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Apple Changing iPod Battery Technology?
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Re: Lithium Polymer Batteries
I believe the original iPaq from then Compaq (Now HP) was one of the first mass market device to use the Li-Polymer battery. It was selected because the battery could conform to the curved back better.
I believe the original iPaq from then Compaq (Now HP) was one of the first mass market device to use the Li-Polymer battery. It was selected because the battery could conform to the curved back better.
In response to the people talking about their Sony's lasting very long--Sony players generally use extremely weak amps. 3-5mW per channel is the norm for their MD players. The iPod amp is 30mW per channel, which contributes greatly to the battery drain. Secondly, Sony's usually have a small one-line display, either on the unit or on a remote control. The iPod has a very big LCD, which takes tons of power to run. The third, a hard drive takes much more power than a minidisc to spin. The iPod hard drives spins at several thousand RPM, while a minidisc spins much more slowly (a few hundred RPM, probably)
SeaFox
macrumors 68030
Are you making excuses or explanations now?
Is there any reason one needs a 30mW amp for earbuds? Also, other manufacturer's minidisc players have better amps and still have battery life several times that of iPods.
The new Hi-MD players due out in April all feature displays of three lines. And as long as you've opened the display issue I'll point out that most Minidisc players have displays on their remotes too, unlike iPods.
MorganX
macrumors 6502a
Is it a typical case of form over function?
Apple designed for "style" reasons to forego a stop button. Perhaps the reason Apple's battery's don't last is because when you stop them, you really only pause them. Maybe in this paused off mode keeping the cache full, and maintaining song info and position simply drain the battery.
If I play the iPod for 1-hour, and turn it off (pause it off) and let it sit overnight, it is completely dead in the morning.
However, if I put it in the Dock which turns it truly off (i.e. no song on pause, no song in cache) and then pause it off, I can get up to 2 hours after letting it sit overnight.
There has to be a reason Apple is the only one having battery problems this bad. I believe this is a major cause.
Apple designed for "style" reasons to forego a stop button. Perhaps the reason Apple's battery's don't last is because when you stop them, you really only pause them. Maybe in this paused off mode keeping the cache full, and maintaining song info and position simply drain the battery.
If I play the iPod for 1-hour, and turn it off (pause it off) and let it sit overnight, it is completely dead in the morning.
However, if I put it in the Dock which turns it truly off (i.e. no song on pause, no song in cache) and then pause it off, I can get up to 2 hours after letting it sit overnight.
There has to be a reason Apple is the only one having battery problems this bad. I believe this is a major cause.
Le Big Mac
macrumors 68030
Re: Replacable battery
Agreed, if they could get those stick batteries to work. Nice to have a little slot that those slide into--keep a couple around for constant play. Allow them to be recharged in the iPod or a separate charger.
Agreed, if they could get those stick batteries to work. Nice to have a little slot that those slide into--keep a couple around for constant play. Allow them to be recharged in the iPod or a separate charger.
Hey its great to hear Apple doing something about Ipod battery life.
I do have a question if anyone can answer it. Does charging the battery on a current 3G Ipod before it has gone dead (normal everyday use, not dead forever as in a replacement) can it shorten the life of the battery?
😕
I do have a question if anyone can answer it. Does charging the battery on a current 3G Ipod before it has gone dead (normal everyday use, not dead forever as in a replacement) can it shorten the life of the battery?
😕
The earbuds that come with the iPod (or any other music players for that matter) are very cheap and sound terrible. For anyone wanting better sound out of their investment, upgrading to better headphones is the only option--Bigger headphones require much more powerful amps. In the case of many MD players, you are basically stuck with sub-par earbuds, because the amp is not strong enough to drive larger headphones cleanly and at decent volume.
Also, I really doubt you can find an MD player ANYWHERE that has a 30mW amp. The highest I've ever seen is 8mW on a Sharp model.
Most MD players will either have no display on the main unit and an LCD remote, or they will have an LCD on the main unit and a remote with no display. That said, the high-end MD players with 2 LCD's still don't come near the size of Apple's single LCD.
I think 6-8hrs continuous use is perfectly reasonable for something as tiny as a 3G iPod... If you want more time, plug it in, as they support just about any external power source known to man!!
I've had my 20GB for a couple weeks and am completely happy with its battery life...
Plus, how many mini-discs would you have tote around for 20GB storage? Also, nicer over-the-ear headphones (like my SR-80s) take a lot more juice than a typical earbud. If you want 10+ hrs of battery life, get a player with no moving parts or that is significantly larger. You have a choice! I think Apple has nailed the market segment perfectly...
I've had my 20GB for a couple weeks and am completely happy with its battery life...
Plus, how many mini-discs would you have tote around for 20GB storage? Also, nicer over-the-ear headphones (like my SR-80s) take a lot more juice than a typical earbud. If you want 10+ hrs of battery life, get a player with no moving parts or that is significantly larger. You have a choice! I think Apple has nailed the market segment perfectly...
Les Kern
macrumors 68040
I have a set of Targus noise-cancelling full-size headphones. The sound can be set to "deafen". I'd imagine a non-powered set would have this trait though. Bottom line: Get the powered phones. Most all ambient sounds are gone; you hear just the music. (The battery lasts just as long as far as I can tell)
SeaFox
macrumors 68030
I'll agree with that.
I use my Sony MDR-V300's with my Sony minidisc player and have no problems with muddy sound and low volume.
Once again, what pair of earphone are you using that require a 30mW amp? You're just wasting the energy otherwise.
Uh, they don't really make many players any more. Most MD units are recorders now. And almost all have displays on unit from what I've seen. That still doesn't change the fact you have to take the iPod out of your bag or pocket to see what song is playing. Whereas you could see and edit the name on an MD remote.
I have a sony md player/recorder and though i havent used it in a while because my ipod rocks its face off, i do remember that it couldnt get extremely loud.
i will comment that the power of the ipods amp is helpful when using my itrip, otherwise the gain output would be too low and if i increase my stereo volume too high it would begin to have a lot of extra noise. Although if i push the volume to the max on the ipod it heavily distorts either the itrip or my stereo, havent figured out which one yet. so maybe a less powerful amp would do, but not too much less powerful.
i will comment that the power of the ipods amp is helpful when using my itrip, otherwise the gain output would be too low and if i increase my stereo volume too high it would begin to have a lot of extra noise. Although if i push the volume to the max on the ipod it heavily distorts either the itrip or my stereo, havent figured out which one yet. so maybe a less powerful amp would do, but not too much less powerful.
Re: Replacable battery
2 AA batteries would drastically cut down on the iPods battery life. AAs wouldnt run up a hard drive very long at all. thats why they needed something like a big li or polymer battery in the first place(big, capacity speaking).
2 AA batteries would drastically cut down on the iPods battery life. AAs wouldnt run up a hard drive very long at all. thats why they needed something like a big li or polymer battery in the first place(big, capacity speaking).
I have a pair of MDR-V700DJ studio headphones. they take up to 3,000mW and have 50mm drivers. They're without a doubt the finest sounding things i've ever heard, speakers or headphones.
i have to turn up the iPod over 90% to get a good fat sound with them. Granted, my headphones are kind of an extreme situation, but any kind of full size headphones will swallow the iPods 30mW headphone amp for breakfast. These headphones arent exotic or anything. they sell the same kind of stuff at best buy.
Not everyone uses little crappy earbuds rated for 50mw or whatever they are.
i have to turn up the iPod over 90% to get a good fat sound with them. Granted, my headphones are kind of an extreme situation, but any kind of full size headphones will swallow the iPods 30mW headphone amp for breakfast. These headphones arent exotic or anything. they sell the same kind of stuff at best buy.
Not everyone uses little crappy earbuds rated for 50mw or whatever they are.
if the ipods amp was smaller, you would just have to turn it up more to match the same dB output as what you have now on a bigger amp. it wouldnt be any more or less noise, because they dB output just needs to be right in relation to the iTrip. if the iTrip was at full sounds without distortion at 10mW, a 15mW amp would be turned up almost all the way, while a 30mW amp would be about half or so (all roughly). its still 10mW whether its the top end of a small amp or the middle of a bigger amp. you only hear distortion because the output of your ipod is higher than is needed for the input of the iTrip.
The iPod is praised by audiophiles because of the relatively beefy amp. The iPod drives my AKG 270s great... my Sharp Minidisc barely gets loud enough. The sony's get loud as the sharp, but the quality blows.
oh i know the amp is bigger than others, but those guys were complaining because they couldnt understand any situation in the world where somebody might need a 30mW amp. i'm just trying to say other people have different uses/habits with the iPod.
I just hope that they solve the problem soon. In my opinion, the ideal soluition would be any type of easily replacable batteries. Apple made a big mistake when they made the battery in the iPod built-in, instead of easily replacable. Being able to take out the battery is better for convenience and would give the iPod a longer life.
I hope they just resolve the issue soon, because that is the only thing that is keeping me from buying one right now. I don't want to have to replace the iPod after only a year and half of use.
I hope they just resolve the issue soon, because that is the only thing that is keeping me from buying one right now. I don't want to have to replace the iPod after only a year and half of use.