Welcome to Ipodshops.com - Information on Ipod video case

How much do Apple's customers love the company? Let us count the ways. Apple's consumers defend their Macs and the Mac OS as if they were family members. They erect millions of Web sites and blogs to talk in enthusiastic and laudatory terms about how wonderful Apple products are and to smack down anyone who says otherwise. Hollywood is in love with Apple laptops, and the world is drooling over iPods. Other technology companies can only dream about such devotion to their products. It's a beautiful, happy, exemplary relationship—unless you count those who have nearly combusted over Apple's battery-replacement program.

Yup, I have learned that there are Apple customers who are not feeling so cheerful about the "little guy" company. And these folks are attacking Apple with the same kind of venom usually reserved for pro Wintellers who speak ill of Apple products (believe me, I know).

Oddly enough, it seems that much of the anger stems from confusion and misinformation about a battery-replacement program that, at least from what I can tell, has been pretty transparent for years.

If you own an iPod, you may have some idea what I'm talking about. Actually, if you own virtually any small MP3 player you should be able to relate. All Apple iPods, the mini, the Photo, the 20GB version, and the rest, use rechargeable lithium ion batteries. They're not "special" rechargeables, and, in general, represent the current state of the art in rechargeable technology. All rechargeable batteries have a limited life span. Most will accept charges for a few years (more if you're lucky). If you make sure to, as Apple recommends, go through at least one full charge cycle per month (a full discharge and charge), and keep them away from extreme heat and cold, you can expect hundreds of recharges and at least a few years of multihour playback. But the amount of charge any rechargeable holds gradually diminishes until you struggle to get an hour of life out the batteries. This is standard for all rechargeables, both internal and external.

For Apple iPod owners, especially those with first- and second-generation players, this is not news. Many have had to get either new batteries or a new player. But here's where things get interesting. There were reports (denied by Apple) that the company told early iPod owners to buy new players when their batteries ran out because there was no easy way for end-users to replace the spent lithium-ion batteries.

Apple doesn't deny that consumers can't easily replace their batteries. But the company contends that users get a one-year warranty with all new iPods and can buy a more comprehensive $59 warranty that covers the iPod for two years and adds phone support.

The Refurb Angle Consumers have also complained that if you send your iPod to Apple for a new battery, the company would often send back refurbished or repaired iPods instead of the original unit. Again, Apple representatives do not deny this. The company will use refurbished or repaired units, but always give you a "fresh" battery. If you've personalized the chrome back of your iPod, Apple will make sure that the replacement iPod has the same personalization. I was kind of surprised that the company admits doing this, but representatives insist that giving customers repaired or refurbished parts is a common practice for hardware manufacturers.

There are also complaints that there's no way for consumers to know about this refurb-switch policy because the practice is only noted in very tiny print on the Apple site. Obviously, these customers neglected to read the warranty that ships with every iPod. It clearly outlines the whole "replacement/refurbished" policy. Even if iPod owners never read their warranty (then again, I can't remember the last product warranty I bothered to read), Apple now offers a comprehensive iPod Battery area on its site, and it's noted in standard-sized type that "Apple will replace your iPod for a service fee of $99, plus $6.95 shipping". It does say "replace your iPod." But neither this page nor others (like the guide to iPod battery replacement) that I scanned on Apple's site mentions that you might receive a refurbished or repaired iPod.

Even so, it is clear from this text that you will not be getting your old iPod back:

"… your songs and files will not be transferred to your replacement iPod. Please back up important files, and remove all data from your iPod before sending it to Apple."

I wondered why Apple insists on replacing the iPod instead of just the battery. I'm guessing that they often have to break the iPod to replace the battery. Why this happens, I don't know. There are dozens of sites offering step-by-step guides for home iPod battery replacement. On the other hand, the first step in this site recommends "prying open" the case with a screwdriver. I would guess that the iPod is never quite the same after this procedure.

And why would you perform this potentially damaging act on your own? This leads us to another major complaint: Apple's iPod replacement batteries are too expensive. It's true that Apple will charge you $99 for the battery (and the replacement iPod). You can buy a third-party battery for just $39. You do, however, have to install it yourself and possibly end up with a slightly damaged—by you—player. Apple has little to say about these batteries, aside from that it does not recommend that you take apart your own iPod.

Angry Hordes The battery controversy has led to the growth of a small cottage industry of attempts to build class-action lawsuits against Apple over its battery-replacement program. There was even a video that began floating around the Internet a couple of years ago called "iPod's Dirty Secret." This is the source of many of the rumors and much of the misinformation about Apple's battery-replacement program and tactics. The video shows someone making a sign, while in the background we hear a purportedly real phone call between an iPod consumer and an Apple tech-support rep. The guy's iPod is dead after just 18 months, and the support tech stupidly tells him, more or less, that since replacing the battery would cost him $255, he might as well buy a new iPod. The video finishes with the angry iPod consumer holding up his homemade sign, spray-painted with the message "Apple's unreplaceable iPod battery lasts only 18 months."

I'm sure that under certain conditions (exposing the device to overly warm or cold temperatures, or never fully discharging its battery), any iPod user can cut the life of a lithium-ion battery down to just 18 months. But that's not the norm for any rechargeable by any means. Amazingly, that video has created a sort of urban legend for iPod naysayers. Virtually anyone I talked to can quote the "18-month lifespan" for the player's batteries—even if there appears to be little evidence to back it up.

To be fair, in the first few years of the iPod's existence, Apple was obviously not forthcoming about how it would handle dead iPod batteries. And the double whammy of iPod owners discovering that (1) they couldn't replace batteries themselves, and (2) they might never see their original iPod again, has apparently proved too much for some of them.

In the end, Apple and its iPod are now targets of this venomous outburst for the same reason that Wintel machines are frequent virus targets: popularity. iPods were here first and won a huge chunk of the player market. They've also been around long enough for people to experience the full life-cycle of their batteries and, sometimes, of their first iPod. And people don't just own iPods. They love them. They decorate them. They even dress them in leather and lamé. So when something goes wrong, these folks feel betrayed. Eventually, these wronged users who switch to other companies' players will learn that Zens, for example, also use rechargeable batteries. But though the Creative Labs site offers even less info about its battery-replacement program than Apple does, consumers may be heartened to learn that the Zen's back simply slides off to expose the battery, and that they can buy third-party replacements.

Here's the lesson: Apple iPods are not unique in the world of rechargeable devices. Maybe Apple made a mistake by not making them so consumers could replace their own batteries, but perhaps that's the price you pay for that much-lauded Apple industrial design. So please, enough with the wild conspiracy theories and the threats of class-action lawsuits. The iPod's a good player. Apple's not trying to pull a fast one, and some of you need to learn a little more about rechargeable battery care.

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