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iPod touch Why doesnt Apple allow replacable batteries?

jmpnop said:
Its actually both. Blindly saying Apple is doing it for quality alone isn't right either, thats just defending Apple.

Look at cars, battery is very important there. There is a need to very have good quality batteries but still owners can change it. Car companies forcing owners to buy from them definitely involves money. Forcing simply isn't right.

The same can be said about proprietary ports like the one Apple uses. Each accessory is overpriced and users have no choice than to buy it from them. It has its advantages but MONEY is involved.
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I still disagree. They want to cram as much battery life into the phone as they can, and this is the way to do it. Not only that but where would they put the battery door? Have you ever taken an iPhone apart? There just simply isn't room in there for anything else including a door mechanism. Its mostly all battery.
 
Many reasons.

1. Better battery life with it being integrated.
2. Control over third-party market (really doesn't exist to the same degree it would if the device was easily serviceable by the consumer)
3. Planned obsolescence. Your battery dies, you need to take into an :apple: store. You've probably had that iPhone/Macbook/iPad for a while, probably over a year, I bet you they have new devices there that do more, and you could just buy...

People forget that :apple: is a business. They are there to make money. So they have great products absolutely, but once they have you, they want to retain you for future purchases as well. I don't really see this as a "good" or a "bad" thing. It's just business.
 
notjustjay said:
When was the last time you went out and bought a replacement battery pack for your non-Apple cell phone or mp3 player?

Seriously, when?

You think you'll miss the ability, but in reality you never do. By the time your unit is old enough that the battery needs replacing, you'll be faced with a decision: spend $x on a replacement battery pack to keep it going, or spend a bit more for a brand new model with all the new features. In my experience the electronics industry is moving so fast now that it's almost always better just to buy a whole new unit.
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I think many want the replacement battery, so they can put it in when the battery they have dies, when on a long flight or whatever.
 
Apple doesn't allow user replaceable batteries in its products because that would mean you could continue using it after the battery life has fallen off a cliff (at around 18 months) instead of buying a new product every year like a good fanboy.

Ive got an "old" early 08 macbook pro, i ditched the "official" battery which constantly died on me (after buying 3) and got an aftermarket special, the non-apple battery gives me around 30-45mins less charge, but has lasted 37 cycles longer than any of the apple ones, and has not yet lost any noticeable running time.

i believe the term is " enforced obsolescence ".

don't get me wrong, i love my macbook (its the last one they made with a proper keyboard too) but no user serviceable battery/hard disk/cd drive/ram (delete as appropriate) then no sale, things that wear out should be user replaceable .
 
They do want money, but realistically it takes a really long time for the battery to fail (or even lose a large amount of charge). So unless your obsessed with keeping your battery at maximum charge, then I don't think its a big deal.
 
Thanks for all these great replies.So what is best way to keep battery lasting the longest(not talking about individual charge but keeping life of battery over the long run)?Should we keep it always plugged into charger when not using it so it doesnt totally go dead?
 
Nightarchaon said:
Apple doesn't allow user replaceable batteries in its products because that would mean you could continue using it after the battery life has fallen off a cliff (at around 18 months) instead of buying a new product every year like a good fanboy.

Ive got an "old" early 08 macbook pro, i ditched the "official" battery which constantly died on me (after buying 3)
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I have a 2007 "Santa Rosa" MacBook Pro, the last revision that still had a user-replaceable battery. I bought it as a refurb, after seeing the 2008 revision and thinking that I hated the built-in battery.

It's now three years later, and I've used the laptop every single day. I have yet to replace the battery, or wish I could swap an empty one out for a full one. The old battery still gives me several hours (probably not the five hours I got when it was new). I don't think I'll be replacing the battery even when it does die, because by then -- 4 or 5 years later -- it will be time for a new model.
 
chrono1081 said:
I still disagree. They want to cram as much battery life into the phone as they can, and this is the way to do it. Not only that but where would they put the battery door? Have you ever taken an iPhone apart? There just simply isn't room in there for anything else including a door mechanism. Its mostly all battery.
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You must be kidding. Don't tell me the company that has the best designs in the world can't come up with a door mechanism, you're simple defending Apple. That just looks silly. Its the general psychology, mind finds reasons to justify things we like.
 
jmpnop said:
You must be kidding. Don't tell me the company that has the best designs in the world can't come up with a door mechanism, you're simple defending Apple. That just looks silly. Its the general psychology, mind finds reasons to justify things we like.
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If they put in a door mechanism they wouldn't have 'the best designs in the world'. There is simply very little reason for Apple to include a battery compartment.
 
iPod Touch Battery Life

My 2.5-year-old Touch 2G's battery is just beginning to lose its full life, and I use it extensively every day, and have since I got it. Before I pass it back to my daughter, and after I get my new iPhone5, I will either get a third-party battery replacement (Sonnet Technologies) for about $50, or a Mophy Juice Pack - great for those people who want/need a "second" battery...

I have never found a need for replaceable batteries in any Apple iPod or iPhone, but I have always had an extra battery for my laptops - and I've had terrible luck with third-party batteries in those cases. Since I use my computer as part of my job, I would never cut corners.

dmz
 
jmpnop said:
Look at cars, battery is very important there. There is a need to very have good quality batteries but still owners can change it. Car companies forcing owners to buy from them definitely involves money. Forcing simply isn't right.
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Bad example. You make it sound like all cars have easily-replaced batteries when this is no longer the case. I've seen several late model cars with their batteries stashed in odd places in the chassis and require quite a bit of dismantling to replace. They also use off-size batteries sometimes that you pretty much have to get from a dealership.

Apple doesn't use replaceable batteries so that they can create an irregular shaped battery that can use as much available space as possible. A removable battery would have to be smaller to make room for a regularly sized compartment and its components. This would negatively effect battery life.

Besides, if you really need additional battery life for your iPod, just buy an external. They're cheap and work well to charge you up in a pinch.
 
mattg3 said:
About to buy my first ipod touch(5G if it shows up by Nov. or 4G).Ive stayed away from Apple portable products because of battery that you cant just take out and replace when its time is up.Ive been using Creative and IAudio products instead but they cant compare with Apple features.Just a small rant here that it would be so user friendly to be able to buy a few replacement batteries for the future and be done with it.
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The battery on my iPod Mini was shot. I bought a new one and put it in myself. Cost: £3.95 on eBay. By the time an iPod Touch battery goes bad, it will be down in price.
 
While loving its design without battery door. I think that Apple should do more to have the replacable batteries without so much wider its size too much.
 
They need to come up with a whole new kind of battery.Either a flat or small watch like device that can recharge for the life of the device.Probably not in my lifetime.
 
mattg3 said:
Why doesnt Apple allow replacable batteries?
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Have you ever tried to open up an iPod touch? The reason it's not user-replaceable isn't money, it's because of the dimensions of the device.

The idea here is a super slim self contained device, and the battery.....hell my iPod touch 1G battery STILL works and lasts for 4 or 5hrs.

Just make sure you cycle your battery by completely discharging and completely recharging from time to time and it will last awhile.
 
Could you define "from time to time"?Are you talking once a week,month or even longer than that. thanks
 
jmpnop said:
Its actually both. Blindly saying Apple is doing it for quality alone isn't right either, thats just defending Apple.

Look at cars, battery is very important there. There is a need to very have good quality batteries but still owners can change it. Car companies forcing owners to buy from them definitely involves money. Forcing simply isn't right.

The same can be said about proprietary ports like the one Apple uses. Each accessory is overpriced and users have no choice than to buy it from them. It has its advantages but MONEY is involved.
Click to expand...

Did you actually just compare CAR BATTERIES to iPod batteries??
Wow!
 
Why? Because it would be one more thing for the customer to break. People would try to get a new iPod when they snapped the door off theirs...on Apples dollar no less. People would complain about the seams around the battery door. It would trap lint and debris from life in your pocket. It would be one more water ingress point. It would snag on your pocket or purse. It would add thickness to the product. People would figure out a way to put the battery in backwards and short it out. The battery would need to be smaller to account for the latch and hinge. If one does the monthly battery maintenance, the need for a replaceable battery is minimized. There would be a plethora of bargain basement, cheap, worthless, 5 batteries for 2.00 batteries on the market that could damage your iPod.....calling again for Apple to fix your mistake...on their dollar, no less. It makes sense for them to make the battery non replaceable.
 
E.Lizardo said:
Did you actually just compare CAR BATTERIES to iPod batteries??
Wow!
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Didn't compare the technology, makes a difference.

Funny to see people defending Apple even when they're forcing you to their batteries which are overpriced.
 
I'm not forced to anyones battery. There are several batteries on the market that meet Apples requirements that can be installed in my iPod. I don't need to go to Apple for a battery. There are many reputable places also that install them if I choose not to do it myself.

If you read the battery info on Apples site, they tell you all you need to know about maintaining your Apple battery. It boils down to draining your battery once a month, down below 20%. Then charging it all the way up and letting it slow charge for an hour. That's maintaining your battery. Heat will kill it, so do a full charge without your case on. It's the same with all lithium batteries.
 
Hayduke60 said:
If you read the battery info on Apples site, they tell you all you need to know about maintaining your Apple battery. It boils down to draining your battery once a month, down below 20%. Then charging it all the way up and letting it slow charge for an hour. That's maintaining your battery. [...] It's the same with all lithium batteries.
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Got a link for this? Apple's advice disagrees with you.

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month.
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Ok, so what's a charge cycle?

A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle.
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In other words, a charge cycle doesn't require the battery to be fully run-down (or even below 20%). Apple even says, at the top of the page,

You can also recharge a lithium-ion polymer battery whenever convenient, without the full charge or discharge cycle necessary to keep nickel-based batteries at peak performance.
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All taken from:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipods.html
http://www.apple.com/batteries/
 
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