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Attorneys Prepare iPod Class Action Lawsuit
An anonymous reader writes "Well, it was bound to happen. It looks like some lawyers are preparing to file a class action lawsuit against apple computer due to the iPod's battery problem (previously discussed here, here, and here)."
apple lets you change your own. They will also do it for you for $99. And if it used standard batteries, it would be really big. The ability to shape to fit is a big advantage (in asddition to densty) of a Li-Poly battery. And if it used AAs (the only standard ones), the battery life would suck.
So they are user servicable. You only need the tools they use to open the case and the rest is easy as pie.
So are the Napster player and Dell DJ also a scam too? They both come with commercially stated non-removable batteries.
I treated mine like shiiite for 10 months, then the drive crashed. I took it to the store and no questions asked: I was handed a refurbished iPod of the exact same series as mine and was only charged a $30 handling fee. I walked into that store expecting them to tell me that I had to pay for a new one since mine obviously broke due to misuse. The replacement iPod is already 6 months old and still gives me almost 11 hours of battery power.
Of course, mine was a first generation 5GB iPod. I have friends with newer units and nothing but problems, so who the hell knows? If any of you is interested in getting an iPod, go ahead and get it. It is an amazing gadget.
Pedro
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The Insomniac Coder
Caveat Emptor.
They made no guarantees on battery life that I remember, its clearly stated that they use Lithium-Ion batteries, which are known to degrade, and its obvious there is no way to change that battery without extra equipment.
I don't see the case here.
Integrate Keynote and LaTeX
...posted to their solicitation page:
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Here are some pieces of relevant information:
1. It is well known ALL lithium ion family batteries die after a period of time. ALL have a finite lifetime. Apple used the best battery technology available in the manufacture of the iPod.
2. Apple provides an official method for iPod owners to obtain replacement batteries for $99, as well as extended warranty and service plans for new iPod purchases. This is available to all owners of all iPods. (This is in addition to numerous practical third party battery replacement plans and extended service plans.)
3. The iPod was not engineered to have batteries fail prematurely, nor is there any fundamential engineering defect or deficiency with the iPod. Lithium ion batteries fail after a finite period of time, plain and simple. No specific disclosures are required for any other lithium ion product, and none should be expected of Apple. (Yes, before Apple offered a battery replacement plan, there was a big hole in their service offerings. That hole is now filled, and this whole thing is now, therefore, a non-issue. Why not start a class action investigation into lithium ion batteries in general, since that's what this is fundamentally about?)
4. As to user-replaceability: if the iPod were designed with user-replaceable batteries, it would need to be engineered with access panels and mechanisms which would add, at a minimum, likely up to several millimeters to the thickness to the unit, as well as potentially opening up the unit to greater numbers of issues than even out-of-warranty battery failures cause. Additionally, the unit would likely be not as small and sleek as it currently is, thus making the unit much less desirable.
5. Other best-of-breed products, such as Dell's DJ portable music player, also use non-user-replaceable lithium ion batteries. Dell has no plan or program to replace failed batteries outside of warranty at this time. Better get a class action investigation ready for Dell, too, because they'll have the same exact problems as Apple, in the same exact proportion. Lithium ion is lithium ion.
6. The vast majority of first generation iPods, many over two years old, continue to function without issue.
I hope you find this information valuable in your investigation, and take the time to consider the facts.
If you use a flat head on a iPod you've already damaged the case before you even get to the HD.
The brothers could of easly got a DIY kit but they didn't which ended up bitting them in the butt. But then again knowing that the brothers posted their vid. even though Apple had already had a plan in place shows they are not too smart just spiteful.
Tech Tv used the exact PDA Smart kit I used and preformed it on Screensavers in about 10 mins.
If you have built a computer or added a HD to your computer you can add this battery to your iPod.
The new iPod is the exact opposite thing you want in engineering. A device that lasts less time on battery power. But this seems to be the general trend at Apple lately. With heavy use, I doubt the 3G iPods will have more then 4 hours battery life in two years. For an MP3 device, this is horrible.
The Rio Karma team had a goal of getting the same battery life that the first Rio MP3 player had. And they did it, the Karma lasts around 16 hours on a charge.
Back to Apple. I spent a decent amount of money on the new Powerbook 15 inch, only to discover it's horrible battery life. Checking the specifications, it ships with the lowest capacity battery out of their entire lineup, including the 12 inch Powerbook and iBook. See a problem with this? A bigger screen, faster processor, possibility for a second DIMM, and less battery power? With the move from the old Ti Powerbooks to the new, the battery lost 21 watt hours of power. But yet the laptop is slightly bigger and heavier.
Hopefully a class action lawsuit about the iPod battery issue will kick them into gear about improving batteries in all their products.
I found here a short write up in refference to the life and usage, and death of a Li-Ion bettery. It seams that apple's choice for battery is performing as expected. And consumer disappointment fueled by poor consumer research.
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Thou hast besquirted me, O leotarded one.
I've owned many Apple products over the last decade or so, and never once have I bought a "repair part" from Apple. Every single replacement part, as well as every single expansion component, which I've ever bought (including a G4 CPU replacement for my G3 tower) came from a third party. WTF are you talking about?
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.