iPod's 'dirty secret' wins Web fans

CNET News.com ^ | November 26, 2003 | Matthew Broersma

[Bush2000]

iPod's 'dirty secret' wins Web fans
Last modified: November 26, 2003, 12:06 PM PST
By Matthew Broersma
Special to CNET News.com

Two filmmakers are getting attention around the Net for an "antiadvertising" project aimed at protesting what they call the "dirty secret" of the iPod music player--its battery life.

Brothers Casey and Van Neistat, who collaborate on video projects using Mac editing software, said they were told by a technical support representative at Apple Computer that the cost to replace the dead battery in an 18-month-old iPod would be $255--comparable to the cost of a new device. Irked at what seemed to be the early obsolescence of the music player, the brothers trekked around New York City stenciling the words "iPod's unreplaceable battery lasts only 18 months" on all the iPod posters they could find.

Now the Neistats claim that the video they created of their exploits is getting 50,000 hits a day on the Web site Ipodsdirtysecret.com. As of Wednesday afternoon, the site's traffic counter indicated it had seen more than 194,000 visitors.

As it turns out, it's possible to replace the battery for as little as $49 using third-party kits. Apple itself offers a battery-replacement service for about $106 including mailing, with a 90-day guarantee on materials and workmanship. Apple's program was introduced only in the past two weeks.

Other iPod users have reported that the device's battery life diminishes with use, as is common for many rechargeable batteries. Unlike standard disposable batteries, the rechargeable power supplies used in the iPod and other high-tech gadgets do not come in a standard design. Replacing the battery involves a tricky process of dismantling the gadget, but third parties offer this service for around $70.

More information on the iPod Battery Replacement Program is available from Apple's technical support Web site.

[glorgau]

The "non-standard" battery is all about form factor. It's tough to fit all the electronics in small packages.

Those guys should be prosecuted for defacing/destroying private property.

[goldstategop]

It sucks that Apple didn't offer a conventional battery and its highly convenient you can get their proprietary battery for the iPod only from them!

[Republicus2001]

reminds me of some high-end loudspeakers I had to service once. The brand was Wham and sold for $50,000 a pair. The fuse happened to be out so I called the factory and was told the fuses were $500 each and they only manufactor them 3 months out of the year. They said call back later ... of course it was Bush's fault

[BrooklynGOP]

Same goes for my Creative Nomad Zen. The batter is not user replacable. I am hoping it won't cost me more then $50 to replace it when the time comes.
Another draw back is that you can't get a 2nd battery to use on those long trips.

[Vermonter]

ping

[SamAdams76]

Makes me glad I chose an iRiver MP3 player over the iPod. The iRiver takes a standard "AA" battery that lasts close to 20 hours. I can deal with that. Doesn't hold as much music as an iPod but it's easy enough to dump and reload tunes as I need to.

More importantly, the iRiver costed less than half of what they were charging for the iPod.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the iPod. But having to replace a $255 battery (plus $70 installation) after 18 months must really suck!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

The "non-standard" battery is all about form factor. It's tough to fit all the electronics in small packages.

But not impossible. I own a NEX II MP3 player that uses 2 AA batteries and it is smaller than an iPod. I use rechargeable alkalines and get a lot of service time out of those.

Granted it doesn't have the storage capacity of the iPod but it will take a 256 Mb CF card and that holds a lot of MP3s.

[erswts]

Interesting. My wife has had an ipod for two years and the battery is going strong. No problems at all.

[truthandjustice1]

Shouldn't that be "iPad"?

[Cooter]

It's called planned obsolescence.

[avg_freeper]

The important point here isn't that the battery dies after so long. Most other players in the same form factor suffer the same fate. The problem here is that way too many mac users are whiney cry-babies that always want something for nothing.

They threw a fit when they found out that Power Macs weren't expandable forever. They moaned and groaned when they found out that Mac OS X wouldn't run on their Apple ][. And they went apoplectic when Apple actually wanted to make a profit on ".mac".

Most people would just chalk it up to experience and move on to a product they like better. Why some mac users feel the need to hang on to a product they have misgivings about just to share the misery with the rest of us I'll never understand.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Shouldn't that be "iPad"?

It's the best graphic I had on hand...being at work and all that.

I also remembered something else about my NEX II versus other MP3 players.
It is not DMCA compliant. Meaning it does not, as proscribed by the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, imprint a digital watermark on the digital files, thereby preventing them from being transported/uploaded onto another PC.

I can therefore use it as a nifty USB connected, drag and drop, file transporter for very large files...as it will accept any format, just like a hard drive.

[Andrewksu]

That would be the Wilson Audio WHAMM, which is a big dog in the rediculosly expensive high-end audio market. Prices on some of this stuff is crazy.

[lelio]

Same goes for my Creative Nomad Zen. The batter is not user replacable.

With a name like Zen, I think the idea is that you can just look at it and generate music in your head.

[GeneD]

Here's a site to consider when thinking of buying an iPod:

www.minidisc.org

P. S. Most MiniDisc units use standard AAs.

[MD_Willington_1976]

Well I'm cheap so I bought the cheapest no-name cd/cdr/cdrw/mp3 player I could find with anti-skip etc for under $30 including 4 nickel metal hydride AA batteries and a charger, works everywhere I go and I dont worry about dropping it, if it gets busted it goes in the bin.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

No problem to change it out. What's $50 to well heeled Apple users? :-)
http://www.ipodbattery.com/

[solitas]

Has anybody told you to go bite yourself lately?

[Republicus2001]

heh, I loaned the guy my JBL century 100's for his daughters wedding and he swore they were better than the whamm's