very true.. spend 70 bucks, buy the warranty and you save yourself the extra hassle...
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple iPhone Battery Replacement $85.95
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
very true.. spend 70 bucks, buy the warranty and you save yourself the extra hassle...
No, no, not the replacement programme itself, but the price. I find it sad that the iPhone cannot be opened by the user... but I'd hope that they'd have a decent price on the battery.
My SE phone lasts soooooooooo long, even with moderate use, and I can buy spare batteries, for barely anything. It's also quicker. I'm just wondering how the people who think that I'm mad for disliking the iPhone can defend this. It looks quite sinister, especially with the release of information timing.
And yeah, they have an iPod one, I recall the prices being even worse.
Why should the service cost so much though? I mean, it's a fault that the battery can't be removed (that's ridiculous, my main phone is a samsung u600 and that packs so much inside - including a 3.2mp cam - and still allows the user to remove the battery), but why should the user have to pay so much to fix it?
And how do you know that the battery is super long lasting? Or that it has a significantly better lifetime? We don't know that yet, but my point is that other phone companies seem to handle the problem better.
And I know that things cost money. I don't mind paying for things, please don't think that I expect everything thing to be free, because I don't, as I never actually said that.
But I do find it odd that being a user who has a contract phone that will total up to £0.00 (and the phone is free), I can easily get a new battery, for free in warranty and buy one for about £10 if needs be. I can also do it myself, so there is no risk of damage to the phone.
It's bad enough that the iPhone costs so much (although the contract is quite extensive it seems), I'd just expect a better price on the battery. But hey, this is Apple...
This is simply the first generation of something so completely different than what is out there. It will always be more expensve at the git go. Like the original iPod. Not many could afford one at 500 bucks five years ago but now there are various price and size levels. The iPhone had to start somewhere and soon it will not be for just the "rich people." This is a amazing devise and the half miilion people using it now will help make it even better quickly with their comments, suggestions and complaints. Even if it does 80% of what it is suppose to do, it will be a huge success. Probably already satified 90% of the buyers or more.
A lot compared to what? The subsidised cost of your higher-end PDA Smartphones can easy approach $500-$600. Is it a lot of money? Yes, but Apple certainly isn't alone in the field of expensive gadgetry. This goes back to the PC/Windows argument that their machines are better than Apple because they're cheaper. Riiiiight. Just like a stripped down Chevy Cavalier is sooo much better than a Cadillac CTS-V.
If they were trying to milk their customers, they'd charge $800 for the low-end and $1000 for the high-end ... and people would still buy them because of the Cult-of-Apple mentality a lot of us have. Just look at them go on eBay for $800 and more.
Do you really think you'll have to change the battery in it all that much? I've had numerous cellphones, all for 2-3 years at a time, and have not ONCE needed a replacement battery. If you have to swap the iPhone battery, it'll be rare.
Lastly, it sounds like you bought an iPhone? If so, WHY??? If you think they're so expensive, etc etc, why would you spend the money?
I tentatively agree: meaning, I replaced the batt and HD in my 1st gen iPod. Easy as pie. But that was 1st gen which was practically analog compared to the iPhone.
Still, I feel pretty confident by the time people are needing new batteries, all the pieces of the puzzle will be in place for users to do it themselves.
My ¢2
I saw a video of two people actually taking apart an iphone outside of an apple store with everybody watching......when they got to the battery (which was with great difficulty, the guy couldn't just pry it apart, he needed a tiny screwdriver to take off some teeny teeny screws), it became apparent that it would be difficult to change the battery yourself. The battery is actually attached via soldering to two wires. So unless you're real handy with electronic parts and soldering, I wouldn't attempt it, just pay the 90 bucks.
Okay... no. Nice assumption, though. By the logic I used in my original post, I was merely wondering how the fanboys would defend this. That does not make everyone who defends it a fanboy.
Consequently, I guess that makes your statement about me being a zealot somewhat incorrect. It's only correct if your assumption is correct, but here's the fun part... it isn't! Yay!
Overall, I am pretty much anti-apple. I think the mac ads are insulting to consumers because they are incredibly bias and remind me of the sort of propaganda I heard in Iraq (seriously, check www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com), I think they were stupid to actually declare that macs never crash on their switch campaign (has been removed, I think), and generally I think they hype up a lot of things sooooooooooooooo much.
But on the other hand, I like the more personal side of Apple. The side that let me keep a macbook battery they sent to me by accident, as well as the replacement charger. Not bad, right? I've got Applecare, though.
And also I recall hearing about a lady who dropped her iPhone and cracked it. I'm not going to be stupid and say "OMFG SEE?! IT SUCKS!!!" because that stuff happens, I'm actually delighted to hear that her local apple store emailed her and replaced it for free.
So, for the digression, I am kinda anti-apple. Kinda.
Just because the iPod was this way doesn't mean the iPHONE must be this way. After all, Apple and Steve have said it ISN'T an iPod. 99% of cell phones have user replaceable batteries and I think the iPhone should be this way as well. I'm sure it was sealed as an engineering decision but why? Space? Not too likely IMHO. To keep dust out? That I could understand but still pretty weak and not something which couldn't be overcome.
One poster mentioned the battery should last 300-400 charges. I SERIOUSLY hope this is not the case. Think about this, most people likely charge their cell phone EVERY DAY. Given 365 days in a year, the iPhone battery would barely last a year. Granted, these maybe full discharge and charge cycles which then would last two years. That is significantly better but I don't think I have changed the battery in my phone in 3 years.
Okay... no. Nice assumption, though. By the logic I used in my original post, I was merely wondering how the fanboys would defend this. That does not make everyone who defends it a fanboy.
Consequently, I guess that makes your statement about me being a zealot somewhat incorrect. It's only correct if your assumption is correct, but here's the fun part... it isn't! Yay!
Overall, I am pretty much anti-apple. I think the mac ads are insulting to consumers because they are incredibly bias and remind me of the sort of propaganda I heard in Iraq (seriously, check www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com), I think they were stupid to actually declare that macs never crash on their switch campaign (has been removed, I think), and generally I think they hype up a lot of things sooooooooooooooo much.
But on the other hand, I like the more personal side of Apple. The side that let me keep a macbook battery they sent to me by accident, as well as the replacement charger. Not bad, right? I've got Applecare, though.
And also I recall hearing about a lady who dropped her iPhone and cracked it. I'm not going to be stupid and say "OMFG SEE?! IT SUCKS!!!" because that stuff happens, I'm actually delighted to hear that her local apple store emailed her and replaced it for free.
So, for the digression, I am kinda anti-apple. Kinda.
Thumbs up to you for being able to take both sides, even if you're mostly on one side. Too many people these days polarize themselves and shut themselves out from the otherside. *applause*
Anywho, I have to say, I've replaced my iPod battery... and my other iPod battery, and my friend's iPod battery and flash... Next Macbook I get, I'll be replacing the hard drive myself. I think I'll be confident enough to replace the iPhone battery. Of course, I need to get an iPhone first.... On the other hand, if I decide I don't want to do it myself, I don't mind shelling out $80 to get my battery replaced.
Sure, $80 for a battery replacement is kinda steep. But if I read correctly before, the AppleCare is going to be like $70, yea? Just get that, and you get coverage and a battery replacement. IMO, extended warranty is great. Even if you don't use it.
Like someone said earlier, we'll most likely see 3rd party replacement services go for maybe as low as $30 like we do with the iPods.
...
LA is a pretty big place. Its not safe to assume it is an iPhone problem based on your device working properly. There are cell towers everywhere.
LA is a pretty big place. Its not safe to assume it is an iPhone problem based on your device working properly. There are cell towers everywhere.
Space is the number one reason. There are actually a lot of reasons (not having to have a battery door and access panels/mechanisms, etc.), but space is the primary reason. It's not as simple as people imagine to just have the back panel be able to slide off. For user-replaceable components, they have to be segregated from the rest of the components, and that adds size and weight even for just a few small pieces of plastic. The door and access mechanisms add size and weight, no matter how miniscule. The phone would probably be a minimum of 2mm thicker. Some people say "2mm? What's the big deal?" When the dimensions of the product are measured in millimeters, 2mm matters. 0.5mm would make it thicker than a Blackjack, whereas it isn't now. It all comes down to engineering for looks, size, and battery capacity.
ALL lithium ion batteries last that many charges. iPhone doesn't use some magic battery type. It's lithium ion (actually li-ion polymer) like anything else in this class. So if your usage style meant you didn't need to change your existing phone's battery for 3 years, you likely won't have to with iPhone either.
These questions have already been asked and answered for years with the iPod.
working fine for me in studio city.
A
also....
when they clone batteries come out, i bet they have their own program, where you send it in the first time, they add a little connector to the soldered wires, so for future batteries, you just upon it up and disconnect. I dont think most people would have too much trouble opening the phone, but soldering wires is another thing. my guess is there IS a way to make this easy coming. sans the apple replacement. although.... im still going apple certified until warranty is up..
A
also....
when they clone batteries come out, i bet they have their own program, where you send it in the first time, they add a little connector to the soldered wires, so for future batteries, you just upon it up and disconnect. I dont think most people would have too much trouble opening the phone, but soldering wires is another thing. my guess is there IS a way to make this easy coming. sans the apple replacement. although.... im still going apple certified until warranty is up..
EDGE back up in California
Good news. I called customer service and eventually got through to the service department (by the way, the Keypad doesn't work in speakerphone mode, another thing for the first firmware update).
They had people looking into the 2 hour outage. Apparently a statewide (California) problem with EDGE network logins. Or that's the Att line.
It's back up and working now. Maybe it will be faster now that no one could use it since 10:11am. Testing now... 132.3kbps, 1MB download time 1.1 minutes.
Let hope that never happens again!
Good news. I called customer service and eventually got through to the service department (by the way, the Keypad doesn't work in speakerphone mode, another thing for the first firmware update).
They had people looking into the 2 hour outage. Apparently a statewide (California) problem with EDGE network logins. Or that's the Att line.
It's back up and working now. Maybe it will be faster now that no one could use it since 10:11am. Testing now... 132.3kbps, 1MB download time 1.1 minutes.
Let hope that never happens again!
If you can't afford the phone, don't buy it. If you like your current phone better, do not buy the iPhone. Why are you making this so hard on yourself? It could be worse. You could be in Darfur. iPhones aren't even available there.
Yes, they fixed it, probably just before you tried it. I was told it was a statewide condition. And I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have said that if it weren't.
Let's hope it keeps working, all of a sudden 132kbps seems fast!
Let's also hope that they knew about the problem BEFORE I called. I hate to always have to be the one who leaves the movie theater to tell the manager that the movie is out of focus, or up too loud.
I wish companies cared about quality still. 132kbps? We're going to need more Fibre!!!
Al
Guys, let's keep the talk to the battery. There's plenty of other threads to talk about EDGE, etc...
Now, as freediverdude has mentioned - and if you look at any of the disassembly pics on the intertubes - you will see that the battery will not be user-replaceable for anyone (unless you're comfortable with soldering as the leads are soldered directly to the battery, etc).
I wish the rental program came with the battery replacement. Charging extra just to be able to use a phone while yours is out for work sucks.
Now, as freediverdude has mentioned - and if you look at any of the disassembly pics on the intertubes - you will see that the battery will not be user-replaceable for anyone (unless you're comfortable with soldering as the leads are soldered directly to the battery, etc).
I wish the rental program came with the battery replacement. Charging extra just to be able to use a phone while yours is out for work sucks.
hey buy the applecare plan... it'll save you lots of money in the future...
I am still wondering the same exact thing...
It's still out in htown texas...
that guy who wrote that message lives in the UK, so um he has no iphone, so how can an honest opinion be made by an apple hater?
time and cost to replace iPod battery
IPhone is similar to iPod, so the process for iPhone is probably similar.
-----------
COST TO REPLACE BATTERY
If it's under warranty, it's FREE, zero dollars.
-----------
TIME TO REPLACE BATTERY
Currently, if you need your iPod battery replaced under warranty,
APPLE STORE
Make Appt with Apple Store Genius Bar, walk in, you will walk out the same day with an essentially new iPod. Same day, not 1 day, not 2 days, not 3 days. SAME DAY.
BY MAIL
Well it takes a few days because it takes time to ship a package. Are you expecting that Apple will teleport you a new device?
-----------
Eough said.
IPhone is similar to iPod, so the process for iPhone is probably similar.
-----------
COST TO REPLACE BATTERY
If it's under warranty, it's FREE, zero dollars.
-----------
TIME TO REPLACE BATTERY
Currently, if you need your iPod battery replaced under warranty,
APPLE STORE
Make Appt with Apple Store Genius Bar, walk in, you will walk out the same day with an essentially new iPod. Same day, not 1 day, not 2 days, not 3 days. SAME DAY.
BY MAIL
Well it takes a few days because it takes time to ship a package. Are you expecting that Apple will teleport you a new device?
-----------
Eough said.
So, look, I'm not the biggest fan of the ads, either. But you're compaining because the Apple ads are biased toward Apple? Are you joking or trolling?
Yes
http://stream.ifixit.com/Parts/images/stream/images_large/10-21.jpg
The battery couldn't cost more than $20. In 6 months I predict 3rd party services charging $40 plus shipping to replace iPhone batteries.
Too bad it'll almost certainly void the warranty.
The main problem is that Apple solders the battery in there--doubling the replacement time.
Lame.