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iPhone Battery Replacement An Unwelcome Surprise
epidemic99 writes "Apple has released what it will cost to replace the battery in the iPhone, and consumers might be a bit put off. Replacement is a tricky ordeal, as the battery is apparently soldered into the device. The service will cost $79, plus $6.95 for shipping, plus an optional $29 'loaner iPhone' rental. A consumer advocacy group sent a letter to Apple complaining that this information was not made public before iPhone's release since the cost of the battery replacement is so high. Even reviewer Harvey Rosenfield, who is usually very kind to Apple, was quoted as saying 'some of them might be waking up now, wondering who they got in bed with.'" Update: 07/06 21:06 GMT by Z : Fixed incorrect attribution of quote to Mossberg.
"Some of them might be waking up now," Rosenfield said, "wondering who they got in bed with." I guess this is a new spelling of the name Mossberg that I was previously unfamiliar with.
I can throw as many stones as I wish; my house is made of transparent aluminum.
...of replacing the ipod battery is anyone surprised?
A soldered battery means that it will almost NEVER pop out accidentally in your pocket or in your backpack. Thank you Apple for this great innovation!! I'm going to buy an iPhone right now!!!!
from what I have read the battery will work efficiently through about two years of "normal" usage. two years from now there will be a new iPhone, and given the choice of paying $120 for a new battery (and loaner) versus $500 for the inevitably cooler NEW iPhone, my guess is that most will opt for the new phone. more $ for Apple. i would expect a wave of used iPhones on eBay around the same time. maybe i'll get one then.
I have never replaced a battery in my cell phone, not even the Treo. By the time it starts getting weak (3 years or so) there is something else out that is so much more improved that it becomes a non-issue because I'm buying a new phone. Even better now, since it's all already synced in iTunes, going to the next model will be smooth and straightforward.
People complain that it's 20% of the cost of the phone. If I buy a replacement battery for my RAZR, it's $40, which is more than 20% of the cost of the phone. Yes, I can do it myself, but will I ever? Not likely. The only time I've ever replaced a battery was back when I had a StarTAC phone, and I bought the smaller, thinner battery, because the phone slipped into my pocket.
Apple knows that only 5-8% or so of the people will even want to replace it, so they made it a possibility. People just need something to gripe about I guess.
The benefit the iPhone provides most of us (in geekdom), is that it is a revolutionary way to surf the web on a mobile device. All the mobile devices until today cannot surf with even a modicum of the pleasure you get with the iPhone.
:)
That said, it's overpriced for what it is. And the people buying it up right now are only paving the way for Microsoft and others to fix up their mobile OSes to deliver cheaper devices capable of much of the same things as the iPhone. Only they will have replaceable batteries, cheaper cost (subsidized by the carrier), and 3G.
Apple makes a habit of ensuring that you as a consumer are 'locked in' to their platform. In every way, shape and form. They are turning into yet another Microsoft, from another angle. I am rather alarmed that people don't realize that Apple is no different than Microsoft in that they want market share for their devices, and they want money. There are no lofty goals with Apple, just cute looking devices that have a cult following. I will give them, that their OS is better than Vista. But they had the luxury of being able to dump support for older applications, where MS does not. Their presentation is better than Microsoft but again, Microsoft delivers software with an API that can be written against. Apple is a closed architecture, especially with the iPhone.
When people realize that Apple is no different than Microsoft, they will choose devices and software based upon need and usage requirements, rather than a religious belief to either company. I run a Mac laptop as my only laptop, but my home PC is a dual boot of Ubuntu and Vista. I'm mostly on Vista, admittedly -- but it's for gaming and I love my games
Me personally? I'll be waiting for the next generation iPhone to be released before I make a choice in buying anything. My iPod works fine and I enjoy the 3G speed of my Samsung Blackjack. And hopefully by then, Microsoft has made an answering shot to the iPhone and I'll have the ability to choose the device suited best for me. Slow, deliberate choices are the ones I make after taking time to think about it. If I see another moron carrying the iPhone and using it in a way just to show it off, I am going to smack them.
The price is always right if someone else is paying.
To what Apple answers: Please speak louder. My cash register is making a lot of noise because of all the iPhone I'm selling...
C'mon...the iPhone is a luxury item in the cell phone market. So, here's my daily bad car analogy: if you can't afford to put the right tires on your Porche, maybe you shouldn't have bought a Porche.
I mean, what's next, complaining to Ferrari because they don't advertise the cost of maintenance?
Insisting on "correct" English is like saying that there is only one, definitive recipe for chili.
What you call a review of the iPhone, I call a date with your mother, trebek.
Connery-fixed.
+5, Truth
People still think of it as a phone. People are shocked at $40 phone battery prices. Why are you shocked that people are shocked? People think of batteries as easily replaced like the rest of their batteries. Would you be shocked if you bought a TV remote and the battery was $40?
The fact that it's soldered into the device and that it's so expensive isn't surprising to you or me because we visit Slashdot and other sites that reported the iPod battery fiasco. We knew this was coming. Millions of phone buyers did not see this coming.
Wow, I figured you were way off with the desolder comment, then I looked up the dissection photos and sure enough they were stupid enough to solder the battery in! WTF were they thinking? Anyone who's owned a phone for more than a year knows you will eventually have to replace the battery, and with the drain that these things go through it's even more certain. Why they didn't use edge contacts like everyone else in the industry I can't even fathom.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
It's from Apple. When the battery wears out that's your cue to buy the new model.
1. It's not stupid if there's a good reason for it.
2. A standard Razr has a thickness of about 16mm and it doesn't have even half the features or power requirements of the iPhone. The iPhone is only 11.5mm thick and is capable of 10 days of standby time, 24 hours of music playback, 8 hours of talk time, 7 hours of video playback, or 6 hours of web browsing. That's amazingly good for a phone that's only 72% of the thickness of a Razr. The only phone with a somewhat comparable size and feature set is the Slvr, which has terrible battery life.
In short, Apple is fitting that extra battery space in the phone by using simple soldered wires rather than wasting space on a proper battery compartment. Seeing as how the battery is connected by just a couple of wires (it's not like it's surface mounted or anything!) it's quite easy for a professional to replace. So maybe Apple isn't quite as "stupid" as you're making them out to be?
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
From http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html, on the bottom of the page:
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"Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information."
You can then get to this link from the batteries page:http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.
"iPhone Owners. Your one-year warranty includes replacement coverage for a defective battery. You can extend your coverage to two years from the date of your iPhone purchase with the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPhone, which is expected to be available in summer 2007. During the plan's coverage period, Apple will replace the battery if it drops below 50% of its original capacity. If it is out of warranty, Apple offers a battery replacement for $79, plus $6.95 shipping, subject to local tax. Apple disposes of your battery in an environmentally friendly manner."
Do I agree with the policy? No, as I wish I could replace the battery myself. But, it is stated there on the website, even if its buried. If you google "Apple Battery Replacement", the official Apple iPhone battery page comes up ranked seventh.
Did anyone expect otherwise? Honestly, if battery replacement is important in regards to your purchase, you should research it online or ask at the store. But I don't think most people care. If you get AppleCare on the phone (2 Year Warranty), if your battery dies you get a free replacement if it goes below 50% charge. Every other Apple iPod based product has the same policy, and, the iPhone is much more iPod than it is MacBook Pro.
That being said, I understand if someone new to Apple products was upset, since, the majority of mobile phones allow the battery to be replace by the owner. However, with the large amount of iPod users out there, I doubt most will be shocked to find that the battery can't be replaced.
What's a much bigger deal (to me) is that I can't swap a battery in an emergency... I travel a great deal for work, and there have been occassions where unable to get to a power outlet to recharge.
Since hurricane Katrina, I've kept a spare battery in my overnight bag, as I was stuck in Florida without power and a nearly dead phone. Those times are the ones I depend on my cellphone the most, trying to call my airline (flight canceled, can I rebook?), friends and family (is everyone alright?), rent-a-car companies (can I drive to Jacksonville and get a flight outta there?) all in a small window of time. Not being able to swap in a fresh battery is a major CON for me, and maybe a few more nerds like me.
FWIW - my LG VX9800 plays mp3s, and I purchased spare batteries on eBay for $15 each.