iPod Users should read this.......

Sleipnir

As reported in the Independant today.
Apologies if this has been posted already, I looked but couldn't see that it had been.

Personally, I would just ring up a month before your warranty runs out and tell them your battery only lasts for two hours!






USERS of Apple's iPod music player, alarmed at reports that the unit's non-replacebale battery will be useless after 18 months, were reassured last night that a solution is at hand.

Apple said that a replacement service would soon be available in Europe, as it now is in the United States. Since its introduction two years ago more than two million people have bought an iPod, which can store up to 10,000 songs in a high-quality format.

However, buyers labelled it a rip-off because its power source stopped working shortly after the warranty ran out. The news came as a shock to the 730,000 or so people worldwide who bought the players in the run-up to Christmas, often as pricey gifts.

Some distraught iPod users in the US have been told by Apple's customer service agents simply to throw away their $499 pride and joy and get a new one. In Ireland, the same top-of-the-line iPod model costs about €349.

Two New York-based iPod buyers, Casey Neistat (22) and his brother Van (28), were so outraged that they made a short film of their experiences with the Apple telephone help-desk.

A San Francisco law firm, Girard, Gibbs & De Bartolomeo, is also now thought to be filing a class action lawsuit against Apple.

The lawsuit will claim damages on behalf of any American who bought an iPod assuming that its rechargeable battery would last longer.

Apple executives, however, point out that all batteries eventually run flat and that frequency of use will ultimately affect the iPod's lifespan.

The Neistat brothers' film, at www.ipodsdirtysecret.com, shows Casey Neistat's call to Apple's customer services, in which the agent, Ryan, tells him bluntly to buy a new iPod.

The brothers, both artists in Lower Manhattan, claim that nearly one million internet users have watched the film online and that they have been deluged with thousands of e-mails from angry iPod buyers.

Apple has, however, changed its US policy on the iPod battery, offering an expanded warranty for $59 (€46) and also a $99 (€77) battery-replacement scheme, which involves users sending their devices back to Apple through the post.

It is also possible to buy conventional external battery packs.

Consumers can also attempt to change the iPod's internal batteries themselves using kits which are available on the internet. Several unofficial sites supporting the iPod have sprung up following the Neistat brothers' film.

One of them, www.ipodbatteryfaq.com (faq stands for "frequently asked questions"), says that the iPod's internal lithium ion battery is good for between 300 and 500 charges. According to the site, a fully charged iPod battery should give eight hours of continuous use - although that is with some iPod features switched off.

Some users have complained that battery life falls to as little as one or hour after a year.

A battery that lasts for four hours or less could be considered defective and replaced under Apple's warranty plan, the website says. (© The Times, London)

kano476

ouch. kinda typical though

Creamy Goodness

it's false i know plenty of peopl with gen 2 ipods that are longer than 18months old and their batteries havn't degraded.

it's just hit and miss tbh.

Woden

can you take out apples care plan after you have purchased something? and what does it cover you for?

rabbitinlights

the same top-of-the-line iPod model costs about €349

What shop is that in?

Ive had three ipods over the last few years and i still live with the guy i sold my first gen 5GB ipod to, and he gets about 4-5 hours still from it? Im getting a new 40GB model tomorrow ( ), so it better not just be with the new models?

Still sooooo sweet though!

Sean

Creamy Goodness

349 euros is for the 20 gig model

Woden

i thought 349 was for the 10Gb tbh, 449 for the 20?

Creamy Goodness

ooops your right it's 349 euros for the what was the 10gig model which has been given an upgraded hard disk to 15gig

Woden

yeah thats a nice upgrade for nothing basically, but still you dont get the dock or the remote head phones i presume