Apple iPhone Battery Replacement $85.95

[cliffjumper68]

Edge network

The edge network drops or limits data when it is busy with voice calls. They get priority. It is the same with all the networks, so unless you are in a very well covered area do not expect data coverage during high demand times (i.e. mother's day ect.)

 

[davidh_la]

This is a non-issue

85 is fine.

Not great, but fine.

This is better than any other cell phone period, so stop whining. Stop comparing it to crappy phones.

I love the iPhone -- and my Visual Voicemail (still) isn't working correctly yet!

I've never updated my battery on any phone. I always end up upgrading before it needs replacement. I'm sure the iPhone will be no exception.

 

[coolfactor]

Some money making tactic.

Hardly. In 18 months, wages will have gone up a tad. There's no room in this $89 for Apple to be making any money. It's just covering the cost of the service.

 

[coolfactor]

Is Apple a little arrogant? Absolutely. Do they have a right to be? Yes. Why? Because, IMO, no other company can do the things they do. Do you really think MS could come out with something like the iPhone for all the money and programmers, etc they could throw at it? Apple is something special. They are JUST a company, however, and are their products perfect? No, but they're certainly more perfect than anyone else's.

Bravo! Well said.

 

[irun5k]

Back to costs, your categorization applies ... could the battery be cheaper? Yes, but could the process be more expensive? Yes. Will it probably be "made better" in the future? I'd imagine so. Apple rarely sits on it's laurels for too long. You know they have a team of engineers already working on version 2, and probably watching threads like this to see what people have to say.

Right, I agree...the prospect of having to pay almost $90 for a battery replacement doesn't sound too good when you first consider it. I remember spending almost $400 on a Sony Clie (615-T I think) a few years ago. It was super thin, nice metal enclosure, with a non-serviceable battery. It is still working today (my Mom has it now), but it isn't in daily use. Even a percentage of iPods probably aren't used daily- I don't use mine except at the gym 3 times a week. So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out, with a device that almost everyone will be using daily.

One guess is that in 2 years, many people will be glad if they're only paying 90 bucks instead of giving in to the temptation of the latest and greatest iPhone that just came out. It is kind of like my car- occasionally it needs expensive repairs but I'm glad to not have a car payment. I'm curious how long the average phone stays in service? And how this compares to other gadgets, like PDAs.

 

[Yankees 4 Life]

hmm i dunno, sound like a solid program to me

i agree... its just apple being apple

85 is fine.

Not great, but fine.

This is better than any other cell phone period, so stop whining. Stop comparing it to crappy phones.

I love the iPhone -- and my Visual Voicemail (still) isn't working correctly yet!

I've never updated my battery on any phone. I always end up upgrading before it needs replacement. I'm sure the iPhone will be no exception.

hey, the visual voicemail you have to set it up yourself using settings in the iphone when you go to settings>>phone>>voicemail... its there somewhere how to set it up Good luck

 

[DrEwe]

I've replaced 3-4 batteries myself in an iPod for <$20. I'd be shocked to learn we can't obtain a battery off eBay when the replacement is necessary.

3 business days is just silly. I'm going to crack it open and change it myself.

Anyone agree/disagree?

The battery is soldered in - so it wouldn't be as easy as an iPod battery replacement

 

[KurtangleTN]

Wow, there goes me wanting an iPhone.

 

[Ubuntu]

No, this is a place for discussion, but I don't see how in one post you can say you're Anti-Apple, in the next say your Kinda Anti-Apple and then the one after that say you'd like to work at Apple! In order to have a viable discussion, you first need to determine what your position is. You can't seem to decide what you think, and that is what leads to others' confusion and frustration. You come off like Apple is a horrible company and they are to be loathed. Talk like that on MR will bring down considerable response, as it clearly has. It'd be like try preaching the virtues of being a vegan on a hunting-related forum.

Is Apple a little arrogant? Absolutely. Do they have a right to be? Yes. Why? Because, IMO, no other company can do the things they do. Do you really think MS could come out with something like the iPhone for all the money and programmers, etc they could throw at it? Apple is something special. They are JUST a company, however, and are their products perfect? No, but they're certainly more perfect than anyone else's.

Maybe you are blind?

Overall, I am pretty much anti-apple.

Oh look, I said pretty much, and overall. Isn't that just outstanding? I thought I'd pick out those words because you decided to pick out my language.


I love macs. I am a mac enthusiast. I'd love to talk about macs all day, and I do. I'd love to work with macs... and hey, fancy that, working for Apple would be one stellar job! I'd say that this discussion is pretty viable, albeit for the digressive nature. I'm pretty certain on what I think, thank you.

The response has been pretty good, it's been respectable, and clean. Please, please please don't treat me like some naive idiot, because I'm not.

Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist

 

[Chupa Chupa]

For a company that stresses simplicity this is just crazy insane. I think 100% of the population 5 years old and up know how to change a battery. Why does Apple make this more difficult and expensive than necessary. Sorry but you can't say this isn't pure greed equal to anything M$ has ever done. The battery should be user replaceable or at least not soldered in so a savvy user could do the replacement himself.

Its not just about the money. Think of all the resources used to replace one stinking battery (man power, gas , electricity, shipping boxes -- which may get recycled or may just end up in the dump). It's pure waste. Please don't talk about Apple or Al Gore being environmentally conscience with this policy in place. At the very least they should have designed the phone so that the battery could be replaced in-store.

That said, I wonder if the forthcoming AppleCare for iPhone for $69 will cover batteries, and if so, what criterion/criteria will Apple use to determine a battery should be replaced?

 

[oscuh]

Maybe you are blind?



Oh look, I said pretty much, and overall. Isn't that just outstanding? I thought I'd pick out those words because you decided to pick out my language.


I love macs. I am a mac enthusiast. I'd love to talk about macs all day, and I do. I'd love to work with macs... and hey, fancy that, working for Apple would be one stellar job! I'd say that this discussion is pretty viable, albeit for the digressive nature. I'm pretty certain on what I think, thank you.

The response has been pretty good, it's been respectable, and clean. Please, please please don't treat me like some naive idiot, because I'm not.

Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist

What's sad here is you don't see the irony on your own statements. You can't LOVE Macs and be Anti-Apple all at the same time. And using "Pretty Much" as a qualifier doesn't change what you're saying.

And I wasn't treating you like a naive idiot. If you felt that way, I apologize, but maybe you're feeling that way because you made certain statements (and seem to continue to make statements that don't make sense), got called on it, and are now backing water. Calling me "blind" not only doesn't make sense, it serves no purpose in this context. Oh, and don't you see that I'm not the only one who seems to be questioning your line of reasoning? If one person thinks your off, it's no big deal, but when lots do, maybe there's something to it ... keep that in mind, and maybe try to be a bit more concise in your posts. You may know what you're saying, but apparently the rest of us don't.

At any rate, this has gotten waaay off topic, so I shall retire.

 

[poe diddley]

omg really?

seriously? apple made the iphone with a battery you have to send in to get replaced? that's majorly retarded. i'm sure they did it so they could make a few bucks off the replacement service but what kind of crapola is that?
you want me to send my phone in and not have it for THREE FULL DAYS in order to switch the battery?
omg that's reason #1 why i probably won't get an iphone now. if i pay $500 for a phone and have to send it in to get the battery switched and go without a phone for 3 days or pay to rent one or whatever, then it's worthless to me.
sorry it looks cool, but that's a major obstacle in my opinion. if i can't pop in a new battery myself, and i have to use AT&T which is terrible in my area, then i for sure won't be getting one.

gimme a call in two years when i can get one on verizon, and the battery can be switched out by the user.

 

[Draelius]

Apple wants you to send in your phone...

seriously? apple made the iphone with a battery you have to send in to get replaced? that's majorly retarded. i'm sure they did it so they could make a few bucks off the replacement service but what kind of crapola is that?
you want me to send my phone in and not have it for THREE FULL DAYS in order to switch the battery?
omg that's reason #1 why i probably won't get an iphone now. if i pay $500 for a phone and have to send it in to get the battery switched and go without a phone for 3 days or pay to rent one or whatever, then it's worthless to me.
sorry it looks cool, but that's a major obstacle in my opinion. if i can't pop in a new battery myself, and i have to use AT&T which is terrible in my area, then i for sure won't be getting one.

gimme a call in two years when i can get one on verizon, and the battery can be switched out by the user.

...so they can get the phone numbers off your contact list for marketing purposes.

JUST KIDDING....or am I?!?!?!

 

[daveschroeder]

seriously? apple made the iphone with a battery you have to send in to get replaced? that's majorly retarded. i'm sure they did it so they could make a few bucks off the replacement service but what kind of crapola is that?
you want me to send my phone in and not have it for THREE FULL DAYS in order to switch the battery?
omg that's reason #1 why i probably won't get an iphone now. if i pay $500 for a phone and have to send it in to get the battery switched and go without a phone for 3 days or pay to rent one or whatever, then it's worthless to me.
sorry it looks cool, but that's a major obstacle in my opinion. if i can't pop in a new battery myself, and i have to use AT&T which is terrible in my area, then i for sure won't be getting one.

gimme a call in two years when i can get one on verizon, and the battery can be switched out by the user.

Wow.

Did you read ANYTHING in this thread?

- You probably won't even need to replace the battery in the life of the phone (i.e., how long you keep it before replacing it). But if you do:

- You can get a loaner iPhone while your battery is being replaced, which will look, act, and behave exactly like your own iPhone, with all its data, after one sync with iTunes...no downtime and no time without your iPhone.

- You can receive a replacement phone via an Apple Retail store on-demand; again, one sync with iTunes and it's "your" phone.

- What's that? They don't even give you your own phone back?!?! No; calm down. They give you a replacement phone that is either new, or a factory-refurbished phone in a brand-new enclosure (so it looks brand new) with its own 90-day service warranty.

- This service is only needed once the phone is out of warranty or AppleCare, otherwise the battery is covered.

- This is the way it's been on iPods since November 2003.

- This isn't so Apple can "make a few bucks" on battery replacements. They'd prefer to never have to replace the batteries at all. It also isn't so people are forced to get new iPhones. It's an engineering decision, pure and simple, that allows for the phone to be considerably thinner (likely by a couple millimeters or more, and yes, that is a big difference) and allows for its sleek, untarnished appearance. Obviously some people will insist it's a way for Apple to make money or that this is planned obsolescence, or that they only reason they offer a battery replacement is for PR purposes. (Sigh.)

- As to your "pay to rent one" comment, just pretend that the battery replacement service is $108 instead of $79, then. Simple. If you think it's too expensive, that's one thing. But so are many OEM batteries. The bottom line is Apple WILL replace your battery, and you DO NOT have to go without a phone. It's not like you have to replace the battery every other month. If anything, it's more like every other year (if that). The iPod battery replacement service was $99 for years. Yeah, people complained. But then, it didn't stop 100 million iPods from being sold, did it? Has it occurred to you that part of the reason things like iPods and the iPhone are so desirable is that they're not covered with battery compartment doors and screwholes and bulked up with all the crap needed to get at the battery? Even if it's a half an ounce or a couple millimeters thicker, that's a lot in these devices.

Next time, try reading the thread before you respond.

 

[LimeiBook86]

I think the price of the battery replacement is pretty high. But, I believe that other companies may start offering the same thing. iPodResQ.com has battery replacement services for around $50. So it may only be a matter of time until we start seeing battery replacement services from other companies.

The iPhone is still very new, so we just have to wait a while and see what happens. But, still, Apple's battery replacement price is very high in my opinion.

 

[daveschroeder]

I think the price of the battery replacement is pretty high. But, I believe that other companies may start offering the same thing. iPodResQ.com has battery replacement services for around $50. So it may only be a matter of time until we start seeing battery replacement services from other companies.

The iPhone is still very new, so we just have to wait a while and see what happens. But, still, Apple's battery replacement price is very high in my opinion.

Well, the iPod battery replacement was $99 for two years. Now it's $59. Third parties have always been cheaper.

But through Apple, you don't have to be without your phone if you send it in. Perhaps third parties will also offer loaner iPhones like Apple does, and at a cheaper price.

Do-it-yourself kits will probably also become available, but the iPhone looks considerably more difficult to take apart than iPods, and the battery is soldered to boot.

The bottom line is there will be ways to replace the battery, and ways to do it without giving up your phone. I don't know why this is such a big deal for something that is done so infrequently.

For people who want to SWAP batteries (e.g., with a charged one), that's a different argument entirely. But that's just not how iPhone is. Besides, anywhere there is a USB port, you have a "charger".

 

[mustang_dvs]

I hear you! That phone insurance is really nice! Sprint replaced my wifes 2 year old phone that was falling apart with a brand new one and threw in another wall charger too.

...

Wasn't there some talk out there of battery swaps being able to be done in Apple stores?

24 months of phone "insurance" will run you $120-150 at Verizon or Sprint.

iPhones are only serviced at the depot level, according to the Geniuses I've asked.

3 business days is just silly. I'm going to crack it open and change it myself.

As far as I can tell it's: Drop off & ship out (day 1), depot receive and ship back (day 2), deliver/pick-up (day 3).

ThinkSecret "cracked" open their iPhone and destroyed the circuit board in the process.

isn't there an apple care protection plan available for the iphone as there is for all other apple hardware?

1 year hardware warranty included, additional year of coverage via AppleCare is $69, later this month.

I already need to send in my iPhone for repair, and no way am I paying for a rental! That should be provided, or at least a cheap loaner phone.

Take it back to the Apple Store for an inspection -- if you haven't damaged it, they'll perform an even exchange for a new unit, in-store, for free.

Does this mean if the battery in my brand new iPhone is bad and will not hold a charge from day 1, I'm out $86 bucks?

DOA units or units that fail from defect within 14 days (return period) are replaced on-site via even-exchange. Non-damaged defective units between days 15-365 are covered by warranty for free repair/replacement.

Yeah the Battery Life is pretty bogus its noon and my battery is half dead...

Considering the ones in the Apple Stores are getting used pretty much constantly from 10am-9pm and spend nearly 0 time in the dock charging, I was pretty impressed to pick one up at 8pm Saturday and still see battery life remaining.

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.

I call shenanigans -- considering that the guys at PC World were throwing an iPhone against concrete repeatedly, and it didn't "crack", or even scratch, I don't see how a "fall" would destroy an iPhone.

IPhone is similar to iPod, so the process for iPhone is probably similar.

....

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.

I'm not so sure that there will be replacement/refurb iPhones in-store, according to what I was told by a Genius -- that all replacements come from the depot.

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.

The battery is covered by the warranty. Furthermore, you're probably one of those people who'd complain if the battery wasn't soldered because dropping it or bumping it could disconnect or weaken the contacts.

Looks pretty straightforward to get to the battery....pry off the black back part, unscrew 4 screws, slide off the black. Done. There's the battery. I don't see what the big deal is. If you've taken apart any electronics before, taking apart the iPhone would not be very difficult.

Considering that 80% of people look at you funny when you tell them to right-click something (yes, this includes PC-users), I wouldn't assume that Joe Schmo can, should, or would even want to crack open their $600 iPhone and attack it with a soldering iron.

When I got my first Powerbook, I was all like "Gooooooooooooodbye crashes!" and then it crashed over time, it froze, etc, it's inevitable, but the fact that I purchased the machine mainly because Apple sold it to me as if it was a vaccination for the world's most evil disease was now like a sting in my side. It still doesn't crash as much as my PC (which is better spec), and my macbook crashes a fair bit too.

WTF are you doing to your Macs?!? Or, when Firefox crashes, do you blame Apple for it? I run Final Cut Studio 1, the CS2 suite, a couple of high-spec games and a bunch of other demanding apps on my MacBook Pro, usually at least a couple of them simultaneously and I haven't had a kernel panic in more than a year, according to my system logs.

I think you simply enjoy trolling.

 

[LimeiBook86]

Well, the iPod battery replacement was $99 for two years. Now it's $59. Third parties have always been cheaper.

Yes, that is true. I don't think the price of the battery replacement for the iPhone will always be that high. It will probably (and hopefully) go down. Also there are third-party dock connector adapters which work on the iPod where you can put in four AA batteries and it will charge the device. I have tested one of these from Maxell and it works with my iPhone, I'll be talking about it in my blog shortly.

 

[poe diddley]

to mr. know it all

yeah actually i DID read the thread.
and i still don't want one.
nothing you said about my post debunked anything i said.
yes, ipod batteries are the same way.
but if you had actually read the thread you would see that other people brought up the fact that ipods aren't used the same way. i personally haven't used my ipod in over a month, so i could care less about it's battery. if it goes bad, i'll send it off for a new one.
but a phone is a very personal device that many people rely on for daily things. most people i know don't have a land line that they can use while they wait on their battery to get switched.
and if you have to rent a phone then that's $30 extra dollars. and yes, i think $108 is a silly price to pay to switch your battery and have a temporary phone.
i personally don't like the idea of sending my phone off anywhere, and i doubt i'm the only one that feels that way.
i have been a mac lover for over 12 years, and i will probably prefer apple products for many years to come, but i feel like the battery issue is a real one. i wouldn't buy a phone that i can't switch the battery out myself no matter how cool it is. yes the iphone is awesome, but i doubt i'm the only one that feels like the battery issue is no good.
it's a telephone, not an ipod. i don't want to send my phone off for any amount of time. if my phone that i use now breaks, i take it to verizon and they give me a new one. i don't have to be without or pay for a rental phone while i wait for mine to be fixed.
and it's great that i probably won't have to replace the battery in the life of the phone, but how do you know that for sure? how can you guess anyone's usage and individual circumstances?
and yes, i think it's silly that apple designed it that way. and you're not really thinking if you believe that it wasn't designed that way on purpose. why make it easy to swap out the battery when we can make a few dollars off the replacement? the ipods are like that so no one will care. people like you will defend the fact that the ipod is the same way, but almost 90% of all other cell phone batteries can be switched by a child.
9 times out of 10 i agree with apple's designs, and i don't think it's that big of a deal on the ipod, but i do think it's a big deal on a phone.
i'm sorry that you don't agree with my reasons for thinking the battery issue is absurd, but this is a discussion forum for everyone to voice their ideas on this new product. i think it could be better. it's awesome that apple designs such sleek and functional products. and to some degree i agree that part of it comes from the fact that there aren't screwholes and clips and such. i agree the battery should be internal instead of a normal plastic popout. however, i DON'T think that it's such a great idea that a user with hardware knowledge be forced to send theirs off to swap the battery. if apple spent the $ it could be offered in house at an apple store or any at&t phone store. they would just need to supply the necesary tools and instructions to the employees of each store.
i dunno the solution. but i don't think you really realize why it's a problem or why most people don't like the idea.

NEXT TIME try not being such a smart alek when you reply to someone's post

Wow.

Did you read ANYTHING in this thread?

- You probably won't even need to replace the battery in the life of the phone (i.e., how long you keep it before replacing it). But if you do:

- You can get a loaner iPhone while your battery is being replaced, which will look, act, and behave exactly like your own iPhone, with all its data, after one sync with iTunes...no downtime and no time without your iPhone.

- You can receive a replacement phone via an Apple Retail store on-demand; again, one sync with iTunes and it's "your" phone.

- What's that? They don't even give you your own phone back?!?! No; calm down. They give you a replacement phone that is either new, or a factory-refurbished phone in a brand-new enclosure (so it looks brand new) with its own 90-day service warranty.

- This service is only needed once the phone is out of warranty or AppleCare, otherwise the battery is covered.

- This is the way it's been on iPods since November 2003.

- This isn't so Apple can "make a few bucks" on battery replacements. They'd prefer to never have to replace the batteries at all. It also isn't so people are forced to get new iPhones. It's an engineering decision, pure and simple, that allows for the phone to be considerably thinner (likely by a couple millimeters or more, and yes, that is a big difference) and allows for its sleek, untarnished appearance. Obviously some people will insist it's a way for Apple to make money or that this is planned obsolescence, or that they only reason they offer a battery replacement is for PR purposes. (Sigh.)

- As to your "pay to rent one" comment, just pretend that the battery replacement service is $108 instead of $79, then. Simple. If you think it's too expensive, that's one thing. But so are many OEM batteries. The bottom line is Apple WILL replace your battery, and you DO NOT have to go without a phone. It's not like you have to replace the battery every other month. If anything, it's more like every other year (if that). The iPod battery replacement service was $99 for years. Yeah, people complained. But then, it didn't stop 100 million iPods from being sold, did it? Has it occurred to you that part of the reason things like iPods and the iPhone are so desirable is that they're not covered with battery compartment doors and screwholes and bulked up with all the crap needed to get at the battery? Even if it's a half an ounce or a couple millimeters thicker, that's a lot in these devices.

Next time, try reading the thread before you respond.

 

[ChrisA]

Ok so AFTER we spend out 500+ tax and 600+tax which is alot to begin with. They now tell us that the batter replacement is gong to cost us 80 dollars + this is ridculous. Apple is trying to milk its customers for everything its worth. The phone itself is overprice for what it can do right now and they wanna charge nearly 20% of phone price for a battery replacement. This is seriously making consider switching back to old my carrier.

The phone is not that expensive. Other phones seem cheap because the phone company is selling them at a loss so they can sell you a service plan. People are signing contracts for $60 per month for 24 months. That's $1,440.00 just for the "cheap" plan many will sign up for the $2,400 plan. If you spend $90 for a new battery every 18 months. it adds just over a buck a week to the package. Pocket chance to a guy who is tied to a $2,400 contract. In fact the whole phone is "pocket change" compared to the contract.

wWho cares what a battery replacement price it today. No one will need to buy a battery for some time. By then the price will be different and there will be many other options, some walk-in services will spring up, some eBay stores will offer the battery and so on. Apple only sets the high end of the price of thebattery.

 

[daveschroeder]

yeah actually i DID read the thread.

Apparently not good enough.

You keep saying you don't want to send your phone off somewhere because it's such a personal thing (which is debatable, but whatever).

Well, you don't even get your own phone back. You get a new one, or one in a new enclosure.

I imagine you'll think that's even worse, but it kind of proves to me you either aren't reading or aren't comprehending what's going on here.

and i still don't want one.

I don't care if you don't want one; that wasn't the purpose of my response.

It was to point out to others that:

1. There is a way to get the battery replaced, and

2. Many OEM battery replacements are expensive, and

3. There will be mechanisms for third parties to replace the battery.

Yeah, I "get it"...people want to freak out because the battery is sealed in, as if they'll be replacing the battery once a month. Most people won't replace it AT ALL in the time the own the product, and if they do, you get what is essentially a new phone back. I've already heard the bazillion tired arguments about this with iPod.

I just think it's humorous that the only reason, or the primary reason, some people aren't getting the phone is because of this, when chances are they will never replace the battery. Sure, everyone can come up with a counterargument. But the reasons for making the iPhone AND iPod this way is a tradeoff for size and appearance, and it has paid off with the iPod in spades.

Yes, the iPhone is a different product than iPod...so if iPod's battery replacement program is acceptable to you, it doesn't follow that iPhone's isn't, especially since there is a way for you to have a phone that looks, acts, and appears exactly like your own phone, with all the data intact (after one sync with iTunes) in the meantime, and then immediately swap back when the replacement arrives. I'm sorry, your logic simply doesn't follow.

Your only argument, then, is that the battery replacement is too expensive. Any other arguments (you'd send an iPod off, but not an iPhone...? or that a phone is somehow more sentimental or personal than an iPod) don't follow your own chain of logic.

If you don't want the phone, don't get it. If you don't want an iPhone because it's doesn't have a user replaceable battery, great. But at least understand that your reasoning makes no sense IF the battery replacement is acceptable for iPod. (I can hear it now: "But the iPod is a music player...this is my phone!" Yeah. Which is why you get a loaner that will be exactly like your own phone in every way in the meantime. "But I want my own phone back!!" Well, you don't get your own iPod back, either, yet that's ok, but not with a phone? Jeez. It's no wonder I feel like I'm repeating myself.)

 

[BrianKonarsMac]

I suppose I know who this iPhone is targeted toward - rich people.

5-600 for a cell phone wasn't enough of a tip to begin with?

 

[Cedars1974]

You know maybe it's just me but what percentage of you really have ever kept a cellphone for 2 years or longer? I mean I really don't see not upgrading within 2 years.

 

[carfac]

Since Apple provides a loaner iPhone ...

I find your word chose just a bit disingenuous... Apple provides a rental service, but they certainly do not provide a loaner. You are already paying a hefty fee for the battery service , and are required to be under Apple Care too. I think the notion that Apple is "providing a loaner" implies they are furnishing something gratis, which is certainly not the case. Battery replacement with loaner is 120 buck!

 

[DiamondMac]

Dude, it's "cycles," not "charges." Big difference - and a common misunderstanding, especially on these forums.

"Cycles" mean from a full charge down to completely drained.
Most people do not cycle a battery in a single day. Like me, most users charge their devices on a daily basis (before going to bed?). Thus, they are not hitting the equivalent of a cycle until 3-4 days (roughly). That's where they get the 3-4 year battery life claim.

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

HTH

Great post. Answered my questions.