iPod's Dirty Secret - iPod's Unreplaceable Battery Lasts Only 18 Months

[dynomite]

I saw the video on the front of the page. Is it true? What a waste of money. Im not going to waste 700 dollars and have it last for 18 months!

[loGan]

I don't know how long the battery will last in real life but you can replace it so you shouldn't believe everything you see on TV.

[dynomite]

Thank god. I actualy saw it on the front page of ipodlounge not tv.

[SpideyPod]

Not entirely sure where the 18 month lifeline comes from unless of course they are referring to calculating the EXACT spec on the battery, 500 full charge cycles.
I guess if you are to do a discharge and recharge everyday for 500 days without fail your battery would be dead according to Apple's spec.

Not sure this is realistic and I would have to guess around 18 months you would see a noticeable degradation in battery life but I doubt anyone uses it is such an exhaustive manner as to render it dead on the 500 day.

And while I think it was pretty inventive for the Neistat brothers to come up with that video I don't think it is geared to anyone who is here at the Lounge. By finding the lounge and going one step further and either posting, or even just reading, these forums you have demonstrated that you are aware of how to use the internet as a tool to solve problems and identify solutions. In which case you would be able to make that extra step to find the other available, and lower cost, solutions to replacing a dead battery on the iPod.

I think the "unreplaceable battery" designation is applied to those individuals who purchase a product and then rely completely on the manufacturer to provide them with the best case solution for whatever problem they may be experiencing. In which case as these brothers demonstrated, at the time they called anyway, that Apple essentially told them they are out of luck and to buy a new iPod.

In my opinion the video is more a slight on Apple to provide better solutions to customers who have already spent a premium on a product to replace something like a battery. Not so much a death prediction for the iPod after 18 months.

[str8ridah]

i've had my original 5 gig ipod for over 18 months and the battery is still working fine, unfortunately i can't say the same about the rest of the ipod...the thing constantly freezes up now within a few minutes of turning it on each time...i took great care of it and never dropped it or anything so i can't understand why it just all of a sudden stopped working, conveniently after my warrenty expired at that...i've read about similar things happening to other peoples ipod's over long periods of time...these things seem to not last very long...recently i bought a new 3g with the 4 year replacement plan from bestbuy so hopefully this ipod will last me longer than my previous one...

[Kee-Lo]

Originally posted by SpideyPod
In my opinion the video is more a slight on Apple to provide better solutions to customers who have already spent a premium on a product to replace something like a battery. Not so much a death prediction for the iPod after 18 months.

Yep, have to agree with you there, the battery change for Apple wouldn't cost much at all to do, and a simple fee to do this wouldn't go amiss. After all, if you'd just spent ?400 on a 40GB iPod you're not going to do that again in 18 months are you? Apple think people have infinite money, so well done to the brothers who put that video out, it's not right that apple care don't provide a "change your battery" service for a fee. It's the decent thing to do. I hope you read this Steve Jobs, you're getting as bad as your pal Bill Gates.

As for the prediction of death, it's like a human, we can say "ah probably when I'm 84 I'll die", but we can't be precise. So really this 18 months is the MINIMUM the iPod can last if you discharge and charge FULLY each and every day. If Apple can provide this battery replacement service, it would be excellent.

[blue_maffu_202]

Apple does offer it's own Battery Service for $99 plus $6.95 shipping. Apple will replace the battery for you and offers a 90-day guarantee on materials and workmanship. It's a good deal!

[SpideyPod]

Originally posted by blue_maffu_202
Apple does offer it's own Battery Service for $99 plus $6.95 shipping. Apple will replace the battery for you and offers a 90-day guarantee on materials and workmanship. It's a good deal!

They do offer a pretty good service. I don't think it?s out of the question to charge $100 to fix a crucial part on a product that can cost up to $500 when the initial warranty expires.
And as many have pointed out if you are a "do it yourself" type of person there are even cheaper alternatives.

I am not sure when the brothers in question called Apple support, or made their video but it may just be a case of wrong timing or an uninformed customer service rep. In either case while I believe Apple's prior policy of charging $255 to repair was outrageous it is nice to see they have since made attempts to rectify the situation.


*One thing about the video though, for those of you not from NY or who have not visited in the last few months, the video gives you an idea of just how many iPod posters are around the city. It really is amazing. Riding the 3 line other day it was like a slide show of colors as we zipped by the subway posters, every other one of which was for the iPod.*

[JP_in_GB]

Based on the 18 month idea..my ipod would be in line for a replacement around March 2005.

I can live with that.

I think what helps is that there is a good market for used,broken or fading ipods.

If you pay $300 for a new ipod..get 2 years out of it...then sell it for $175 on ebay...that's a lot better turn a round then you see for pda's,game systems,etc.

But like a previous post said, that's based on the 500 charge/drain cycle.
I only need to recharge 2-3 times a week so hopefully mine will last much longer.

[Jackonicko]

Also the battery doesn't die at 500 cycles, it just starts to lose significant capacity

[yrstruly]

sorry if this is a stupid question, but i'm sort of confused by people talking about drain/charge cycles.

everyday at work i keep my pod on the dock. which means it goes through at least 2 charging cycles a day (in the morning and then if i take it off the dock for some reason and later put it back on). does this mean that after 500 of these cycles that it would lose significant battery capacity?

or, are you saying that if you competely drain the battery and then re-charge it (which i've only done once).

i listen to my pod all day at work which means i get about 9 hours every day. so, i have to charge it once a day.

[Rich_aka_Wig]

The way I figure, in 18 months time somethng more innovative will be out and will be the next "must have". It's also a nice period of time in which alternatives can be looked at, considered and even put into action with regards to easier battery change or a cheaper service.

If not, I'll just have to remember to put aside around 1.50 a week for my "battery changing fund" :D

[MOCKBA]

I think IPAK has the same type of battery and I use it over three years, I have problems with screen, but battery. I think you should expect 3 years lifetime for the batteries. After 3 years i do not want to keep iPod anyway.

[mysteriousal]

Everyone with an ipod, or one on their Xmas list has the right to see this:


http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/

[mdipi]

there is already a thread about htis:
http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16316

[mysteriousal]

500 charge cycles? Man, That means that my ipod essentially cost me ?1 for every day I use it! Apple ripped us off BAD. I'm gonna wait till my last week of warrenty then send my ipod in to be 'repaired'.

Hopefully I'll get better life out of a refurb...

[shosh1n]

lol i saw this on another forum board ..

http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/

what do you guys think about this?

[churnopol]

cry babies. why would anyone hate ipod. It's so much better than the new napster thingy

[shosh1n]

sure is =]

[shermanash]

it's a hate crime! :0

[leonthepro]

haha,
that video is very funny. That guy is obviously ####ed his ipod broke....He went all over town though, the guy went all out to make a statement, I think he loved his ipod a bit too much (perhaps he should buy a new one)???

[dynomite]

mdipi that link goes to this thread. You should pay more attention before you post things.

[terry]

Originally posted by mysteriousal
500 charge cycles? Man, That means that my ipod essentially cost me ?1 for every day I use it! Apple ripped us off BAD. I'm gonna wait till my last week of warrenty then send my ipod in to be 'repaired'.

Hopefully I'll get better life out of a refurb...

Lots of BS on this topics:

3) The 500 cycles refers to full charge cycles. Do you completely drain your pod every day?

2) The battery doesn't explode after 500 cycles, rather, its ability to store energy gradually declines with use. This is not unique to the ipod... all rechargeables have this feature, even the lead-acid battery in your car (which actually is only good for perhaps 50 full cycles).

And the number one reason this is BS....
1) The battery is can be replaced. You can do it for about $50 or Apple will for about $90.

I like how you are willing to commit fraud because you feel you didn't get a good value. It's not like Apple lied about the performance of the iPod. It is the greedy and narcissistic who make it so hard for manufactures to offer a good warrantee.

[Nicholas]

Nicely put!:)

[SpideyPod]

Do people read the first page of a thread before they post or do you just jump in with comments after reading the last 3 posts. Some people seem to miss the concept a thread should be read from start to finish so you know what has been said and explained and what hasn't. Anyway, moving on........................

[mdipi]

Originally posted by dynomite
mdipi that link goes to this thread. You should pay more attention before you post things.

it was a seperate thread before someone merged it....

[billpalmer]

Here's my take on the situation:

"Warning: Neistat Brothers' unreplaceable fame lasts only fifteen minutes"

http://billpalmer.net/com000047.html

"Who tapes their phone conversations with tech support, on the chance that they'll later need to use it as a soundtrack for a movie?"

[SpideyPod]

Bill,

Can't say that I agreed with everything you have to say in your article but it does ring true in many aspects and at the very least was well thought out. One thing that does bother me is your decision in your article to not provide a link to their site.

If I was a regular reader of your page and not a place like iPodlounge where the links to www.ipodsdirtysecret.com are plentiful I wouldn't be too pleased that you decided to make your own judgments on the film, expound on them (in the sum of 2,001 words), basically ripping apart just about every aspect of the film and the Neistat brothers assertions, but then not linking to the movie itself. I guess by doing so you are taking some sort of a stand by not propagating the "lies" any further or giving the film more coverage then you feel it deserves.

But by taking the time to write such an article and posting it on your site you have already brought attention to the film, which may have never seen or heard of by many of your sites audience. Essentially you played a role in giving the Neistat brothers their 15 minutes whether you felt they deserved it or not. And then at the end you invite others to discuss the topic with you. What exactly would you like them discuss? Your comments without ever seeing what it is that has you up in arms?

I think it?s great that there are sites out there, such as yours, where you can get a bigger picture of products, manufacturers and even consumer opinions. But I think those same sites do a disservice to those that read them if they don?t fully explore an issue, and that includes allowing your readers to form an opinion of their own on the same subject matter you yourself have covered.
But by filtering that content it just seem that your goal is to rant about whatever ?injustice? you see in the online world and then expecting your readers to go blindly go along with it.

Good editorial, but somewhat poor execution.

[billpalmer]

Originally posted by SpideyPod
Can't say that I agreed with everything you have to say in your article but it does ring true in many aspects and at the very least was well thought out. One thing that does bother me is your decision in your article to not provide a link to their site.

I don't think that the mere fact that I wrote an article about the matter necesarily brings any more attention to it -- it's already the biggest story in the iPod universe (for the moment, anyway). I chose not to include a link to ipodsdirtysecret.com in my article because I didn't want to validate its existence by doing so.

But, you know what? You're right in the fact that some of my readers will undoubtedly have not seen the movie yet, and they should be afforded the opportunity to see first-hand what's being discussed. I've gone back and added a link to the movie from within my article.

Thanks for the suggestion.

- Bill P.

[incOgnitO]

Not sure if anyone has seen this yet...

http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/


btw... my batter sucks and I've had my 3g 15gb ipod for 4 months and I haven't even filled it half way...

:( :mad: :( :mad: :( :mad: :( :mad: :(

[mikey]

you're a couple of days too late: dirty little secret (http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16316)

[churnopol]

don't all batteries eventually die

[JP_in_GB]

Yes, all ipod batteries will someday stop holding a charge...as will the gameboy battery...and cell batteries. Nothing is built perfect or to last forever.

But a new ipod should last 3 years or more....the battery has a 500 charge/drain cycle...but at that point you will only see decresed performance.
If you do a full charge/drain three times a week...at 500 cycles it would last you 3.47 years.

By then we will be on what...a 5th or 6th Gen ipod?
Most will have upgraded well before the battery is dead.

And if your ipod less than a year old and the battery is not performing as it should then you likely got a defective unit rather than a universal flaw w/ the ipod.

A big issue w/the battery is the how unreliable the meter is.

[SouthsideIrish]

My 1st gen battery only lasted 17 months with very heavy usage.

Bill McNair

[aviationwiz]

Hey guys, I'm hear to spread the truth, rather than the lies these guys spread.

I have confirmed in a PM on the Dell Forums on the dell.com website, that the customer service calls were indeed made to make Apple look bad, and that they don't even have an iPod.

[aviationwiz]

I'm hear to spread the truth. I have confirmed in a PM on the Dell forums that the makers of the video only called Apple to make them look bad, and that they don't even have an iPod.

[fasterthanlight]

i don tknoiw about this, obviously he's talking about the 2nd or 1st gen ipods because the 3g hasnt even been out 18 months. and with the 3g came a new battery>>to make the unit smaller>> so i dont believe this 18 month foible

[SpideyPod]

Originally posted by aviationwiz
I'm hear to spread the truth. I have confirmed in a PM on the Dell forums that the makers of the video only called Apple to make them look bad, and that they don't even have an iPod.

How exactly does a PM on a Dell forum amount to confirmation of anything at all, this video or otherwise?

[aviationwiz]

Originally posted by SpideyPod
How exactly does a PM on a Dell forum amount to confirmation of anything at all, this video or otherwise?

It was from the maker of the video.

[SpideyPod]

So your confirmation for the rest of us is that you spoke via PM with someone in a Dell forum for claims to have made the video "that the customer service calls were indeed made to make Apple look bad, and that they don't even have an iPod"?

I have to go with something with a bit more validity to it, http://www.ipodlounge.com/ipodnews_comments.php?id=2118_0_7_0_C , than a PM in a Dell forum.

[churnopol]

unreplacable's knot a wrod, ######. it'z irreplacable... Niestadt Borthers

[TheFly]

And "it'z" is?

[Jackonicko]

notice the Knot? or wrod? or.......