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.
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.
"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.
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.
This video has been circulating for quite some time. I put it in the same category with the Zip Drive "Click Death" issue. It's really hard to tell how much of this has been driven by motivated parties creating fear campaigns, and how much is really a sincere consumer issue.
Is 18 months insufficient? Seems like a good long time for a batter to last....
There are alternatives that may be better. You can get something like a Creative Zen Micro for about $200 that has 4 GB of storage and an easily replacable battery. Then sign up for a service like Napster which offers unlimited downloads for $15 a month. It is a cheaper solution if you want to download hundreds of songs legally, the only problem is once you subscription expires, the files no longer play.
ping
I'm planning to get the PC version from Dell sometime soon. Not so much to store music as talking books. I've heard good things about the Dells.
There are other makers, as well. The i-pod has an enormous advertising budget, but it's not necessarily the best choice, unless you're an Apple fanatic.
I think what we will see from Apple pretty soon is a replaceable battery like what is done on many digital still cameras. That way, instead of shelling out US$99 for a new iPod battery the end user can replace it for US$50 or less, buy batteries certified by Apple for the iPod.
My daughter works customer service at Best Buy. Ipod is got to be the number one customer complaint.
http://www.ipodbatteryfaq.com/
Q: Is the iPod's battery user-replaceable?
A1: Yes and no. The iPod's case is not designed to be opened, so, in that respect, it's not what would generally be referred to as "user-replaceable". But, the case can be opened, and there are several third parties that offer replacement batteries for the iPod for as low as $30, such as:
iPodBattery.com (instructions, with pictures: original, non-"dockable" iPod, new, slim "dockable" iPod, 4th generation "clickwheel" iPod, iPod mini)
PDASmart
iPodResQ
Small Dog (original, non-"dockable" iPod, new, slim "dockable" iPod)
iPodminiBattery.com (instructions, with pictures: original, non-"dockable" iPod, new, slim "dockable" iPod)
iPodBattery.com.au
Some will even do the replacement for you if you send it in (PDASmart, iPodResQ).
A2: TechTV's Call for Help has a story discussing and demonstrating replacing an iPod battery.
A3: Popular Science HOW 2.0 also has an article about replacing the battery.
bttt for later read.