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They exist already. For example, the RazorBook. They run Wince... I mean Win CE.

40 hours seems quite plausible. If you figure an iPhone battery has a capacity of about 5.18 Watt hours (1400 mAh * 3.7V) according to ipodbatteryfaq.com and it handles computation at blast for several hours on a charge, ignoring the extra power for a larger screen for the moment, if it had a battery the size of a MacBook (62.4 Watt hours according to System Profiler's battery stats on mine), it would last on the order of 60 hours on a charge even running at full tilt. Doing lighter work, I could easily see that extended by as much as a factor of three. So when you factor in the bigger display, yeah, I could see 40 hours being possible, assuming good power management. And that is definitely a machine I would buy in an instant. I think 20 hours is probably more realistic given the size constraints of a netbook, though.

That said, the battery life on the RazorBook is reportedly only on the order of 4 hours. Given that the CPU is comparable in its power consumption, this tells me that either the screen backlight is an unholy pig or Win CE power management is absolutely terrible. Neither would be much of a surprise. No idea how the Linux version of the RazorBook does on power.

If it conks out in 6 months it should be covered by warranty.

Says so right here and would, in any case, be an implied consumer right under many 'fitness for purpose' consumer protection regimes.

Well, there's one thing you didn't take into consideration (not a surprise, it only bites in the long run): battery. How I love when gadgets have the battery built-in, so you have no chance to replace it yourself.

This faq can be useful if anyone is suckered into buying an iPhone.

But let's not even talk about that. Let's not even talk about the horrid spelling, grammar, and general rambling idiocy of the lawsuit. Let's not even consider that these questions have been asked and answered[1] for years with the iPod. Let's actually focus on the actual issues at hand.

The iPhone doesn't have a user-replaceable battery, but it is replaceable. This is the same as all iPods for the last several years. And no, the iPhone isn't the first of these devices to have a battery that is soldered. Various iPod models have already had soldered batteries. Also, the battery replacement information was available the day the iPhone shipped. So, nothing new here.

As to the "difficulty" of finding the information on Apple's site:

Main iPhone support page -> Battery Service: FAQ and iPhone Service: FAQ

and

Apple Batteries -> Apple iPhone Batteries

Wow. Difficult.

Additionally, asking any Apple retail store, customer service representative, dealer, authorized service provider, etc., will yield a direct and immediate answer about battery replacement.

It's also utterly and ridiculously false to say that a new battery is required every year. All lithium ion batteries have about the same lifetime. The iPhone's lithium ion battery is no different. Most people will not need, or feel they need, to replace the battery in the lifetime of the phone (i.e., while they own and are using it). The "400 charges" thing isn't any 400 charges; partial charges are just that: partial. This lithium ion battery is no different from any other.

Also, the battery is covered by the warranty, and if you choose to extend the warranty to two years with the $69 AppleCare Protection Plan for iPhone, the battery is covered under that as well. There are even already third party replacement options. As with iPod, more are sure to come.

The customer also doesn't have to be without a phone for several days, and claiming that they do because there is a fee for a loaner is ridiculous. Just pretend that the battery replacement costs $29 more, then. You are not without a phone at all: you swap SIMs, sync once with iTunes, and it will literally look, act, feel, and behave like your phone, with your phone number and all of your data. Seeing how Apple has done such programs in the past, the loaner phone will probably be a new service phone or a factory-refurbished phone in a brand new enclosure (so it looks physically brand new). The total price is almost the same as the official iPod battery replacement plan was for years. If you choose to not have a phone in the meantime, that's your choice.

A recent New York Times article by Joe Nocera sums it up best:

I'm convinced the answer is that the chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, and Apple's design chief, Jonathan Ive, are design snobs, who care more about form than function. Larry Keeley, the president of the design firm Doblin Inc., wrote me an e-mail message after he'd seen the innards of the iPhone, which several Web sites have now published. The battery, he told me, lacks the normal metal jacket, making it ''thinner and lighter, while also making it more difficult for consumers to handle or dispose of.'' He added: ''This is clear evidence that they are optimizing the INSIDES of the phone to the OUTSIDE form factor that they have designed. It is far more common and much cheaper to design the oth

If you bought an iPhone without being familiar with Apple, and without doing preliminary research, and can't accept this battery replacement policy, you need to understand something: it's entirely your fault. No one forced you to buy the iPhone. Anyone that plops down $670 for a product without doing preliminary research on the company deserves what they get.

For instance, searching for "apple battery life" on google, gives this as the first non-apple result: iPod and iPhone Battery FAQ. This site was updated with information the day of the launch of the iPhone.

Personally, my iPhone keeps on growing on me every day. I feel that it's going to just get better over time. If I hadn't bought one, I would definitely get one of the 2nd gens and I may upgrade to that anyway, and sell my used one on ebay or give it to my sister.

- iPhone DOES have a user-accessible SIM tray.

- Since one would presume the iPod functionality of the device still needs to work when the contract expires, there is probably going to be a fairly easy hack/workaround to use only the iPod functionality (e.g., perhaps just a file sitting somewhere, a la .AppleSetupDone).

- It will be interesting to see whether AT&T will unlock the phone on request, as they do for other GSM phones (for international travel and prepaid SIMs), and if that is the case, how well other carriers' networks work with iPhone (obviously sans things like Visual Voicemail).

- Still no word on battery replacement specifics, but it seems safe to assume that iPhone is the same as iPod in this respect; namely, that it is sealed and that the battery isn't "user accessible", but that there will still be plenty of ways to replace the battery yourself or via third parties if you so choose (battery failure under warranty would be covered by the warranty). I'm going to be tracking this issue here.

- Still no word on insurance or AppleCare, but since all iPods have AppleCare options ($59 for two years), iPhone probably will as well.

- Two more days to determine this for certain, but it appears that if only the iPod/syncing functionality (or first time setup, anyway) is what is tied with iTunes activation, WiFi via the browser will probably work fine as-is without a contract. Note: it is not certain that this is the case, but it seems likely. (Just a point of information; not stating this as inconrtovertible fact. The only way this might not be the case is if the entire phone is just locked until activated, which seems unlikely.)

- Also remains to be seen how "hackable" the phone is in general. Here's to hoping.

- iPhone DOES have a user-accessible SIM tray.

- Since one would presume the iPod functionality of the device still needs to work when the contract expires, there is probably going to be a fairly easy hack/workaround to use only the iPod functionality (e.g., perhaps just a file sitting somewhere, a la .AppleSetupDone).

- It will be interesting to see whether AT&T will unlock the phone on request, as they do for other GSM phones (for international travel and prepaid SIMs), and if that is the case, how well other carriers' networks work with iPhone (obviously sans things like Visual Voicemail).

- Still no word on battery replacement specifics, but it seems safe to assume that iPhone is the same as iPod in this respect; namely, that it is sealed and that the battery isn't "user accessible", but that there will still be plenty of ways to replace the battery yourself or via third parties if you so choose (battery failure under warranty would be covered by the warranty). I'm going to be tracking this issue here.

- Still no word on insurance or AppleCare, but since all iPods have AppleCare options ($59 for two years), iPhone probably will as well.

- Two more days to determine this for certain, but it appears that if only the iPod/syncing functionality (or first time setup, anyway) is what is tied with iTunes activation, WiFi via the browser will probably work fine as-is without a contract. Note: it is not certain that this is the case, but it seems likely. (Just a point of information; not stating this as inconrtovertible fact. The only way this might not be the case is if the entire phone is just locked until activated, which seems unlikely.)

- Also remains to be seen how "hackable" the phone is in general. Here's to hoping.

- iPhone DOES have a user-accessible SIM tray.

- Since one would presume the iPod functionality of the device still needs to work when the contract expires, there is probably going to be a fairly easy hack/workaround to use only the iPod functionality (e.g., perhaps just a file sitting somewhere, a la .AppleSetupDone).

- It will be interesting to see whether AT&T will unlock the phone on request, as they do for other GSM phones (for international travel and prepaid SIMs), and if that is the case, how well other carriers' networks work with iPhone (obviously sans things like Visual Voicemail).

- Still no word on battery replacement specifics, but it seems safe to assume that iPhone is the same as iPod in this respect; namely, that it is sealed and that the battery isn't "user accessible", but that there will still be plenty of ways to replace the battery yourself or via third parties if you so choose (battery failure under warranty would be covered by the warranty). I'm going to be tracking this issue here.

- Still no word on insurance or AppleCare, but since all iPods have AppleCare options ($59 for two years), iPhone probably will as well.

- Two more days to determine this for certain, but it appears that if only the iPod/syncing functionality (or first time setup, anyway) is what is tied with iTunes activation, WiFi via the browser will probably work fine as-is without a contract. Note: it is not certain that this is the case, but it seems likely. (Just a point of information; not stating this as inconrtovertible fact. The only way this might not be the case is if the entire phone is just locked until activated, which seems unlikely.)

- Also remains to be seen how "hackable" the phone is in general. Here's to hoping.

While there are some people for whom a non-changeable-on-the-fly battery would be a deal-breaker, there are many, many others for whom that does not matter at all.

For example, my wife and I both have Treos we use pretty heavily, and neither of us have ever had a need or desire to change the battery on-the-fly, nor have we gotten new batteries even after a couple of years. Our usage patterns mean that not changing the battery midday works perfectly fine for us. And by the time we'd even need to replace the battery for degradation reasons, we'll both have new phones.

Others will always carry spare batteries with them, and know in advance they need or want this capability on iPhone. For those, iPhone is obviously not appropriate. Thankfully, no one is forcing them to buy one!

There will also be a third group of people: those who think they need to be able to change the battery routinely, but actually don't, and never even have on any phone they've owned. Some people who currently have smartphone/PDA class devices who have never changed batteries will be in this group. We'll call this the "FUD" or "iPod's Dirty Secret" group.

Actually, I think the biggest problem with the battery isn't that it's not quickly user-accessible; it's going to ultimately be whether or not Apple requires the phone to be sent in to have its battery replaced. Personally, I would hope they would be replaceable on-demand while you wait at any Apple or AT&T/Cingular corporate store. Sending your phone in for a week if and when you need a new battery won't fly.

On the other hand, Apple is also operating under the presumption that many people will want to - and in fact do - replace their phones when the subsidy contract period is up. Therefore, the number of people who actually do need a battery replacement while the device is in service as a phone (as opposed to keeping it as an iPod) will be small. There will also no doubt be numerous third-party and do-it-yourself solutions, likely including higher capacity batteries as they become available, just as there are with iPod. However, I still admit I was very surprised that Apple went the way of the iPod with the iPhone, in terms of the battery setup.

In any case, all of the power accessories for iPod already work with iPhone, and there will be large groups of customers - indeed, the vast majority - who won't be affected by not being able to replace the battery on the fly. Now, I can see some people saying "what if I want to watch my hour of TV on the train ride to work, and then again on the way home, and listen to music all day, and make four hours of voice calls" and such, but I think the answer is that the battery life will work for some people, and for others it won't. Still others will realize that they have power outlets or USB ports or cigarette lighters around them all day long, and having to use them for iPhone is just, well, the tradeoff of wanting an iPhone (if they're in fact in the group who exhausts the battery every day).

I'm tracking iPhone battery issues here as they develop. Disclaimer: that is my site, and it does have Google AdSense. As was the case with iPod, I really don't think it will be a big deal for iPhone, save for a vocal minority. I wonder how long we'll have to wait for an iPhone's Dirty Secret movie that intentionally misrepresents the situation?

'The iPod is far and away the most popular tech gadget with our panellists - however, for the first time we are hearing negative feedback about the iPod from some panellists,' said the organisation's spokeswoman, Carla Avruch. 'Panellists cite that the batteries are not replaceable, so when they die the entire player must be replaced,' she said. 'We have heard from some conspiracy theorists that the batteries are made to die soon after the warranty ends.

I can't believe this is rearing its head again.

1. The batteries are replaceable, both by Apple and numerous third parties for as little as $25. Apple's replacement is $60. Yes, Apple's replacement is not self-service, but the cost of an OEM battery, even if it was "user-replaceable" (which it actually still is) could still be in that ballpark, as evidenced by OEM battery prices compared to high-quality third party replacements on nearly EVERY DEVICE UNDER THE SUN that uses lithium ion batteries.

2. The batteries are made by leading battery OEMs. How on earth could they be "designed" to last only until the warranty runs out? I know they acknowledge it as a conspiracy theory, but *come on*.

Not to mention how many other devices in the iPod's class also have had batteries sealed in the enclosure. The difference with the iPod, as compared to some of the other products, is that you actually CAN get the battery replaced, direct from Apple, not to mention from any of many, many third party reputable vendors.

Some of the third parties even do the replacement for you overnight, some with higher capacity batteries than the OEM equipment, and for cheaper than Apple's own official replacement.

This battery crap has been so thoroughly debunked it's unbelievable. I have answered nearly every question I can think of about iPod batteries here:

http://ipodbatteryfaq.com/index-noads.html

Please note that this is my site, and the main index page DOES feature Google ads. The above link DOES NOT contain ads. I have nothing to do with Apple and have never worked for Apple, nor do I sell iPods, anything iPod related, or anything having to do with batteries. I do not receive money or products from anyone related to Apple or any iPod accessory maker. The only ads on the site (which are NOT on the above URL) are via Google. If you find anything inaccurate in that FAQ, which has stood for almost 4 years, please let me know as soon as possible. In fact, I challenge someone to find something inaccurate about the FAQ.

(If you think you're going to say some witty remark about bad PR forcing Apple's hand, or iPod's Dirty Secret, or some other tripe, please read the FAQ first.)

In sum:

The batteries in ALL models of iPod are replaceable, both by Apple, or via several third parties for as little as $25. Third parties offer do-it-yourself kits, and some will also do the replacement for you. The warranty on the iPod is one year, it DOES cover the batteries, and can be extended to two years for $60. Many first generation iPods are still in use with their original batteries. ALL lithium ion batteries have a finite lifetime. The case isn't sealed for "planned obsolescence" or failure; it's because any mechanisms to allow acceptable user-access to batteries would significantly increase the size of the case. Yes, significantly. Even if it's a millimeter, that can be a killer for a device whose thickness is *measured* in millimeters. No, it can't just use screws and doors: the decision was made such that the device would have the sleek design and appearance that makes it so attractive in the first place. And even if you believe that it still was a conspiracy to get people to buy new iPods when the batteries wore out, even if that were the case, the batteries are replaceable via numerous channels, including Apple itself, for anywhere from $25 to $60. They don't last any shorter or longer than any other high-quality lithium ion batteries out there.

I can't *believe* t

Oh well, in this case...

http://ipodbatteryfaq.com/

What a hassle. So my never-dropped iPod is going to be replaced with "refurbished" guts with who knows what history. Then I pay for shipping and handling. Then I have to be able to back up my music before my iPod dies so I can reload it again (assuming I CAN reload my music on the "refurbished" guts I get back). And, this program used to cost $99 for the battery, it has been reduced to "only" $59.

By comparison, I can pick up a name brand or generic battery for my cell phone anywhere I want to, and just snap it in.

So don't use Apple's replacement service, then. Get any number of third-party batteries, some of which are name brand, some of which are generic, and many of which are even better than Apple's batteries themselves. These can be gotten for as low as $25. So every couple of years you take 5 minutes to replace your battery instead of 5 seconds? So what?

Also, you make "refurbished" sound a little bit worse than it is. First of all, all of the electronics and disk/disk surface are checked over and tested. Second, everything is mounted in a brand new enclosure, so that the iPod physically looks and appears to be brand new. And lastly, that replacement iPod has a warranty of its own. Of course, no one makes you use that option, as you can replace your own battery in your own iPod yourself, or have any number of non-Apple entities do this for you in your own iPod. Again, this only happens every 2-4 years or so, depending on your usage cycle and style, so is it really that big of a deal?

That's the tradeoff for the iPod having no access mechanisms, doors, or screws, giving it the sleek appearance everyone apparently likes so much. (And even if they did screws and not doors, Apple would still have to follow regulatory guidelines for segregating the battery from the rest of the electronics and innards, which would significantly increase the units size. And even a millimeter is significant for an iPod.)

Saying that iPod batteries (or anything else about the iPod) last "one year" is complete and total bullshit. Hell, the warranty is one year. And you can extend it to two years for $59 (or get a third party service plan), and yes, all of those cover the battery.

They're lithium ion batteries just like any other lithium ion battery, so why not recommend people not buy anything else with lithium ion batteries in it in the UK? There's nothing worse about, or wrong with, the lithium ion batteries Apple uses in the iPod. They come from the likes of Sony, Sanyo, and other leading lithium ion battery manufacturers. The original iPod batteries were stock, pre-existing Sony batteries and weren't even built to Apple specifications

And before anyone says the battery is "sealed inside", so what? Let's say you buy a Nokia phone, and the Nokia-branded battery replacement is $60. Well, Apple will replace your iPod battery with the Apple-branded battery replacement (actually, by giving you a new or factory-refurbished-in-a-brand-new-enclosure iPod with its own warranty) for $60. Or, you can get a replacement battery that's even higher capacity than Apple's for $25 from any of dozens of outfits selling iPod batteries and replace it yourself in about 5-10 minutes.

For the truth, see iPod Battery FAQ. Disclaimer: iPod Battery FAQ is my site. It does have Google Adsense on it, but I don't sell anything. So if you think this is some "trick" to get people to visit it, by all means, don't click an ad. I believe I have covered the iPod battery issue extensively, and extensively disproven the crap. I challenge anyone to find anything incorrect on the site.

Saying that iPod batteries (or anything else about the iPod) last "one year" is complete and total bullshit. Hell, the warranty is one year. And you can extend it to two years for $59 (or get a third party service plan), and yes, all of those cover the battery.

They're lithium ion batteries just like any other lithium ion battery, so why not recommend people not buy anything else with lithium ion batteries in it in the UK? There's nothing worse about, or wrong with, the lithium ion batteries Apple uses in the iPod. They come from the likes of Sony, Sanyo, and other leading lithium ion battery manufacturers. The original iPod batteries were stock, pre-existing Sony batteries and weren't even built to Apple specifications

And before anyone says the battery is "sealed inside", so what? Let's say you buy a Nokia phone, and the Nokia-branded battery replacement is $60. Well, Apple will replace your iPod battery with the Apple-branded battery replacement (actually, by giving you a new or factory-refurbished-in-a-brand-new-enclosure iPod with its own warranty) for $60. Or, you can get a replacement battery that's even higher capacity than Apple's for $25 from any of dozens of outfits selling iPod batteries and replace it yourself in about 5-10 minutes.

For the truth, see iPod Battery FAQ. Disclaimer: iPod Battery FAQ is my site. It does have Google Adsense on it, but I don't sell anything. So if you think this is some "trick" to get people to visit it, by all means, don't click an ad. I believe I have covered the iPod battery issue extensively, and extensively disproven the crap. I challenge anyone to find anything incorrect on the site.

Yes you can buy a replacement:

http://www.ipodbatteryfaq.com/#2

Cute try, but you haven't seemed to figure out the difference between marketing specs and actual tests. Yes, marketing says they should last about 500 cycles so heavy users should generally get about 2-3 years out of them. (Obviously some people will get more.) But the reality is that many people have much less actual time with them and have even sued over it.

As for the total hours, sure some people can get up to 12 hours (often only in the first year) on the generation 4 and 5, but if you read some of the above you'll see some as low as 4-5 hours, and often 8 hours is a typical normal accomplishment. You'll even notice some of the above links report the iPod mini is supposed to get 12 hours but testing suggests it only gets about 7 hours.

We can argue about actual numbers and conditions like crazy, but the point is that real people are getting less than the marketing suggests and a good number have general battery problems.

As far as replacement, yes, you can crack it open yourself using 3rd party battery sources, but a proper battery replacement (they aren't made to be opened) costs $99 from Apple (see above link).

Even more importantly, the actual dollar and length of life is not really the main issue. The point is that iPods have battery problems. It's easy to find all over the internet. While this isn't a big problem with some people, it certainly means that not only "dumbfucks" (as the grandparent post said) have objections to the iPods and there are legitimate reasons to believe that they aren't the best.

According to the CNET review it get's 16 hours of playback. Which is over twice that of the iPod. That's twice as long with a color screen then the iPod with your 'monocrome' screen.

with some of the issues with ipod's batteries that could be worth quite a chunk of change!

For a company that puts so much emphasis on portable devices, Apple certainly has a lot of problems with batteries.

It costs $29-$49 to replace

More here and here.

Obligatory link to remind moderators why this isn't +1, Funny, but instead -1, False.

Here is an obligatory link to remind the moderators why this isn't +1, Funny.

For the inevitable ridiculous battery questions:

iPod Battery FAQ

THERE IS NO BATTERY PROBLEM

Okay, here's the list of benefits for an iPod (correct me on what I miss):

- Lots of music in one place, at your fingertips
- "Mix" on the fly
- Use it as a portable hard disk
- Some PDA functionality
- Good battery life
- Not much skipping
- Fast file transfer on a new PC
- Files can be transferred on anything with USB or Firewire
- iTunes compatible

And the list of non-plusses:

- If charged daily, $99 yearly battery replacement fee
- Battery replacement takes longer than one day.
- Storace space cannot be increased through standard methods.
- When the battery goes flat, you have to charge it.
- Also, when the battery is flat, the units data contents are not-transferrable
- Cannot use iPod's music (or data) with anything that doesn't have a USB or Firewire port.
- High initial MSRP cost.
- Cannot play music bought at record store without intermediate steps
- Cannot play your friend's CDs without intermediate steps
- Data format not car stereo compatible

Benefits of a CD/MP3 player:

- Low initial MSRP cost.
- Infinite storage space
- Can mix data and music
- Can reload with fresh batteries if ones in unit die
- Fresh batteries are available anywhere, anytime and take under 10 seconds to replace
- Choice of rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries
- Files can be transferred to anything with a CD player
- Fast file transfer with any age of computer
- Does not require batteries to transfer data
- Can play back music on many DVD players
- iTunes compatible (if using recoded CD)
- Can play music bought at record store instantly
- Can play your Friend's CDs instantly
- Data format car stereo compatible

Lowlights of a CD/MP3 player:

- Cannot remix between discs
- Requires charging more often when using rechargeable batteries
- Bulky
- Not compatible with anything lacking a DVD or CD-ROM.
- Lacks PDA capabilities
- Older units had skipping problems
- Slow seek times

As you can see, there's strong points on both sides of the debate. As you can imagine, being a car stereo owner, I have a CD/MP3 player.

For anyone interested in the truth on the iPod battery situation overall, see:

http://ipodbatteryfaq.com/

Some brief notes:

- There is nothing "wrong" with the battery in the iPod...it's just a lithium ion battery like any other lithium ion battery, and a wide variety of factors affect the battery life, both per charge, and overall.

- The reason the iPod/battery issue is getting so much attention isn't because there is anything to it, but because the iPod is the most popular portable music player by far. Note: I'm not saying that people haven't had issues with the batteries, but these aren't specific to iPod; they'll happen with ANY device with lithium ion batteries. The only difference is that iPod uses a battery sealed inside of the enclosure...which brings me to:

- People act as if Apple is alone using an integrated battery. Well, I've got news for you: they're not. In fact, anyone who makes a portable music player that is anywhere CLOSE to the iPod in terms of size also uses - you guessed it - an integrated, non-user-replaceable battery. This includes: Dell DJ, Gateway DMP Series, Samsung YP-910GS (Napster), iRiver iHP Series, and Rio Karma. And guess what else? NONE of them (at this time), with the exception of the iPod, have a manufacturer-provided way of replacing the battery outside of warranty.

- The Neistat Brothers' issue wasn't that the battery died per se, it's that Apple had no reasonable response to the issue (the response was basically either pay $250 flat rate repair fee, or buy a new iPod). However, Apple already had an official battery replacement program in the works...it just wasn't ready when Casey Neistat first contacted Apple. In the interim - BEFORE the iPod's Dirty Secret video was released - the battery replacement program became available. The release of the battery replacement program had NOTHING to do with the Neistat brothers' video. People will try to claim that it did, or that Apple somehow "got wind" of the fact that they were going to release the video, or that it was being forwarded around via email before it got released on the web and that Apple "found out" about it, and a bunch of other ridiculous stories, but the cold, hard truth is that Apple had the battery and AppleCare programs in the works for MONTHS before Casey ever initially contacted Apple with his issue, and before one second of film was ever shot, or one ounce of spraypaint sprayed. It may seem like I'm belaboring this point, and I am: the implication otherwise is that Apple only released the battery replacement service because it was "forced" to by bad publicity, when the truth is that Apple discovered that it would likely need to have an official way to replace batteries for people since ALL LiIon batteries have a finite lifetime, and began developing programs and procedures to take care of these customers.

- This, of course, also ignores the fact that there were at least two third party companies offering replacement batteries for iPod - and one whom would do the battery replacement for you - at the time

- I find it funny that people are now all concerned about the iPod issue, as if there is something wrong with it, and considering buying other music players because of it, when much of the time, the other music players they're considering have integrated batteries as well - and no way to replace them! (As opposed to the numerous different ways of handling iPod batteries.) Not to mention that the competitive products are generally viewed as second-rate, at best.

- Of course, the overriding truth to this entire issue is that the vast majority of people have not had any issues whatsoever with their iPods (sure, everyone's battery life will degrade; it's just a question of whether it will degrade to the point of making it unusable - and for most people, it never will).

- If you want to go out and buy a music player that uses AAs or other easily replaceable batteries and/or bat

What about Apple's battery replacement plan? I'm assuming you're talking about the iPod.

I'm really getting tired of people spreading FUD about iPod batteries. You can freaking replace them yourself for $50, or you can pay apple $100 to do it for you!

Sorry, pet peeve.

I called Dell sales and Dell technical support, and Dell has no method for replacing the battery (outside of warranty), and the battery is not user replaceable.

(Also, iPod's battery is replaceable, via several different methods.)

I called Dell sales and Dell technical support, and Dell has no method for replacing the battery (outside of warranty), and the battery is not user replaceable.

(Also, iPod's battery is replaceable, via several different methods.)

http://ipodbatteryfaq.com/

Q: Why doesn't Apple make the battery easily replaceable? Or use different batteries, like AA?

A: Because if they did either, the size of the batteries and/or the access panels and mechanisms required to access the battery would make the unit significantly larger than it is, likely by several millimeters in thickness at a minimum, and would also affect other dimensions, as well as weight. It was an engineering decision to use an integrated battery; if it were not integrated, the unit would not have the small, sleek form factor that makes it so attractive in the first place. Additionally, the iPod's battery is indeed replaceable, as has been discussed above.

Q: Apple only released their battery replacement service because of all the bad publicity from iPod's Dirty Secret.

A: While often claimed, this couldn't be further from the truth. Apple released the battery replacement program November 14. ipodsdirtysecret.com was only registered on November 20, and started being heavily publicized on November 21. Additionally, Apple had been planning the AppleCare programs for months - these types of service programs don't just happen overnight - before Casey Neistat even had his first contact with Apple. The video campaign had nothing to do with Apple's rollout of the battery replacement program.

And when you are doens looking at that, go to ipodbatteryfaq.com and read the truth of the matter.

Yes.

iPod Battery FAQ

http://ipodbatteryfaq.com/

Q: Is the iPod's battery replaceable?

A: Yes. Apple has an official battery replacement program for $99. You send your iPod in (any model iPod), and Apple will replace the battery for $99. AppleCare programs for iPod will also soon be available in Europe.

Q: Is the iPod's battery user-replaceable?

A1: Yes and no. The iPod's case is not designed to be opened, so, in that respect, it's not what would generally be referred to as "user-replaceable". But, the case can be opened, and there are several third parties that offer replacement batteries for the iPod, such as iPodBattery.com (instructions, with pictures: original, non-"dockable" iPod, new, slim "dockable" iPod) and PDASmart, for as low as $49. Some will even do the replacement for you if you send it in.

A2: TechTV's Call for Help has a story, with video , discussing and demonstrating replacing an iPod battery (the video was produced before the Apple service options were available).

Q: What is the iPod's warranty? Does it cover the battery? Is there any way to extend it?

A1: The iPod warranty is one year. It does cover the battery.

A2: You can extend the iPod's warranty, including battery coverage, to two years with AppleCare Protection Plan for iPod. Numerous retailers, such as Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City, etc., also have very inexpensive extended warranty coverage available for iPod. Often these plans simply replace the product with a comparable new unit.

Q: What's the deal? Does Apple think the iPod is disposable?

A: No. Like all Apple products, the iPod is engineered to last. This is why Apple is consistently ranked number one in product quality and support by leading consumer groups, such as Consumer Reports.

Q: I heard that the iPod's battery only lasts 18 months, and then you have to buy a new iPod! Is that true?

A1: NO! The vast, vast majority of even the earliest iPods, now over two years old, continue to function just fine. Some iPods, however, have had issues with batteries. Lithium ion batteries are only good for 300 to 500 charge/discharge cycles (more). For this reason, certain customers' usage patterns may cause the batteries to degrade, or fail, sooner than others.

A2: If the battery does fail, and the iPod is no longer under its original one year warranty or $59 AppleCare Protection Plan for iPod, or any of numerous third party service plans, you don't have to buy a new iPod. You may replace the battery yourself for as little as $49, or have Apple perform the replacement for $99.

Q: Why didn't Apple use better batteries?

A: Apple uses the best lithium ion battery technology available from leading battery manufacturers. This is the best, most cost effective battery technology available given the requirements of the device.