are. If you would have gone to the design sections of the apple site you would see why. Many of the reasons have to do with battery design and capacity for space constraints. The rest have to do with the fact that battery life has increased to the point where having a user replacable battery makes no sense as the real reasons for having replacable batteries in computing devices is that if a battery only lasted an hr in 1992 computing terms we would need to be able to swap the battery 7 more times to complete an 8 hr workday on the go. This is simply not the case anymore. Please inform yourself properly before making sceptical claims and contributing to the FUD. I expect better of about.com as I have read some great, well informed articles here. This however is not one of those.
- —Guest An industrial designer
