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"iPod's Dirty Secret"

Posted by pudge on 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?

8 of 262 comments (clear)

  1. No battery problems here by Stigmata669 · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

    --
    Yawn.
  2. Idiots. by tdemark · · Score: 5, Informative

    The site was created in the last week.

    Days after Apple announced the $99 battery replacement policy.

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

  3. Replacement battery for $49 by potuncle · · Score: 5, Informative
    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...

    1. Re:Replacement battery for $49 by ivan256 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Or, by the same exact battery from DigiKey for $23.

      Whenever you see somebody selling a battery for too much, don't forget that they need to buy it from somewhere, and they need to make a profit. Most industrial rechargeable batteries you'll find on replacement sites are sourced through DigiKey or Newark, and the manufacturer's markings are usually left intact on the original battery. Just head over to one of those sites and type in the part number. You'll usually see a 50%+ savings. This goes for UPS batteries too!

  4. Re:Oh my gosh! by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since when do LI-Ion batteries DIE? Since when?

    Since always. Li-ion batteries often show failure at 2 years.

    Li-ion

    "Aging is a concern with most Li-ion batteries. For unknown reasons, battery manufacturers are silent about this issue. Some capacity deterioration is noticeable after one year, whether the battery is in use or not. Over two or perhaps three years, the battery frequently fails."

    Apple's engineers sat down one day, desinged the cheapest battery in the world that barely met all the requirements, and laughed as they increased Job's profit margin and screwed the end user with an inferior product.

    I don't think Apple is designing batteries. Like every other box vendor they are buying technologies available from others.

  5. iPod Lifespan by Rufosx · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.

  6. Re:Does it still work with a dead battery? by iomud · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.

  7. For your information only. by ITR81 · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.