Posted on 02/26/2005 6:29:14 AM PST by finnman69
Shame On You: The Apple iPod
Battery Replacement Problems Are Creating Problems
Feb 25, 2005 3:00 pm US/Eastern
NEW YORK (CBS) The Apple iPod is one of the most popular consumer electronic products in history. Thus far, 10 million have been sold to music lovers.
But you may be surprised to learn what happens when the battery on the iPod dies.
Our Shame On You team reports that battery replacement problems are making some people irate over the iPod. See why Arnold Diaz puts Apple in the Hall of Shame.
Video at the link
Here: is the link to the movie referrred to at the video story:
http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/
Personal rant-- if a poster posts an item, he ought to provide explanations to those who are not necessarily able to access things like online videos. A poster who posts from a subscription-source ought to write a brief summary of the article or provide a "bugmenot"--otherwise it's just a source of frustration.
If it's generally unavailable--do a little writing!
Dman. I got a mini for xmas. If Apple doesn't fix the problem this will be a disaster for them. I couldn't believe they wanted 255 dollars to "refurbish" the ipod! What an incredible ripoff.
Well he said they only last 18 months. But is there any way to replace them, and at what cost? Is that 18 months with recharges? Must be.
Holy book reports, Batman, that bugs you too? :)
Look at the Archos 200. It's like a mini hard drive. I hear you have to use special software for the iPod. With the Archos, I just plug it in to the USB port and it's another hard drive.
And than what happens after 18 months? Are batteries not available or what?
The i-pod is extraordinarily propriatary. The battery can't be changed without sending it back to the factory. The firmware is designed to block music from Rhapsody, Napster, Wal-Mart, Buy.com and just about every other online music store except i-tunes. The latest scheme is to sell the ipod without accessories. You have to buy the adapter separetly etc. "Think Different" seems to signify apple thinking up new ways to screw the i-pod owner.
Creative, Rio and I-River players don't have the same conflicts of interest as Apple as they don't have their own music store. They are cheaper and more flexible.
You can replace the ipod battery.
"The Ford Executive office contacted me via telephone to explain that Ford does not repair or replace dead Ford P/U batteries and that it was policy of the company to recommend to the customer to purchase a new Ford when the battery fails."
That kinda sums up what this guy is trying to get across.
It's a recording of a call from an IPod owner looking for info on how to replace his ipod battery which had died after 18 months. The "help" consisted of telling the owner it would cost 255 to refurbish it and suggesting he just go buy another one.
Now that I've cooled off a little bit I'm wondering how accurate this video is.
Not true.
Dang! I've had mine for two years now! Does that mean it hasn't really been working for the last six months?
iPods use the same kind of battery your cell phone does, and has the same problem. Every rechargeable battery has memory issues. Every mp3 player has a rechargeable battery that will eventually fail.
The iPod, like a cell phone, is not intended to be your unit for life, but rather for a few years.
Me, I use it while running on the treadmill. Makes that endurable.
Guess someone forgot to tell my wife's ipod battery and my first generation one that is only supposed to last 18 months. Hers is over two years old and mine is 3. What a crock that is, if you need to replace your ipods battery don't send it to apple just go to http://www.ipodbattery.com/ and do it yourself.
If a battery quits after 18 months, that's not exactly a shocking thing. But clearly there's more to the story, as this teaser post suggests...but doesn't deliver...
Please elaborate.
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