iPod 18 Month Battery life: Myth or Not?
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!
Comments
however, this is a perfect question for Digital Hub.
moving now.
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.
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.
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.
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.
it's now illegal to sell a mobile phone in america that doesn't have consumer replaceable batteries.
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.
Whats the big deal.
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.
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?
Originally posted by musical73
http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/
Strangely compelling video. Shame its Apple and a product I like that they are attacking.
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
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