iPod Tip #21
Battery life and replacement has been a hot topic of discussion since the iPod was introduced. Each iPod that has been released has allowed for better battery life. I thought I would give you some tips on this as it stands today.

How long does an iPod battery last?
The majority of even the earliest iPods, now over three years old, continue to function just fine. Some iPods, however, based on age and usage style, will have more battery degradation than others. Lithium ion batteries are only good for 300 to 500 charge/discharge cycles. For this reason, certain customers’ usage patterns may cause the batteries to degrade, or fail, sooner than others.

Tips for Longer Battery Life
How long your iPod lasts on a charge cycle will differ due to which iPod model you have, what you are playing on your iPod and its age. Using your iPod regularly and charging your iPod at least one charge cycle per month will greatly help battery life.

Backlight: Setting the backlight to “always on” will significantly reduce your battery life. Only use the backlight when necessary.

Equalizer: Adding EQs to playback uses more of your iPod processor, since they aren’t encoded in the song. Turn EQ off if you don’t use it. If, however, you’ve added EQ to tracks in iTunes, you’ll need to set EQ to “flat” in order to have the effect of “off,” because iPod keeps your iTunes settings intact.

Video: Video playback on the new iPod will significantly use more battery life than audio. If you are only listening to the audio on your iPod do not play the video. Try my tip iPod Tip #15: Video Playlists Without Video.

Compressed tracks in MP3 and AAC will allow for better battery life than AIFF, WAV, and over larger file sizes due to the way the iPod caches files under 9MB for less hard drive activity.

Make sure you have the latest software on your iPod as Apple has improved battery life with most new software updates.

More tips for longer battery lifespan and battery life for your iPod can be found on the Apple website.

Need even longer iPod playing time? Of course plugging in your iPod to an AC adapter or into 12volt power in your auto will help. There are even some portable devices that can add to your playing time by adding an external battery compartment that use 9 volt and AA batteries.

There are also some external battery compartments that are rechargeable.

Belkin, GriffinTechnology, and others have these battery compartments available.

Replacing Your iPod Battery
The good news is for most iPods Apple has lowered the price of its battery replacement program from $99 to $59. Apple now also offers the replacement service via Apple Retail locations in addition to the original mail-in method. This is probably the best way to replace an iPod battery. iPod service request form.

The iPod’s case is not designed to be opened by users, so the battery is 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 along with a plastic tool to open it for as low as $30, such as:

NewerTech
iPodBattery.com
iPodJiuce.com
PDASmart
iPodResQ
Small Dog
iPodminiBattery.com
iPodbatterydepot.com

As you can see there are no shortage in battery replacement part vendors.

Some will do the battery replacement for you if you send your iPod
PDASmart
iPodResQ

iPod Shuffle
To charge a iPod shuffle battery, connect it to a high-power USB port. Be aware that USB keyboards and non-powered USB hubs generally do not have high-power USB ports. If you connect to a low or non-powered port, iPod shuffle will not charge correctly.

Apple iPod USB Power Adapter and GriffinTechnology PowerBlock offer a charging accessories for the iPod shuffle as do many others.

Once it’s plugged in, it’ll take about 2 hours to charge the battery to 80% capacity and about 4 hours to charge it to 100%. Find out how to check the battery charge see iPod Tip #4: Battery Indicator for iPod Shuffle.

iPod shuffle Repair from Apple.

Some Additional Information
iPod shuffle Service: Frequently Asked Questions

Troubleshooting Battery and Charging Issues

Getting the Most out of Your iPod Battery

You may contact Apple in any of the following ways:
By telephone in the US: 1-800-APL-CARE
By visiting any Apple Retail location.
By visiting any Apple Authorized Service Provider.
By using the online iPod Service Request mail-in method.

    | Tags: battery, iPod