Eugene tests iPod battery life
So I decided to test the battery life of my 5 GB iPod by playing it continuously with no human interruptions, to see if it would get anywhere near 10 hours of battery life with my music library...
I filled my old 5 GB iPod with 4 GB of songs, average bitrate was 218 kbps (VBR) I set the volume to 33%, which is actually plenty for a pair of Grado SR-60s. Sound Check and randomize were both turned on. I used a stopwatch.
The result? 9:33 minutes of battery life with rather high bitrate mp3s, so the HDD was spinning up less than every 19 minutes vs less than every 26 minutes with 160 kbps mp3s. Over a period of around 9.5 hours, that adds up. The HDD probably spun up 8 more times than it would have with 160 kbps mp3s, which most people find acceptable.
I think this would translate into 6 hours of typical playtime for me if I don't feel especially picky with songs. In other words, very good.
[ 08-23-2002: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>
I filled my old 5 GB iPod with 4 GB of songs, average bitrate was 218 kbps (VBR) I set the volume to 33%, which is actually plenty for a pair of Grado SR-60s. Sound Check and randomize were both turned on. I used a stopwatch.
The result? 9:33 minutes of battery life with rather high bitrate mp3s, so the HDD was spinning up less than every 19 minutes vs less than every 26 minutes with 160 kbps mp3s. Over a period of around 9.5 hours, that adds up. The HDD probably spun up 8 more times than it would have with 160 kbps mp3s, which most people find acceptable.
I think this would translate into 6 hours of typical playtime for me if I don't feel especially picky with songs. In other words, very good.
[ 08-23-2002: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>
Comments
<strong>hmm...good results. how long have u had it, and how would u say the results would vary between 1.1 and 1.2?</strong><hr></blockquote>
I've had it since late October or November.
I have most of my songs encoded in 192kbps.
I wonder if the new iPods have a better battery, I think not. But it would be fun if someone with one of the latest iPod's tried the same thing that Eugene did.
In fact, when I was at MWNY, I was at the Apple Store booth ready to sign up for .mac and buy an iPod.
The machines were password protected. That was no big deal, so I asked the guy to unlock it for me. He said, in a very condescending tone, "The Internet Cafe is that way" and turned so his back was to me. One of the financing guys was watching this and was horrified and looked over at a person who appeared to be the manager of the booth. He was talking to another customer. I said rather loudly with the guy facing away from me, "Oh well, if you're not going to let me onto the computer, I guess I'll just buy my Mac stuff elsewhere" and walked off. The manager looked up at this point and the financing guy started telling him the story as I left. I hope the guy got chewed out for it.
It was brand new at the time...
<strong>Hmm, very strange. When I had my 5 gigger, I set it going constantly too to check the battery, and it got just a tad over 11 hours. Same setup as Eugene, but I had all my MP3s at 320.
It was brand new at the time...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Hmm, maybe VBR takes up more juice? How many files did you play? Maybe sound check takes up more battery?
Soundcheck? This is just with the new versions of things, isn't it? I'm talking about right when they came out.
Would VBR encoded files make the iPod have to work any harder? I wouldn't think so, but...
Yours is almost a year old, so maybe it's just battery degredation? If so, I'd have to see what it'll be like NEXT August or so... hmm...
The few other guys here I knew with iPods at the time were also all getting 11 hours or so, and I remember us being really impressed with the fact that Apple had estimated on the low end with batter life, rather than saying it was "up to 12 hours" or something, as they do with the laptops.
I had the first in November and used it constantly and with little mercy. By last month I was managing to squeeze out a paltry 30 minutes of charge, which is plainly lamer than lame.
So I telephoned Apple, who sent me a cardboard box to put it in and a DHL wrapper and documents to send my poor, sick, well-travelled Pod to the Netherlands. DHL picked it up on Monday; on Thursday, the doorbell went and DHL delivered a brand spanking new iPod to my door.
Customer service or WHAT?
use it all day at work, and for 30mins-1hr at home each day.
I love it.
(had it since May or so, I think, 10GB)
I have gotten around 8 hours since owning my iPod, and now, I get 6.5 hours. It is a 5 GB model that was purchased November 17, 2001. I called Apple about it, and they told me to test the battery life by encoding one CD at 160, set the iPod to repeat, and repeat this CD over and over until the iPod died of energy starvation. It lasted only 6.5 hours.
I wrote to Apple to receive service on my iPod, and I received an automated respose showing they never even read my problem description. I have dealt with Apple over many years, and I have never received such a run-around and lack of attention to detail. Hopefully, I'll receive a box in the next couple of days to send my iPod to Apple for service, and everything else will work out fine. However, I'm a bit concerned at this point, and I have never worried about Apple service at all until now.
<strong>Really? 9.33? 11? hours? wow....
I have gotten around 8 hours since owning my iPod, and now, I get 6.5 hours. It is a 5 GB model that was purchased November 17, 2001. I called Apple about it, and they told me to test the battery life by encoding one CD at 160, set the iPod to repeat, and repeat this CD over and over until the iPod died of energy starvation. It lasted only 6.5 hours.
I wrote to Apple to receive service on my iPod, and I received an automated respose showing they never even read my problem description. I have dealt with Apple over many years, and I have never received such a run-around and lack of attention to detail. Hopefully, I'll receive a box in the next couple of days to send my iPod to Apple for service, and everything else will work out fine. However, I'm a bit concerned at this point, and I have never worried about Apple service at all until now.</strong><hr></blockquote>
the best and most successful method of dealing with this is to go to an apple store and talk to the "geniuses" in person. i had to drive 4 hours to the nearest store, but it was worth it. very fast, very easy and the people were quite simpathetic regarding my issue with the ipod.
good luck
oh btw, mine was much worse. i couldnt get more than an hour out of it...
<strong>
the best and most successful method of dealing with this is to go to an apple store and talk to the "geniuses" in person. i had to drive 4 hours to the nearest store, but it was worth it. very fast, very easy and the people were quite simpathetic regarding my issue with the ipod.
good luck
oh btw, mine was much worse. i couldnt get more than an hour out of it...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Agreed. Although I had to go twice -- once to have them "repair" it (probably reseat the battery connector), which lasted only 2 weeks, then back to 90 min charge, and the second time they gave me a new unit.
I hope they fix this issue; can't see how they can afford it.