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iPod Battery Replacement Details from Apple

Wow. and I thought this was GOOD news....

I had some issues with my 2G iPod when it was still under applecare and I was stoked when they sent me back a refurb unit. It was in pristine shape; no scratches or dings, and works flawlessly.

There is NO way they are going to send you a 2G unit if you send them a 3G unit. Non of the 3G units are even CLOSE to a year old anyway... There will be a video iPod by then! ;)
 
Originally posted by alia
Um, if I spent a year and a half keeping my ipod pristine and wanted the battery replaced, I'd be really annoyed to receive some scratched up refurb. I don't know how I feel about this exchange program.

Alia
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Hey Ali! Its me, Jay from GarouMUSH. Hahah. I found yoooouuuu.

Hey, I agree tho'. I'd never send in my iPod for a hundred bucks. May as well be called a 'replacement plan', like we do at compusa. Except ours cost 40 bucks for a new iPod instead of a hundred. :) And its not a refurb.
 
Originally posted by MoparShaha


I don't like how they won't send your own iPod back to you. In fact, I find it unnacceptable. I guess it would be nice if they sent you one with less scratches, ect., but I develop a personal bond with my stuff. I don't like the idea of being given something different.
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AGreed. My guess is they do it to speed up the process. You'll get back the same thing (2G, 3G, etc.) you sent in. But I'd still rather get mine back.

Of course, if my ipod were running out of steam (e.g, harddrive failing), and a battery, I'd happily send it in and get a refurb, figuring it's working better. (but I wouldn't want to be the next guy getting the crappy one I sent in)
 
to the whiners

Strikes me that iPod owners all have a new choice they did not have yesterday. I know it will certainly appeal to a lot of folks.

To the folks it doesn't appeal to, nobody is forcing you to use their service. Get over it already.

And the the whining Euros, please shut up once and for all already. I used to think only us Americans were ignorant, but clearly this is not the case.

Apple is a US corporation. As such, many of its initiatives are launched in the USA, and then move outward. This is how EVERY GLOBAL COMPANY tends to operate. Look at how much electronics released in Japan never goes outside of Japan.

GEEZ! Get over it already! I thought you guys actually HAD functioning educational systems? Use your minds. Try to think logically. Thank you.

BTW I love Europeans, especially European women. So please don't take this as a blanket attack. I am as much a critic of the USA as anyone can be, but all of this incessant whining for no logical reason is silly -- pick your battles, people.
 
You pay 100 bucks and you dont even get your own ipod back? What crap is that. The service should be 30 bucks and you should still get your original ipod back.
 
Originally posted by FlamDrag
It's a known fact that Europeans get much longer battery life out of their Apple devices than Americans do. This is due to being closer to the North Pole and something else. Not to mention the fact that all Europeans have more money to spend so they deserve to pay more. :rolleyes:
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europeans do have a 24 months warranty, true.

macs cost there more, true.

all europeans have more money? want to switch? as a recent graduate (female, under 5 y professional expreince) in osuther italy i can get a monthly salary of about 300 euros (330 dollars), it would be 500 euros if i was male. want to change? imagine ripping off money from that 300 to pay rent and to eat. and tehn buy whteveryou need... :eek:
 
cheap upgrade...

On the positive side of the discussion...

Think of it this way: $99 bucks to upgrade from a 5GB 1G iPod to a 10GB 3G iPod. Upgrade from one that doesn't hold a battery to one that does, with double the space.

As for the engraving, I imagine that it takes longer so they can replicate the engraved message/name.

Given that the iPod design has an embedded battery that can't be removed (which, IMHO, makes for a much sturdier model), I think this program is the best Apple can do -- I doubt they are making profit off of this (although it IS one way to get people to upgrade to 3g iPod that probably has more functionality coming down the pipeline).

As for not having enough space on your harddrive to hold all your iPod info? Probably time to get a new mac or external drive. Maybe Apple should offer an "upgrade-your-harddrive-for-$99" bucks offer. "If your computer is more than a year old and it can hold your info...trade it in...":)
 
Re: to the whiners

You don't understand, this isn't a one off for Apple ignoring international markets. They do it all the time.

This is another example of Apple ignoring the rest of the world, to add to an already long list.

The more Apple ignore markets outside the US, the more people will get pissed off.

Sorry, but its not a case of "you Europeans should stop whinning". It really isn't.

Several example:
iPhoto pubishing still isn't available outside of the US borders - more than 2 years after it was introduced.

Why isn't this available? Kodak is an international company with offices all around the world. Why can't apple negiogiate (sorry, spelling) to get iPhoto printing available to everyone.

Oh, and then there is the .Mac special offers - some available to only US customers. The last example was the firewire discounts.


Originally posted by Nicky G
Strikes me that iPod owners all have a new choice they did not have yesterday. I know it will certainly appeal to a lot of folks.

To the folks it doesn't appeal to, nobody is forcing you to use their service. Get over it already.

And the the whining Euros, please shut up once and for all already. I used to think only us Americans were ignorant, but clearly this is not the case.

Apple is a US corporation. As such, many of its initiatives are launched in the USA, and then move outward. This is how EVERY GLOBAL COMPANY tends to operate. Look at how much electronics released in Japan never goes outside of Japan.

GEEZ! Get over it already! I thought you guys actually HAD functioning educational systems? Use your minds. Try to think logically. Thank you.

BTW I love Europeans, especially European women. So please don't take this as a blanket attack. I am as much a critic of the USA as anyone can be, but all of this incessant whining for no logical reason is silly -- pick your battles, people.
Click to expand...
 
How many people had to replace a battery!

I have a first generation iPod (5 GB) that I paid almost $500.00 for when it first came out. I use it every day, between 4 and 9 hours without charging. Sure sometimes the battery quits at 7 hours other days it goes for closer to 11 hours on a single charge. It's been dropped, stepped on and x-rayed (well over a hundred times) and it still works.

I really wish it would die so that I can get a new 40GB iPod, but it just won't die.

I personally don't want color or video on an iPod, my Palm V would last for four weeks without going into the cradle, but my Palm Tungsten can't make it through a weekend with out charging.

This is solid product, yet people here constantly find a need to moan.

The average iPod user will never need to replace their battery, they will be like me and just upgrade to the latest greatest when they feel the time is right.

Whatever
 
Originally posted by Giaguara
europeans do have a 24 months warranty, true.

macs cost there more, true.

all europeans have more money? want to switch? as a recent graduate (female, under 5 y professional expreince) in osuther italy i can get a monthly salary of about 300 euros (330 dollars), it would be 500 euros if i was male. want to change? imagine ripping off money from that 300 to pay rent and to eat. and tehn buy whteveryou need... :eek:
Click to expand...

hmm, something tells me flamdrag might have been... well.. a little sarcastic.
 
Re: cheap upgrade...

Originally posted by montecristo
I think this program is the best Apple can do -- I doubt they are making profit off of this
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? Of course they are. You can buy the battery for $50 at retail. Apple probably pays half that or less in bulk. But even at $50, they get $50 more to cover labor and shipping (if that's even included). No way it takes trained personnel more than 10 minutes to replace the battery. That's as much as many top lawyers make--$300/hour.

Apple could offer this for $49 and turn a small profit. $69 and a reasonable profit. At $99 it smells really expensive.

And, yeah, it's better to have a choice than no choice. But that doesn't mean we can't complain about the "choice" if it sucks.
 
Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
hmm, something tells me flamdrag might have been... well.. a little sarcastic.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was being quite sarcastic as evidenced by the North pole comment and the Rolls Eyes face. It's the only time I've neglected the </sarcasm> tag at the end of such a post. Sorry 'bout that.
 
Hopefully apple will clarify this and state that you'll get yours back unless it needs other repair besides for the battery... which I suspect is what they indeed meant. I think you're all jumping on this a bit prematurely here.
 
ENVY ME

As a law student in Norway, I love to brag about our legal system. Check this:

If my iPod's battery goes dead within the five first years after purchase, I can just go back to the store and say "give me a new one".

The battery on the 3rd gen is not supposed to be changed. I mean, the iPod is not built to be opened. It SHOULD last 5 years, without being opened for an battery-change. Because of this, I can just say "give me a new one" at the store.

If it happens AGAIN (third time) within 5 new years, I can say "give me my money back. I don't like the product you sold me".

It just rocks... "Everyone" in Norway has new cell-phones all the time. These laws are actually hated by Nokia and Ericsson and other flaw-full phones. It's a really big issue these days. "Consumer before company profit". Probably the work of som left-wing semi communist-partys...

:p
 
what the f#%k, that's horrible! come on apple, you expect people to spend their hard earned dollars to get an ipod, then you want them to pay to fix something that shouldn't have to be replaced within a year or two as far as i'm concerned. then you tell them they might not even get their original ipod back!? like i said, what the f#%k!
 
Originally posted by Stella
"This program is not available in Europe at this time."

What the f?ck is wrong with Apple, time and time again ignoring International markets?

Hello Apple around 50% of your revenue comes from outside the US borders. If you want it to stay that way, SUPPORT OTHER MARKETS.

Fu?king retards.
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rofl stella quote
 
Re: ENVY ME

Originally posted by TorbX




It just rocks... "Everyone" in Norway has new cell-phones all the time. These laws are actually hated by Nokia and Ericsson and other flaw-full phones. It's a really big issue these days. "Consumer before company profit". Probably the work of som left-wing semi communist-partys...

:p
Click to expand...

Amazing they bother to sell their products there. Sure, it sounds good, but if companies don't bother, or raise prices a lot, it may not ultimately benefit folks.
 
Re: How many people had to replace a battery!

Originally posted by whatever
I have a first generation iPod (5 GB) that I paid almost $500.00 for when it first came out. I use it every day, between 4 and 9 hours without charging. Sure sometimes the battery quits at 7 hours other days it goes for closer to 11 hours on a single charge. It's been dropped, stepped on and x-rayed (well over a hundred times) and it still works.

I really wish it would die so that I can get a new 40GB iPod, but it just won't die.
Click to expand...

i second that motion! would they upgrade me to a 3G if i send in my 1G??!?!? id pay $99 for that (even though my battery works fine. . . 10h ave . . . which i think is longer than the 3G last now. . . . hmmm)
 
Re: Re: ENVY ME

Originally posted by Le Big Mac
Amazing they bother to sell their products there. Sure, it sounds good, but if companies don't bother, or raise prices a lot, it may not ultimately benefit folks.
Click to expand...

No, you're wrong. Companies DO bother, they are forced to develop better products.

Besides, Norway is the richest country per citizen in the world. We can afford it ;-D
 
upgrade?

Question: Is it actually certain that if you send in your 1G model (ah, the good ol' classic iPod) and pay the $99, they will send you the cheapest 3G they have? We're talking dock here, right? My 1G works fine, and I use it every day, during driving, jogging, rollerblading, walking to/from class, during class. . . . . . and I think the 1G will probably be a collectors item sometime in the future, but I would love having the recording option for lectures.

edit: I'm wondering because it seems like people were scared of Apple giving them an earlier generation, sending in a 3G and getting a 2G, and then others were saying that no, if anything, they would only upgrade you. After that, it seems the whole "ooo, I can get an upgrade" thing (which I'm a part of) took off
 
I'm mixed on this... $99 really isn't that bad for what they're doing - processing and receiving your iPod, cracking open an iPod, replacing the battery, sealing it up, formatting/testing, packaging and returning. If the battery costs $50 at ipodbattery.com, the extra $50 is for the labor and return shipping, along with (I assume - I haven't checked) some sort of additional warranty, probably 90 days. Most hardware service centers won't breath on a peripheral for twice that.

I think if they were to track each user's iPod the cost would be higher. I also think they risk scratching some percentage of iPods while cracking them open, and just saying you might not get yours back is a way of covering their butts for those cases.

For the concern of getting someone else's scratched-and-beaten iPod, I'd be surprised if they did that. They'd have too many peeved customers. I think they'll be replacing many cases while doing this.

My bigger problem is with the design of the iPod, not (easily) allowing a user-replacable battery. If there was a reasonable way to pop it open, none of this would be at issue.
 
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