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"iPod's Dirty Secret"
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?
laptop batteries don't i don't see why ipods would be any different
If they had used any other rechargeable (or throw away) batteries, it would not have costed $99 over 18 months to replace them. Instead, like all other Apple technology, they chose something so proprietary that you can't buy one anywhere else if you don't like the price.
On the bright side, I saw an MP3 CD player at WalMart for only $29.99. It doesn't hold tens of thousands of songs like an iPod, but getting 200 or more songs per CD really isn't bad at all.
MS releases product with known life of 18 months and doesn't tell anyone = teh flames.
Apples does it = teh apologists.
This is a fatal design flaw. The battery should be as easy to replace as any walkman. Press and slide -> remove old battery -> insert new battery -> replace cover. Anything else is Apple farking the consumer.
But hey, you guys bought the hype. Apple wins. One more reason why I don't buy products from a company that hire Jeff Goldblum as a spokesman. That guy just stinks of poser intellectual.