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AppleCare+ Now Covers Batteries That Drop To 80%

Posted by timothy on from the wish-this-applied-to-my-mac-book-air dept.

Mark Wilson writes with news that Apple's AppleCare+ plan has been updated to address one of the biggest worries that people have about products with non-removeable batteries, and that become very expensive paperweights when the juice runs out. From BetaNews: "Previously, the extended warranty only covered batteries that would hold 50 percent charge or less. Now this has been updated so that you can request a free replacement within the coverage period if your device's battery is only able to hold 80 percent of full charge. The new terms to no apply to everyone — it all depends on when you bought your Apple device. If you bought your iPhone, iPad, iPod or Apple Watch before April 10, 2015, you're stuck with the old terms. I wish this change applied to my MacBook Air, with which I'm lucky to get 90 minutes of battery power.

10 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Good design, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    When people applaud Apple, design is often one of the things they applaud. How about non-removable batteries as bad design?

    I bought an Android partly because I can carry a tiny spare battery, and replace it if needed, instead of carrying a charger or an even bigger battery to charge my phone.

    1. Re:Good design, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Removable batteries are bad design because they introduce seams. Seams are bad design. Apple tries to make their devices seamless both when it comes to the user experience and to the physical experience. My MacBook has a sleek and nearly seamless case. The only seams I see are around the touchpad and the keyboard keys and the ports. The rest of it is pretty much totally solid and smooth with at most a very tiny groove. A removable battery would inherently ruin that by introducing many more seams.

    2. Re:Good design, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      More importantly, in order to be able to remove a battery, that battery has to be able to survive outside the device's case. That means it needs a case. Not only that, the phone needs reinforcement to not get damaged when the battery is removed. All that space could be used for... more battery.

    3. Re:Good design, eh? by fluffernutter · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That depends entirely on whether you think functionality matters or not. Clearly, Apple users don't.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    4. Re:Good design, eh? by gnasher719 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You think when they put the battery in at the factory they are just going to inject pure battery 'juice' into the phone??

      Have a look on Apple's website at the design of the batteries in newer MacBooks. It's not quite "battery juice", but the batteries do come in shapes that fill the smallest gap, something that would be impossible with a removable battery.

    5. Re:Good design, eh? by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When the Retina Macbook Pros came out, these were the ones with the integrated battery, one of their key differences over their predecessors is that they felt a good deal more sturdy. If you lifted it without folding it up it felt like it had a good deal more structural integrity. This is partly because it's lighter and you're moving less mass around and partly because the case is just plain more rigid.

      That's why the lack of seams matters.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  2. Instead of building thin bendable phones... by jbssm · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Perhaps Apple could build usable phones that actually last a full day on their battery instead of competing for the biggest buzzword of the moment and be able to say: "Look, this is the thinnest phone on the market". It bends easily, it breaks easily, it's got an awful battery, but ei, they can state it's the thinnest phone on the market.

    1. Re:Instead of building thin bendable phones... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You realise an iPhone 6+ lasts about 5 days of typical usage on a charge right?

    2. Re:Instead of building thin bendable phones... by jbolden · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Of the major phones sold:
      1st place: Huawei Ascend Mate 2 (14:43)
      2nd OnePlus One (13:16)
      3rd iPhone 6 Plus (10:00)

      I'd say it is pretty inaccurate to say Apple phones have terrible battery life.

      especially since
      4th Samsung Galaxy S5 (9:42)

  3. Wrapper != thick plastic case by tepples · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A battery that is not user-serviceable still needs some sort of wrapper. But it doesn't need a separate case thick enough to shield the battery from rough handling while out of the device.