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Apple's iPad Battery Replacement Program Forgoes New Battery, Replaces iPad
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OK, but a 1.5 lb. wifi enabled device with a 9" LED backlit display and a 1ghz processor is not a nokia phone with a small display that sends and receives phone calls and SMS.
Do you have a notebook computer that you actually use outside the house? If you do, I imagine you have to charge it every day.
From this post you either are expecting a device with the size and class of the iPad with 100 hours of battery (something we aren't going to see in 2010) or you're being a bit contrarian for the sake of being contrarian.
Let's say the iPad gets 7 hours of realistic active battery life. Are you really going to use such a device for 7 hours straight? It's not a phone, so unless you carry a bag everywhere, it's not going everywhere. So what's the difference between plugging it in and changing the battery? If you aren't going to have a power outlet, get a hypermac. They are great.
Re. the 10 hour battery life that been bandied about................
And: READ THE WORDS CAREFULLY
I think need to sit down, take a deep breath and actually read what Apple themselves say:
iPad is powered by A4, Apples next-generation system-on-a-chip. Designed by Apple, the new A4 chip provides exceptional processor and graphics performance along with long battery life of up to 10 hours.* Apples advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging technology deliver up to 1,000 charge cycles without a significant decrease in battery capacity over a typical five year lifespan.**
*Apple tested wireless battery life by browsing web pages and receiving email over an AirPort® network, never letting the system go to sleep during the test, and keeping the display at half brightness. This is a typical scenario of use on the go, resulting in a battery performance number that is very relevant to mobile users.
**A properly maintained iPad battery is designed to retain 80 percent or more of its original capacity during a lifespan of up to 1,000 recharge cycles. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings.
So, 1st thing they actually say is: battery life of up to 10 hours.
I think we all know what "up to" means in real life.
Like your car can do up to 40 miles to the gallon
Or your broadband speed can be up to 10mb/sec
They are saying in an ideal world with a new battery you may get up to 10 hours from it.
Next they say: they got this "up to" 10 hours whilst web browsing and recieving some emails.No Flash playing remember.
No talk about HTML5 Video's playing.
No mention of music playing in the background.
No mention of using any apps (apple or otherwise)
Just browing plain web pages and recieving some emails, that's all they did to get "up to" 10 hours battery life.
Finally that rounded off at the end by saying it should hold 80% of it's new charge ability after 1000 charges (that's good) if it's properly maintained
So, I assume they will explain totally how to do this?
How far to let it run down and how long to charge it to be able to match this claim?
As I say, (as lawyers do) you need to read the words.
"IF" you discharge and charge it in a specific way, it "SHOULD" hold 80% of it's charge after 1000 cycles.
"IF" you only use it for viewing some undisclosed "WEB BROWSING and EMAIL" then it has a battery life of "UP TO" 10 hours.
And finally this all has to be done running the screen at half brightness. which they view as typical/relevant scenario for mobile users.
Not quite the "Iron Clad 10 hours in normal use" people may at 1st think.
And: READ THE WORDS CAREFULLY
I think need to sit down, take a deep breath and actually read what Apple themselves say:
iPad is powered by A4, Apples next-generation system-on-a-chip. Designed by Apple, the new A4 chip provides exceptional processor and graphics performance along with long battery life of up to 10 hours.* Apples advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging technology deliver up to 1,000 charge cycles without a significant decrease in battery capacity over a typical five year lifespan.**
*Apple tested wireless battery life by browsing web pages and receiving email over an AirPort® network, never letting the system go to sleep during the test, and keeping the display at half brightness. This is a typical scenario of use on the go, resulting in a battery performance number that is very relevant to mobile users.
**A properly maintained iPad battery is designed to retain 80 percent or more of its original capacity during a lifespan of up to 1,000 recharge cycles. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings.
So, 1st thing they actually say is: battery life of up to 10 hours.
I think we all know what "up to" means in real life.
Like your car can do up to 40 miles to the gallon
Or your broadband speed can be up to 10mb/sec
They are saying in an ideal world with a new battery you may get up to 10 hours from it.
Next they say: they got this "up to" 10 hours whilst web browsing and recieving some emails.No Flash playing remember.
No talk about HTML5 Video's playing.
No mention of music playing in the background.
No mention of using any apps (apple or otherwise)
Just browing plain web pages and recieving some emails, that's all they did to get "up to" 10 hours battery life.
Finally that rounded off at the end by saying it should hold 80% of it's new charge ability after 1000 charges (that's good) if it's properly maintained
So, I assume they will explain totally how to do this?
How far to let it run down and how long to charge it to be able to match this claim?
As I say, (as lawyers do) you need to read the words.
"IF" you discharge and charge it in a specific way, it "SHOULD" hold 80% of it's charge after 1000 cycles.
"IF" you only use it for viewing some undisclosed "WEB BROWSING and EMAIL" then it has a battery life of "UP TO" 10 hours.
And finally this all has to be done running the screen at half brightness. which they view as typical/relevant scenario for mobile users.
Not quite the "Iron Clad 10 hours in normal use" people may at 1st think.
Yes, but how is that possible with a unibody? You have to pick what is more valuable to you -- a firmer chassis or a replaceable battery -- not an insignificant choice, especially when you are talking about a largish handheld device. Even if you choose a replaceable battery it will not be able to have the same life as a non-replaceable b/c some of the space will have to be used for the back.
I would think if you hate recharging then you'd appreciate a longer life 10hr non-replaceable over a shorter life 6hr replaceable. Or are you really going to schelp around an extra 9" x 7" battery?
The iPad has a rated 10 hour battery life. We'll have to see if that is realistic or not, but lets say it's really 6. That is still more than any Mac laptop, and decent for most users.
As far as having to charge everyday, that's just a reality now. The first thing I do when I get home is put my iPhone in the dock b/c its spent at the end of the day. Even still I wouldn't switch to another phone just b/c it had longer battery life.
Same goes for every battery for evry company. Don't know what you are trying to show here, but this is old news. And by the most of people do use screen at 50% brightness to save power and to save LCD panel.
This is only for out of warrantee. Math: $105.95 divided into $499 => failure has to happen within 4.7 years. That is longer than the $99 battery warrantee. In other words, it ain't worth it folks. Add in the % probability >0 of refusal due to some "customer abuse" and it gets even worse.
Based on standard math for warrantees I come up with the cost to consumers should be $49 to be worth it. That should include standard shipping.
The fact that you'll be without the device for a week is a further reduction in value of the warrantee. Apple once kept my PowerBook for a very extended period. In fact, they thought they had lost it. Most annoying.
I'll pass on this warrantee. Statistically it is better to just get an extra iPad.
It's not a warranty,it's the price of OUT OF WARRANTY battery replacement.
New iPad if battery have issue, sweet
I can only believe this from Apple. True story, yesterday I went to see the Apple Man about an iTouch it was having problems with, a simple thing the top button was sticking, that all, but of course I have had this one for 16 months with no problems.
I get to the Apple store in Dallas and the place is buzzing, I ask about an appointment and get one for 30 minutes in the future, I go get my self a nice Starbuck Triple Expresso Grande and return. I get seen by "Steve" and he takes my iTouch, looks at it says be right back, comes back 2 minutes later with a bran new iTouch, I am surprise even for Apple customer service; tells me to sign a paper which is small and simple to read. No selling of your life or first born on it so I am all for it.
And walk away with a bran new iTouch.
So I can see where Apple would care more about the experience of the customer with the iPad than having a small amount of returns which they can refurbish back to perfect spec. That experience is what keeps me more than anything coming back to Apple.
I had a problem with my iphone 3G a time ago and they gave me a refurb, which it either is a refurb or not I can't tell you, I was perfectly new, I looked it up and down and found not one nick or scratch or anything that did not show it was a bran new phone, but it was a refurb supposedly.
I can see Apple moto been "the customer happy, brings business" I know it does with my money.
I can only believe this from Apple. True story, yesterday I went to see the Apple Man about an iTouch it was having problems with, a simple thing the top button was sticking, that all, but of course I have had this one for 16 months
with no problems. I get to the Apple store in Dallas and the place is buzzing, I ask about an appointment and get one for 30 minutes in the future, I go get my self a nice Starbuck Triple Expresso Grande and return. I get seen by "Steve" and he takes my iTouch, looks at it says be right back, comes back 2 minutes later with a bran new iTouch, I am surprise even for Apple customer service; tells me to sign a paper which is small and simple to read. No selling of your life or first born on it so I am all for it.
And walk away with a bran new iTouch.
So I can see where Apple would care more about the experience of the customer with the iPad than having a small amount of returns which they can refurbish back to perfect spec. That experience is what keeps me more than anything coming back to Apple.
I had a problem with my iphone 3G a time ago and they gave me a refurb, which it either is a refurb or not I can't tell you, I was perfectly new, I looked it up and down and found not one nick or scratch or anything that did not show it was a bran new phone, but it was a refurb supposedly.
I can see Apple moto been "the customer happy, brings business" I know it does with my money.
Are you saying you are so stupid that you do nothing as battery life decreases?When it's 1 hour you do nothing.When it's 30 minutes you do nothing,and so on.Besides it's never going to not run when plugged in.
And this DOES NOT MEAN THEY EXPECT PROBLEMS.It means they rightly expect questions about eventual battery replacement since the same questions came up about the iPhone.
Very well said, and if your going ot use the iPad so much which means its become your primary way to do business, oh now that would be a good life
I can't see why anyone would not have a connector everywhere your going to be, after all even 7 hours is a long time not charging anything that has battery and people own in todays world. I just can't wait to see what they do with OS 4 which should make the iPad blow everyone away again, hahahahaOrder/buy replacement battery. Swap batteries. Done? Seems a lot easier to me.
You are being ridiculous.As someone else said in this thread,Apple is #1 in customer service for a reason.
Damn
Oh wait I think I get it: they take the iPads people send in apart, and then make new iPads out of them, i.e. they recycle the parts, and that's what you get back... So basically you're getting an iPad back that has a blend of components from various people's battery-dead iPads... Very weird way to replace a battery indeed!
Not your entire life(hopefully!).Just until Apple stops supporting it.Call em and order a battery for your 1st gen ipod.
so if i scratch my ipad or engrave it or put a sticker on it then apple will still replace the ipad if the battery goes bad after 2 years?
i already can envision the threads: apple refuses to replace my iPad because it was badly scrated (or engraved or dented). now I have to buy a new $800 ipad instead of replacing a battery for $99.
i wonder how apple deals with this.
Have you heard any of those things about iPhones???No?Well guess what!They are under the exact same program with the same rules.So,no,we won't be seeing those threads.
What is the matter with Apple???
It is more convenient for Apple to have a cache of already battery replaced iPads on shelves so that they can turn around customers "iPads for battery replacement" than to open yours up and replace your battery! It is at the convenience of Apple, never mind that your just spent almost $900 on an iPad that you expected to be 100% functional including a battery. Oh, don't forget that you are also one of those meticulous individuals who prizes the electronic possessions and keeps them in pristine condition. Yeah, sure, I'll except and exchange in a pigs eye! Sounds like a class action suit brewing in a cauldron before the iPad even gets out of the running gate. Come on Steve Jobs. Would you except a trade in rather than a replacement one something that your worked hard for and kept up nicely ... say, your battery is dead on your BMW, Lexus, or whatever. Here's your scratched up car ... BTW, this one was in a fender bender. Sorry your trade in replacement just happen to be dropped on the floor at the airport!
It is more convenient for Apple to have a cache of already battery replaced iPads on shelves so that they can turn around customers "iPads for battery replacement" than to open yours up and replace your battery! It is at the convenience of Apple, never mind that your just spent almost $900 on an iPad that you expected to be 100% functional including a battery. Oh, don't forget that you are also one of those meticulous individuals who prizes the electronic possessions and keeps them in pristine condition. Yeah, sure, I'll except and exchange in a pigs eye! Sounds like a class action suit brewing in a cauldron before the iPad even gets out of the running gate. Come on Steve Jobs. Would you except a trade in rather than a replacement one something that your worked hard for and kept up nicely ... say, your battery is dead on your BMW, Lexus, or whatever. Here's your scratched up car ... BTW, this one was in a fender bender. Sorry your trade in replacement just happen to be dropped on the floor at the airport!
It is!
The down side of that is a thicker heavier case,reduced battery capacity,and some would be grossed out by a battery compartment door.Look at Apples product lineup.Check the batteries.This is the future.Deal with it.
It is more convenient for Apple to have a cache of already battery replaced iPads on shelves so that they can turn around customers "iPads for battery replacement" than to open yours up and replace your battery! It is at the convenience of Apple, never mind that your just spent almost $900 on an iPad that you expected to be 100% functional including a battery. Oh, don't forget that you are also one of those meticulous individuals who prizes the electronic possessions and keeps them in pristine condition. Yeah, sure, I'll except and exchange in a pigs eye! Sounds like a class action suit brewing in a cauldron before the iPad even gets out of the running gate. Come on Steve Jobs. Would you except a trade in rather than a replacement one something that your worked hard for and kept up nicely ... say, your battery is dead on your BMW, Lexus, or whatever. Here's your scratched up car ... BTW, this one was in a fender bender. Sorry your trade in replacement just happen to be dropped on the floor at the airport!
Wow!Rather than set you straight,I'll just say go back and read this entire thread.
This program will also change the MAC address of the WiFi - so if
someone is using MAC security on their WiFi network they'll need to
update the 802.11 access point.
The Iphone battery program does not say "replace" - in fact it
uses the phrase "your Iphone" many times.
Also it's interesting that it can change the battery in an Iphone
in 3 days, but it takes a week to swap Ipads.
someone is using MAC security on their WiFi network they'll need to
update the 802.11 access point.
The Iphone battery program does not say "replace" - in fact it
uses the phrase "your Iphone" many times.
Also it's interesting that it can change the battery in an Iphone
in 3 days, but it takes a week to swap Ipads.
All batteries on all mobile devices work this way, and I don't think we'll be seeing a 10" tablet with a removable battery best the iPad in battery life out of the gate.
For me, 10 hours best case sounds great. I don't mind recharging every day since I believe that is a logical consequence of devices with more capabilities.
On my Air, I usually get about 4 hours of use and it's 2 years old. In real life, the battery cycles and percentage haven't been a problem for me, so I don't expect it will be with the iPad. After 2 years and hundreds of cycles, I still get good battery time.
It's ironic. If the iPad had all the extra junk that the OSX tablet people complain about, they'd also be complaining about a more limited battery life.
That might change once they streamline the replacement process and have decent refurb stock levels. I'd bet the iPhone process is quicker now than it was initially.
And the reality is, just like the iPod, iPhone, Touch, MB, MBPs w/ sealed batteries there will be 3rd party kits if that's what you want to do.
And if you don't like the idea of replacing your own batteries or giving up your iPad under the Apple replacement plan, there is a solution to that too: sell your iPad every year and use the proceeds to buy a new one. you'll probably have to shell out another $100-150, which is what a new battery would cost, maybe a bit more, but you are also getting a brand new machine w/ the latest technology + a new 1 yr warranty.
Another reason the iPad sours me on Apple (and yes, I love apple):
What happens if you need a new battery? No worries, just send in your iPad and they'll send you a "new" one. You only need to-
"sync your iPad with iTunes to back up your contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc." because "Apple is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad." Then when you get a new iPad all you have to do is resync all your information, movies, music, etc and reconfigure all your network settings. Simple as that!
What happens if you need a new battery? No worries, just send in your iPad and they'll send you a "new" one. You only need to-
"sync your iPad with iTunes to back up your contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc." because "Apple is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad." Then when you get a new iPad all you have to do is resync all your information, movies, music, etc and reconfigure all your network settings. Simple as that!
I'm not sure why you see that as a problem. It really is simple, is almost completely automatic, doesn't take very long, and still works even if the battery is 100% dead. Since iTunes automatically backs up your iPad whenever you connect it, you won't be losing much, if anything.
You guys kill me... I would love to know who voted negative on this. I have had 3 MBP out of warranty, and Apple has replaced the power supply in each of these free of charge, fed ex, over night, and did not even take a credit card number. Most of you would complain over anything. I had a Dell once, crap was under warranty and they didn't even fix it.
Um, yeah... I'm sure they don't use the old units as refurb stock but just pile them up in a landfill.
The fact that you get a replacement unit as part of the battery replacement is irrelevant - it will still be an identical unit - all you have gained is a new battery.
To me, the outrageous part of all this is the $99 fee. The battery itself probably costs $10 (to Apple)... and they pay some poor Asian minimum wage to fit it in about a minute (with the correct jig and tools) as part of their refurb... so basically they harvest you for about $78 clear profit to get a new battery. Why not design the iPad so we can replace the battery ourselves - and charge us a fair price for the battery like $40 or so.?
People are so excited.. "ooh I get a new iPad for only $99".. but you are handing over your old iPad that you paid hundreds of dollars for.
Apple never tire of exploiting its customers and finding new ways to define greed !!
To me, the outrageous part of all this is the $99 fee. The battery itself probably costs $10 (to Apple)... and they pay some poor Asian minimum wage to fit it in about a minute (with the correct jig and tools) as part of their refurb... so basically they harvest you for about $78 clear profit to get a new battery. Why not design the iPad so we can replace the battery ourselves - and charge us a fair price for the battery like $40 or so.?
People are so excited.. "ooh I get a new iPad for only $99".. but you are handing over your old iPad that you paid hundreds of dollars for.
Apple never tire of exploiting its customers and finding new ways to define greed !!
Aren't all that done in a single click?
And I'd backup my personal data whenever I have to send in my computer/laptop for repair. Makes complete sense with me. Don't know any other major company that'll do it for your for free.
I also don't mind receiving a practically brand new iPad after applecare expires for $100. It's really worth the wait, especially when an iPad isn't the main computer for the majority of iPad owners anyway. You can live without an iPad for a week.
I've got a refurbished iPhone 3G simply due to some scratches after a year of use. It looked perfectly new to me. Not much complaints from me regarding Apples customer service.
Yeah--hardly a "green" move. Extremely disappointing, actually, because one of the things I've liked about Apple is that they actually seem(ed) to have some environmental conscience/awareness.
I've never emailed Steve Jobs before but I think this might be a good first time.