iPod Nano Battery Question

Amie

Amie

Mac Convert for Life
Three questions, actually:

1. Like the iBooks and PowerBooks, is it necessary to calibrate the iPod Nano battery as well? Should I drain the battery all the way until it won't play anymore and then plug it in and fully charge it? Or does it not matter with iPod batteries?

2. What happens when the battery goes bad and has used up all its life? I'm guessing they are replacable? Although I don't see any screws or any way to get the back cover off...

3. Does anyone know what the average lifespan of the iPod Nano battery is? (I don't mean how long each charge will last, I mean how long the battery will last total before having to replace it.)
 
1) Yes, once a month or a little less often you should "cycle" the battery -- drain it all the way, then charge it fully. Note that this doesn't have to be done all in one discharge/recharge cycle -- starting with a full charge, using 50% of the battery, charging 25%, then discharging 50% and charging 75% is a "cycle", since you discharged and recharged 100% of the battery.

2) Apple will replace the battery (actually, replace the whole iPod) for $60. www.owcomputing.com and other retailers sell at-home replacement battery kits for certain iPods -- I don't know if they've got a kit for the nano yet, but they probably will soon. It's a delicate operation with a high risk of completely ruining your iPod if not done right, but it's hella cheaper than going through Apple. Going through Apple, though, you have the guarantee of a working iPod with a good battery. Well worth $60 if you ask me.

3) More than a year. My iPod photo is just over a year old and is just now starting to show signs of slightly degraded battery life. Instead of lasting a week without charging, it now lasts about 4 - 5 days with light to medium use (~2 hours listening a day, mostly very high bitrate songs [~256k VBR])

http://www.apple.com/batteries/
 
Thank you for your reply.

So: When my battery starts to go, I just take my iPod Nano back to the Apple store (that's where I bought it) and pay them 60 bucks for a whole new Nano? And that's it?
 
Probably not a new nano -- a refurbished nano, which, for all intents and purposes, should be pretty close to new: no major scratches, nobody else's music on it, and a new or reconditioned battery guaranteed to perform as if it were new.

Lucky people sometimes do receive a brand-new iPod, but don't expect to be upgraded or anything -- if you're trading in a 2GB nano, you'll get a 2GB in return.

I don't know if Apple offers this service at their retail stores, though -- I believe it's an "online-only" thing. Here's some Q&A about the program:

http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/battery/
 
heres what will happen:
If your battery dies in the first 6 months, it's covered
If your battery dies in the following 6 months, you have to pay service charges (about $30)
After the first year, you are on your own. I strongly recommend getting the Apple Care Protection Plan within that first year. well worth it, and covers everything except theft, loss, or accidental damage (i.e. dropping it in a pool)
 
OK, that's really odd. I'm not sure I even understand Apple's protocol for this particular issue. I'm not talking about a battery that has died early or malfunctioned. I'm talking about just regular, good-performing Nanos that have reached the end of their regular battery life. Shouldn't they just be able to replace the battery? Why an entirely different iPod Nano? It doesn't make sense. When your iBook or PowerBook battery goes, you simply buy a new battery. You don't trade in your entire computer for a different one!
 
JetwingX said:
heres what will happen:
If your battery dies in the first 6 months, it's covered
If your battery dies in the following 6 months, you have to pay service charges (about $30)
Click to expand...
That's not true, at least where I come from:

http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html

Apple will cover any battery defect up to one year from the date of purchase, just like any other warranty repair -- you will not be charged anything. Service charges only apply when the problem is not a defect or is not something covered by the warranty.

An iPod's battery failing to hold at least 50% of it's original charge anytime within the first year of ownership is completely covered.

Where did you get the 6-month information from?
 
Amie said:
Shouldn't they just be able to replace the battery? Why an entirely different iPod Nano? It doesn't make sense. When your iBook or PowerBook battery goes, you simply buy a new battery. You don't trade in your entire computer for a different one!
Click to expand...
The iPod has no user-serviceable parts. It's completely sealed, and not meant to be opened. Therefore, Apple will replace the entire unit.

The PowerBook battery is a separate piece of equipment from the PowerBook, and, therefore, can be replaced separately.

Think of the iPod as the PowerBook battery: if you wanna replace the whole battery, you can (ie, replacing the whole iPod). If you wanna crack the battery open and actually replace the power cells themselves while keeping the original battery housing, well, you can't do that -- you've gotta get a whole new battery (ie, whole new iPod).

The iPod is a sealed device, never meant to be opened -- that's why Apple doesn't just crack it open and replace the battery, although that procedure is possible and there are places that will do this for you so that you can retain your original iPod instead of receiving a replacement.
 
Oops, sorry about the double posting. Didn't think it went through the first time, so I posted it again. I'm removing one.
 
Exactly my point. *Shouldn't* the iPod *not* be sealed so that the battery can be easily removed/replaced? I'll never understand why Apple made it like that. :confused:
 
Should or should not is purely subjective -- I kinda like the iPod design: no flimsy battery doors to break or get lost, no "seams" from any battery door, etc..... just slick and small.

Besides, you can easily replace the battery yourself -- it's not quite as simple as popping open a battery door, disconnecting the old and connecting the new, but it's simple enough -- just extremely delicate.

Devices that do have replaceable batteries are usually devices where the battery can be run down in a short amount of time, and the battery can be replaced easily on-the-go for more action. With the iPod's battery lasting days at a time, an easily replaceable battery isn't really necessary. Since you'll, at most, replace the battery in your iPod probably once, an easily replaceable battery, IMO, just isn't necessary.
 
Amie said:
Exactly my point. *Shouldn't* the iPod *not* be sealed so that the battery can be easily removed/replaced? I'll never understand why Apple made it like that. :confused:
Click to expand...

Now this is just me, but I dont mind getting a brand new product at no charge. Not only do I not have to mess with the iPod (with a chance of me ruining it) but it's brand spanking new. It seems a little more convenient to me. I dont waste money on a new battery and I get a brand new iPod.
 
ElDiabloConCaca said:
Should or should not is purely subjective -- I kinda like the iPod design: no flimsy battery doors to break or get lost, no "seams" from any battery door, etc..... just slick and small.

Besides, you can easily replace the battery yourself -- it's not quite as simple as popping open a battery door, disconnecting the old and connecting the new, but it's simple enough -- just extremely delicate.

Devices that do have replaceable batteries are usually devices where the battery can be run down in a short amount of time, and the battery can be replaced easily on-the-go for more action. With the iPod's battery lasting days at a time, an easily replaceable battery isn't really necessary. Since you'll, at most, replace the battery in your iPod probably once, an easily replaceable battery, IMO, just isn't necessary.
Click to expand...
Only one battery replacement? How do you figure that? LOL Someone in this thread said the average life span of the iPod Nano battery is only one year. I plan on having my iPod a lot longer than that. LOL
 
Flomac said:
Now this is just me, but I dont mind getting a brand new product at no charge. Not only do I not have to mess with the iPod (with a chance of me ruining it) but it's brand spanking new. It seems a little more convenient to me. I dont waste money on a new battery and I get a brand new iPod.
Click to expand...
No, it's not brand new. Someone in this thread (see earlier posts) said that it's a refurbished iPod. Unless they are wrong?...
 
Ah they MAY be new or used. Hmm, well then to me it depends on my warranty and the cost of having some other company taking care of the battery for me.
 
Flomac said:
Ah they MAY be new or used. Hmm, well then to me it depends on my warranty and the cost of having some other company taking care of the battery for me.
Click to expand...
Yes. Keyword: may.
 
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