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iPod + fatal flaw = no purchase?

a battery running out isnt a fatal flaw. i wouldnt worry. though it would be nice if you could just replace the battery yourself once it dies. sorta like going to the drug store to buy a new battery for ones cordless phone.
 
All batteries run out. It all depends on how long you plan on keeping the device, and if the life of the battery is longer than that or not.

I'm pretty sure that Apple made the cost/benefit analysis of a fixed vs replaceable battery when it made the iPod, coupled along with the expected 'life' of the iPod. 'Life' being how long before someone would go and buy the next newer iPod, and the old one is retired or thrown away for good.
 
Ridiculous...

All the hoopla surrounded the first generation iPod batteries. Like all lithium-ion batteries, they will EVENTUALLY not be rechargeable. But, now since they offer a battery replacement service, ppl need to stop worrying. Know how to make sure your battery lasts as long as possible? Only recharge it when it's empty. Lithium ion batteries have a certain number of RECHARGES, not a simple life.
 
There are several places that will replace the battery for a decent price. It's even cheaper if you do it yourself. Some even have higher capacities.

Batteries die. I've looked around at other players, most of them have the same problems and the same 1 year warranty. You don't have to get the iPod, you couold get something cheaper. But there's a reason the iPod is the one to beat.
 
Yawn,

Buy a Dell Music Player...

or a Dancing Monkey...
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Of course the dancing monkey's will probably be a more exciting product.
 

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as other people have said, rechargable batteries have a life span, and for Li-Ion batteries its based on the number of cycles (discharge-charge). https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/64451/ -- this thread has information regarding Li-Ion batteries, and prelonging their life. also i have read that people have found that firmware upgrades for the ipod have "revived" dead/dying batteries. hope that helps you.
 
Yeah don't worry about it too much. I got a first generation iPod (the original 5GB) the Christmas when they first came out, and the battery was great until about 4 months ago, when it basically died. I hunted around and found replacements for about $50 (with some installation) -- that's different for new ones, it should be mentioned -- but in the end I decided to eBay it. I explained the deal with the battery, etc., but I threw in a couple accessories that I wouldn't need (because I planned on getting a new one, which I did, a 20GB), and figured I'd get about $100 to go towards my new iPod. Turns out, the auction closed for about $200! And this was for a heavily used iPod with a crappy battery!

So yes, all batteries have lifespan problems (that's the main issue NASA faces with the longevity of its Mars rovers, for example, although clearly the huge variations in temperature exacerbate that), but don't worry -- buy an iPod. I think new ones are coming out, right? I dunno check out the macrumors buyer's guide...
 
I've had two Ipods so far and Ive had many problems...I won't be buying another one and I'd recommend to buy something cheaper.

Ive had Battery problems, the case came apart on both of my ipods more than once and software problems eg: freezes, skipping (eg: from the 1st song to the 200th).

Ok, with 1 ipod - I can understand but After complaining to Apple Japan - Sent me a new one. Now, I sent it back again due to the case coming apart ! and I use an Apple ipod protector.

I expect better from Apple BUT ALSO from a product that cost me alot of money.

:(
 
Just to counter the bad stories, I've had a 1G iPod for roughly two years, and I not only still get 6 hours of battery life, but have never had a serious problem with it. Regular defragging and optimization seems to keep the drive pretty speedy, and I've even used it as an emergency boot disk when a friend's comupter went down. I loaded Jaguar on it, hooked in under firewire disk mode, and booted him from my pretty well invulnerable little friend.

If you want an iPod, then get one. I honestly have never met anyone in person who had issues with theirs, and the internet has a distorting factor over the things you hear. People who enjoy thier products tend to be busy doing just that, but the complaints are spread as loudly and as far as they can be.
 
ok, here's the real deal. Among 1g and 2g iPods, small amounts seem to have been shipped with batteries that were faulty. Apple did a bad job of dealing with this, there were a lot of reports about people only getting a couple hours battery life, or the battery going completely flat in time. This didn't happen to the majority of people, I've had two 2g iPods now and both have had superb battery life, from day one i could get 8-10 hours at heavy use (switching songs a lot, using iTrip). But, Apple should have been better at replacing this minority of bad batteries.

Since then, Apple has switched both battery type and manufacturer, and the 3g and mini batteries seem to be holding up. As to replaceability. Apple did not make these batteries replaceable, for one simple reason: adding a battery door, and separating the battery from the rest of the components, would have made the unit signifigantly larger (i could see a half-inch thickness or more added), and the batteries are good enough that with a reasonable useage, the iPod will last 5-8 years, in which case the user will probably have outgrown it anyway. But, just in case, Apple is now offering a battery replacement program, to alleviate these concerns-- the iPod naysayers seem to ignore this. And now not only can you get a new battery installed from Apple, you can buy one for $50 that you install yourself, not a bad deal at all.

Lastly, no one was ever deceived about the battery, the literature that comes with the iPod clearly states that the battery is good for approx. 500 charge/discharge cycles. So, if you use your iPod 10 hours a day everyday you'll still get 1.5 years of life before you need to spend $50, which i'd say is tremendous-- who could use an iPod that much? Maybe a DJ but not an average user...

in short, the fears about iPod's battery problems were once justified, but everything's OK now.

paul
 
paulwhannel said:
Apple did not make these batteries replaceable, for one simple reason: adding a battery door, and separating the battery from the rest of the components, would have made the unit signifigantly larger (i could see a half-inch thickness or more added), and the batteries are good enough that with a reasonable useage, the iPod will last 5-8 years, in which case the user will probably have outgrown it anyway.
paul
Click to expand...

Do you really think that adding a replaceable/detachable battery, like a cell phone's, would add another half an inch? That seems like an exagguration. I think the main reason they didn't do this was aesthetics, which is fair enough.
 
macka said:
I'm obviously having second thoughts, as that is quite a significant problem. It would deter me from buying it if it were true.

:confused: :(
Click to expand...

Hey dude, if you don't own a mac, the ipod can be more trouble than it's worth. since you have to install it on every no mac computer before you can use it.

Try the creative nomad range. these players mount on any PC, they don't auto update, and the batteries can be easily replaced. com in 20, 30, 40 and 60GB sizes, and are cheaper than the iPod.
 
Thanks everyone.

There seems to be a bit of a mixed opinion....but I'll buy one and if I have problems, I now know what to do.

Excited? Hell, yeah! :)
 
Oh god not this again.

macka said:
I have saved enough money to buy an iPod, but as I was reading through today's paper, I came across this article...

Songs sung blue as iPod craze hides fatal flaw

I'm obviously having second thoughts, as that is quite a significant problem. It would deter me from buying it if it were true.

:confused: :(
Click to expand...

Okay, I think we've gone through this since those idiot brothers decided to make such a big deal. I have an iPod (see sig) that has worked since December 2002 and continues to hold a 9 - 10 hour charge. I use my iPod everyday on my way to work and back.
Have some iPod batteries failed? Yes, any battery can and will eventually. Is there is a system to replace your battery if it does fail both under the 1 year warrenty and beyond? Yes. Would it be prohibitively expensive to replace a battery and can it be done on your own? No and Yes.
Stop worrying, if you want an iPod stop listening to FUD and buy one they work great.
 
imac_japan said:
I've had two Ipods so far and Ive had many problems...I won't be buying another one and I'd recommend to buy something cheaper.

Ive had Battery problems, the case came apart on both of my ipods more than once and software problems eg: freezes, skipping (eg: from the 1st song to the 200th).

Ok, with 1 ipod - I can understand but After complaining to Apple Japan - Sent me a new one. Now, I sent it back again due to the case coming apart ! and I use an Apple ipod protector.

I expect better from Apple BUT ALSO from a product that cost me alot of money.

:(
Click to expand...

Of course he edits out the part when he did several 'free-fall' tests, ran it over with his car, left it in the dishwasher etc. :D But seriously, how did you manage to break the case? That's amazing.
 
That article is a load of FUD.


Understand if the battery fails you -- YOU CAN GET A NEW ONE.

I cannot stress this enough. The article makes no mention of this fact! :confused:


Who were they endorsed by? iRiver? Dell?



Your battery dies? Buy a new battery or warrenty!
 
i'm now seeing at least 5 iPods every day
(in sydney, never the same iPod twice).
iPod adverts everywhere.
the SMH is not apple friendly.
the SMH only does negative apple stories,
(except for one positive iBook review last year).
the brand apple is getting more attention than some want.
after the warranty runs out and when your battery stops try
this
 
MrMacman said:
That article is a load of FUD.
Understand if the battery fails you -- YOU CAN GET A NEW ONE.
I cannot stress this enough. The article makes no mention of this fact! :confused:
Who were they endorsed by? iRiver? Dell?
!
Click to expand...

It's the echo-chamber, stories move within the mediasphere and reverberate, except that like an echo there is no new information simply a repitition of the original story. The Nietstat (spl?) brothers had a problem with their battery and they made it into a media event—everyone needs their 15 minutes ala Warhol—and their story has simply been echoed. If anyone really worked on this story they would note that the iPod battery was a problem for some, and they would also inform their readers that all Li-ion batteries fail after a number of cycles, they would also remind their readers to I don't know RTFM! But, that's a much less interesting story. Furthermore, the echo-chamber also has a focusing effect, the more popular something is, the more focus it gets. Look at the Howard Dean campaign earlier this year, first he was invincible, his way of making money unparalleled, and then they began to question him, the showed him 'hollaring' out of context and continuously questioned his quality as a leader. They did the same thing to Bush and then Gore in 2000 as if trying to attain some kind of balance.
Right now this means that Apple's iPod has attained a kind of mind-share that is beyond all the other music players, no one notes that the Dell DJ and the Rios have similar batteries and cannot be removed as well, rather they focus on the iPod as if it has a particular vulnerability.
 
hulugu said:
Of course he edits out the part when he did several 'free-fall' tests, ran it over with his car, left it in the dishwasher etc. :D But seriously, how did you manage to break the case? That's amazing.
Click to expand...

I didn't break the case ! it popped open twice....I'm very very careful with my ipod because its expensive ! I never said break......The metal bottom popped away from the white top.

Please don't put words in my mouth.
 
imac_japan said:
I didn't break the case ! it popped open twice....I'm very very careful with my ipod because its expensive ! I never said break......The metal bottom popped away from the white top.

Please don't put words in my mouth.
Click to expand...

my 3g ipod had the same thing happen in november. apple sent me a new one. problem fixed.
 
imac_japan said:
I didn't break the case ! it popped open twice....I'm very very careful with my ipod because its expensive ! I never said break......The metal bottom popped away from the white top.

Please don't put words in my mouth.
Click to expand...

I was kidding hence the :D and the absurd things you could do to it.
 
hulugu said:
I was kidding hence the :D and the absurd things you could do to it.
Click to expand...

Sorry the smiley face didn't show up in the post on my computer at work ! Im use a crap Softmap....cheap Japanese made computer.

Well when I went to thailand, I went on a sea cruise and saw a man drop his Ipod into the sea. Boy, he was happy that day ! Couldn't stop crying !

I wouldve felt the same...

But seriously, I would'nt buy an ipod but I would buy a mini ipod. It seems that they fixed all the problems...
 
imac_japan said:
But seriously, I would'nt buy an ipod but I would buy a mini ipod. It seems that they fixed all the problems...
Click to expand...

I still have yet to see these problems you've been talking about, and I have a First Generation iPod. My battery life is fine, I don't have any issues with the pod itself, and the thing's fallen down a half-flight of stairs because my clumsy self tripped on the top step. :eek:

It still chugs along like the day I opened it.
 
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