iPod 18 Month Battery life: Myth or Not?

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
I was wondering if anyone had any data on the 18 month battery life allegations that have been floating about the iPod recently. There is a guy in New York who is spray painting "iPod's Unreplaceable battery only lasts 18 months" on many of the apple posters around town. When I first saw them I assummed it was a consumer group, but then I realized it was just one guy who's iPod crapped out. Does anyone have any more information on that? Thanks!
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 40
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    i've read countless people saying their iPods are over 18mo. and still working just fine. holding about 8-10 hours of battery life.



    however, this is a perfect question for Digital Hub.



    moving now.
  • Reply 2 of 40
    As I mentioned in another thread, my 19 month old iPod is working fine. I've never had any issues.
  • Reply 3 of 40
    Myth. My original 5gig iPod lasted for about 21 months before I took it back to compusa for an unrelated issue. There were no signs of it crapping out at all.
  • Reply 4 of 40
    sounds like a myth to me, also it sounds like something that might have only happened to the old school pods.
  • Reply 5 of 40
    Thanks everyone...that is kind of what I had assummed. Interesting how that one guy is causing all the fuss though..
  • Reply 6 of 40
    Absolutely not a myth.



    My first iPod couldn't hold a charge for more than 20 minutes when I sent it back for a replacement; this was inside a year. A bit of research at the time revealed it to be a very common thing; there was all sorts of iPod voodoo designed to make things better but short of a battery replacement there was nothing you can do.



    I don't know whether or not this has been solved now, but I do know that you can buy replacement iPod batteries online and now Apple'll charge you an exorbitant amount of money to fix it for you, so someone's still got the problem.
  • Reply 7 of 40
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah

    Absolutely not a myth.



    My first iPod couldn't hold a charge for more than 20 minutes when I sent it back for a replacement; this was inside a year. A bit of research at the time revealed it to be a very common thing; there was all sorts of iPod voodoo designed to make things better but short of a battery replacement there was nothing you can do.





    As an owner of an original 5 gig iPod, I had a similar problem at first but once I updated the firmware, the battery holds a good 8 to 10 hrs now.

    Now going on 12 months, everything's working fine.
  • Reply 8 of 40
    I got an original 5gb ipod that runs just fine. $100 is a bit high for a replacement, but $50-75 would be worth it considering how much you would spend on AA batteries in the same time.
  • Reply 9 of 40
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah

    Absolutely not a myth.





    Well, it's not a myth that some people have had this problem. It is a myth that every iPod battery craps out at 18 months--I know mine hasn't. One of the problems is that people tend to take whatever their own experience is--either good or bad--and amplify that to assume everyone must have had the same experience.



    Saddly, this echo chamber effect can really blow things out of proportion.
  • Reply 10 of 40
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    It is a myth and not a myth.



    The myth is that it runs out in 18 months





    the truth is the iPod's battery has a rated life of 1000 charges.





    in other words, after 1000 charges its a crapshoot.
  • Reply 11 of 40
    you know this one of the big red flags in the first few years of mobile phones.

    it's now illegal to sell a mobile phone in america that doesn't have consumer replaceable batteries.
  • Reply 12 of 40
    kedakeda Posts: 722member
    I have an original 5 GB iPod that has been heavily used since I got it for X-mas 2 years ago (23mos). The iPod has worked flawlessly. It has survived vacations, hiking, being carried around the house by a dog for a day while I was at work(the face got scratched a bit...damn Apple!), and several accidental spills.



    If there is any truth to this, I'd guess that it is more likely related to a build date on the batteries or something...a bad batch. My only complaint is that my HD isn't bigger...turns out 5GB fills up pretty quickly.
  • Reply 13 of 40
    I bought an origional 5 gig refurb last summer (July 2002) its working fine now- 17 months after I bought it- it works just fine. Plus if I needed a new battery I can buy one on-line for $50 or send it in to apple for $100.



    Whats the big deal.
  • Reply 14 of 40
    Quote:

    Originally posted by applenut

    It is a myth and not a myth.



    The myth is that it runs out in 18 months





    the truth is the iPod's battery has a rated life of 1000 charges.





    in other words, after 1000 charges its a crapshoot.




    Okay, but even charing everyday, 1000 gives you nearly 3 years of use. Considering how long the iPod holds a charge, every day seems like a lot.



    Even then, you would expect battery life to begin degrading after 1000 charges. Degraded performance is bad--but it does not necissarily equal dead. Dead would be not holding a charge at all. If it only holds four hours, it sucks but it doesn't make the iPod useless.



    I don't know if this is a big problem or not. I just wonder when people say "dead," how dead do they mean. When everyone starts using the same words("Dead") and timeframes("18 Months"), I start to think it is echo effect more than a real issue.
  • Reply 15 of 40
    tmptmp Posts: 601member
    I have a 2-year old 5 gig. It's still holding a charge pretty well, but I did have to have the firmware updated.



    ipodlounge has links to battery replacement sites ranging around $50.



    Considering that the Belkin battery back-up takes 4 AA batteries for 12 hours of life, even if I have to replace the battery soon I figure I've come out on top.



    iPod battery: $50 1000 hours =$50

    AA: $21 per 24pk (72hrs per pk) $294.



    Of course, my math could be faulty, and you could get rechargeable batteries.



    Didn't Cnet also give the "battery can't be replaced" argument against buying an iPod?
  • Reply 17 of 40
    Quote:

    Originally posted by musical73

    http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/



    Strangely compelling video. Shame its Apple and a product I like that they are attacking.
  • Reply 18 of 40
    cosmocosmo Posts: 662member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by tmp



    iPod battery: $50 1000 hours =$50

    AA: $21 per 24pk (72hrs per pk) $294.



    Of course, my math could be faulty, and you could get rechargeable batteries




    wouldn't it be 1000 charges at 8h/charge, so 8000 hours?

    with that math its more like $2300

    it would make much more sense to buy some rechargable AAs
  • Reply 19 of 40
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by D.J. Adequate

    Okay, but even charing everyday, 1000 gives you nearly 3 years of use. Considering how long the iPod holds a charge, every day seems like a lot.



    Even then, you would expect battery life to begin degrading after 1000 charges. Degraded performance is bad--but it does not necissarily equal dead. Dead would be not holding a charge at all. If it only holds four hours, it sucks but it doesn't make the iPod useless.



    I don't know if this is a big problem or not. I just wonder when people say "dead," how dead do they mean. When everyone starts using the same words("Dead") and timeframes("18 Months"), I start to think it is echo effect more than a real issue.




    I don't know what the effects of partial charges have on it though



    1000 charges is from empty to full. partial charges do reduce battery life, even on lithium ion
  • Reply 20 of 40
    Apple charges $99 for a battery replacement and the battery itself if you want to buy it from Sony costs $60.. so Apple is not ripping you off that much at all... they install it for you too
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