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If the battery goes out but the iDevice otherwise works, there are a lot of places that will replace the battery for a small fee. Even when sending it in to Apple, it's not a whole lot -- $106 for an iPad that's out of warranty or $86 for an iPhone, or $56 to $86 for an iPod. Granted that $100 for an iPad is a "reconditioned" iPad, which may or may not be better than a simple battery swap depending on the condition of your iPad. In all cases, "Apple disposes of your battery in an environmentally friendly manner."

Third-party services are much cheaper; I found many on Google. This one is $49 for iPad; the replacement service is extra. They have one for $19 for iPhone 4; again, replacement service is extra. http://www.ipodjuice.com/ipad-replacement-battery.htm

So apparently people are managing to do this affordably. Move along, nothing to see here.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/13/dead-ipad-battery-never-mind-replacing-it-apple-just-sends-ano/
http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html

Some tips: turn off 3G if you aren't using it (if your iPhone supports 3G), turn off Bluetooth if you aren't using it, turn your screen brightness down, use the button at the top to turn the screen off when you aren't using it, etc.

Or perhaps you just have a bum battery (or your battery is almost worn out). There are battery replacement services that can install a higher capacity battery than the original one, if you want to go that route.

iphonebatteryrepair.com

ipodjuice.com

welovemacs.com

And somehow that's easier/better than all the iPod/iPhone replacement batteries out there?
http://www.ipodjuice.com/#anchor_home_001

I've replaced the battery on 2 'dead' iPods I got for nearly free for about $30 giver or take.

http://www.ipodjuice.com/?gclid=CJ_-8IuF9ZICFQN-lgodtw1TGA http://www.ipodbatterydepot.com/index.asp?en=google&pl=&no=3&n=specificmatch&at=3-ipodbatteries-ad-3.5&gclid=CPCt-P-E9ZICFRcdsgodpCD7GQ http://mp3.longlast-battery.com/Scripts/default.asp don't say i never did anything for ya.

Or ya know, you could always just replace it yourself for $30. It's not like it's brain surgery. Also theres a multitude of rechargeable setups for the iPod you can just a AA or 2 into for quite a bit more playtime. Even 7-11 where I am stocks them. But I'll stick to my better looking device that gives me little trouble while your swapping out disposable AAs in your thick player, adding to the landfills because you can't figure out how to plug your DAP into the charger at night.

http://www.ipodjuice.com/

1) The case is supposed to be arguing that it WAS difficult to know that the battery was hard wired. No argument needs be made about the present day, the content of Google's current search engine, etc. I for one had no idea. Several technical publications (including /.) thought the fact was headline worthy - aka 'news'. So trying to say that it is impossible that it was news to a zero-day owner is just f'king goofy.

2) Both cell phones and laptops are supposed to have batteries that can be replaced by the end user. There is a reason for this. To suggest that the bastard child of a lappy and a phone is immune from those same reasons is just plain dense.

3) I think the responsibility of proving (to a judge, at least) that this isn't merely another means of vendor lock-in is rests with Apple. They departed from the standard. The 'why' of the matter is crucial. Where are the prototypes that had normal batteries?

Personally, as far-fetched as it is, I'm kind of hoping he wins. I'd like to be able to replace my own battery. Less downtime, etc...maybe I'm just a control freak?

That kind of design worked with the iPod because most people don't leave their iPod on 24/7, nor do they rely on it in an emergency. And they certainly aren't going to be left in a potentially dangerous/inconvenient situation if they have to be without an iPod for a week or however long it takes to send it in.

(disclaimer: I don't actually have or want an iPhone, I'm just making general statements. I do have an iPod and I did replace the battery myself, thanks to the help of the friendly folks at http://ipodjuice.com/. I just think it would be better if it were user-replaceable.)

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

Are you a moron?

Ummm... no. One Google search found this site. The battery is $28, replacement fee is $20 and shipping costs would probably make up the balance. Perhaps not exactly $60, but if a person doesn't have the expertise to replace it himself, it could easily be $60. There is no way I've spent even $30 on AAA batteries for my Rio.

Also, we bought my sister an iPod Shuffle for her birthday back in Feb, and it's dead now. I'm guessing it's battery, good thing it's under warranty.