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iPod Do iPods have magic batteries?

Q

quackers82

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 13, 2014
340
168
My first ever Apple device was a 3rd Gen iPod Nano, never been an Apple fan at that point (infact kinda detested them , this was 2008), but saw a coat i really liked and they women in the shop started pulling out all these extra cables and i was like what? Its a coat, turned out to be an iPod jacket with buttons on the sleeve, so i thought i better get an iPod now. Used it for about a year then it got put in a draw in 2009, thats 5 years ago.

So at the weekend i spotted it and thought hmmm, will it still work, surely not after being in a draw for 5 years the battery must be in a awful mess. Well after 1 charge its still going strong today after using it on my walks for the bast few days. Im blown away that the battery is still so good. Have i been lucky? or do batteries in iDevices not normally like being dormant for years and years? Still not quite believing its still working.
 
J

JCCL

macrumors 68000
Apr 3, 2010
1,914
4,306
I have two iPod Classics, one from 2007 and one from 2009, both of them still last for days of normal use! They do have very good batteries and power management.
 
firedept

firedept

macrumors 603
Jul 8, 2011
6,277
1,130
Somewhere!
Same here. We have 2 iPod classics and 2 iPod touches in the household that are several years old and still hold a charge as if they did the day they were new. Great batteries in these devices.
 
BrettApple

BrettApple

macrumors 65816
Apr 3, 2010
1,137
483
Heart of the midwest
Seem like it depends on the model and where it's stored. But I've got a 2006 iPod video that runs my music in my truck all week long on a single charge still. Quite impressive.

Also have a 2008 2nd generation iPod touch that lasts quite a while, even playing games. Longer than my 4th gen did anyway. It also seems like most of the 4th gen iPod touches have batteries that are pretty hit or miss. Music will last some 37 hours, but turn on WiFi and browse and it's like 2 hours where it used to be around 6-8. My guess is that the touch goes through many more cycles in the same amount of time as a standard iPod because they get charged daily or every other day when in use, where a classic/nano/shuffle can go for a week.

But they do seem to do well in storage somehow.
 
Old Muley

Old Muley

macrumors 6502a
Jan 6, 2009
761
188
Titletown USA
I use my iPod classic (160gb) on an almost daily basis, and I honestly cannot remember the last time the charge on the battery went to zero.
 
BrettApple

BrettApple

macrumors 65816
Apr 3, 2010
1,137
483
Heart of the midwest
Jessica Lares said:
My 3rd generation doesn't hold a charge anymore. :(
Click to expand...

I'm assuming you're referring to THE 3rd generation iPod. Sadly, they never had great battery life to begin with. My cousins have one that is permanently attached to the dock. Luckily they can be replaced if needed, but most have moved on anyway.

Shame as it has by far my favorite design, mostly because it's so unique rather than it actually being a good design. For actual use, it's the 5th gen or classic for me. I almost grabbed a 3rd gen off eBay just to have one :apple:
 
rjalda100

rjalda100

macrumors regular
Oct 13, 2012
210
417
Canada
Same here, my 3rd gen Nano has been sitting in a drawer for quite some time now, decided to take it out and charge it just to see how well it could still hold a charge. That was three days ago and it's still going strong with about 50% battery left. Not bad for a nearly seven year old iPod.
 
T

tekkt0r

macrumors member
Sep 24, 2014
67
0
i've got a 2nd generation iPod classic, 13 years old.

battery lasts about 2.5hrs, longer if i use a playlist or listen to entire albums.
 
Nabooly

Nabooly

macrumors 6502a
Aug 28, 2007
849
5
My 5.5G iPod is always plugged in to my car (except when I add music), sadly the battery doesn't last very long. It's probably my fault though; it's definitely not made to withstand cold winters/hot summers while my car is just sitting.

That said, I'm extremely impressed that the hard drive hasn't fried yet :eek: It's been in a case since the day I got it......there is absolutely no scratches or discoloration (it is a white 32gb). I must have gotten it sometime early 2007 :eek:
 
venomgt95

venomgt95

macrumors 6502
May 8, 2014
458
126
Michigan
Just tested out the battery on my third gen nano. and its safe to say, after 24 hours, ITS STILL PLAYING!!!!! :D:D:D:D

Edit: After 24 hours, 2 minutes, and 36 seconds, it died. i love this thing! to think, after 7 YEARS its still works as it did on day 1!!!!
 
I

iMacaque

macrumors newbie
Nov 19, 2010
15
0
Canada
I have a first generation Nano that is still going strong but I had to change the battery a few years ago when it stopped holding a charge for any significant amount of time. It is pretty easy to change a battery on an iPod, so magic or not, a dead battery should not cause you to trash your iPod. There can be plenty of life left in them with a bit of maintenance.
 
J

Jr. Pac

macrumors member
May 23, 2014
69
6
Wirbowsky said:
I also still use my 1st generation 160Gb classic. Heavy but a perfect device.
Click to expand...

I have to ask, do the older iPods still work in the current iTunes 11? Can't imagine them updating the data and images for them after 13 years (it should anyway).
 
J

Jimibeee

macrumors newbie
Mar 17, 2014
8
0
Birmingham
well the early models had very little drain as it was a mono screen, the more the screen on the device the bigger the drain therefore over time the batteries had more to power.
 
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