Kev

There's a general buzz out there about iPods. They're great, we've got 3 and integrating one into the 8 for audio is high on my list...

BUT - it's just come to my attention that the battery replacement charge is insane. After your 1st year warranty, BANG $200.

Oh, but you can buy 1 year of "applecare" for $99, which will cover your battery for another 12 months. BIG DEAL.

Battery life has been an issue for the earlier iPods already, our original 20GB doesn't last very long on batteries any more ...

So I suppose you should factor in another $200 per year if you want an iPod. It makes throw away batteries look cheap in comparison.

Nice lttle touch how apple made the iPod in a way that it appears the owner cannot replace the battery too.

Spinny 3ngls

put a bullet through it and send it back to the greedy bastards.

messix

That's apple for you. Things look pretty but never really work lol!

Astor

I think they are going to do a $50.00 replacement battery, but I'm not sure if it works for the older models.

timbo

Here's an FAQ on the iPod battery and replacement options. I'm getting 3-4hrs out of my 15Gb model including driving the iTrip FM transmitter (I know it's not 8 hrs, as spuriously suggested by Apple )

http://ipodbatteryfaq.com/

Also, Alpine have announced a new head unit with iPod integration. As to whether it works with/fits in the RX-8…?

http://www.alpine-usa.com/html/D2_n_1_n_n.html

commentator

"That's apple for you. Things look pretty but never really work lol!"


The above statement reminds me of the RX8 as well.
:D

Dez

check out the iPod mini - it's a riot!

++dez;

VelocityRedRX8

Hi, I have 3 iPods and use a 30GB in the RX-8 with the iTrip transmitter. The second lighter/power socket in the center console makes it easy to charge. I use a Belkin caddy for the iPod, and a second one for my cell phone. Works well and actually looks pretty clean. Still not nearly as good as direct audio input though!

VelocityRedRX8

According to the link http://ipodbatteryfaq.com/ the battery replacement is $99, and batteries can be had for < $49. Also, the iPod Applecare is less. Confused by this. Which is correct?

Kev

Yes, but that's in America ... this is a post in the Australian forum. We don't use US currency here, we have our own. Don't be shocked, other countries do this too

Dez

Kev, your spurs are showing..

Years ago I was just another pc using dweeb trying to make a Toshiba 5200 luggable exist running Xenix - great fun, but I went mad trying to exist surrounded by idiots running windows etc.

I crashed the pc one day and borrowed a Mac powrbook 150 for a weekend and although I'd used Mac's a great deal, I'd never * really * used one to produce a large report and supporting data, so although I wasn't a fan, the MS Word + Excel combo on Mac OS on anold 25Mhz cpu was a one way trip - I was hooked.

Typing here on a 1+Ghz 64bit PPC G4 PowerBook 15" rocket, running Darwin, I've been in pure heaven for some time now.

And I have to say that albeit that Apple are often a little behind the eight ball on speed, pure grunt, latest and greatest bugs and security volnerabilities, yea, I know - you windows guys feel special because you get more bugs, I can't being to imagine what the world would be like without Apple's innovation frankly.

Name me if you will another firm who have dragged the world into the NeXT ( pun ) level time after time after time.

So I think we can forgive them their few slights in light of their innovation.

Before the iPod, would you have ever wandered up to a stranger and shared your listening on a Sony walkman? Bulshit! But these days the whole world's obsessed with iPod sharing - I've had a girl in the City in Sydney who at the lights looked at me and said "hey, listed to this!" and handed me the SECOND set of earphones she had handwired ( kitchen knife and wire wrap by the look ) herself - wild huh!

So before you flog them too much, are you better off with an iPod who's early versions are having issues with batteries, or would you have been better off without the iPod in the first place?

Yea, another retoric from me - sorry.

++dez;

ps: if you havne't used Mac OS X, then you haven't a clue what you're missing - find an apple store, trying for an hour, and I bet you money for jam you'll buy an Apple and use Mac OS X - because the alternative is so bloody horrible !!

donaldc

i wouldn't blame Apple for the cost of the ipod battery. if you look at the form factor of the ipod, it really needed a specialised battery. Probably not too much different from the battery in my Palm 505. I haven't enquired as to the cost of the Palm's battery, but i am sure it will be just as expensive. My iPod cost about $600 new, and if I remember correctly, the Palm cost $750 new. If you want a nicely designed device, then you really shouldn't complain about the cost of the battery. The battery is made by Sony, so I you really should complain that Sony sells them for such a high price. Apple could have put in AAA batteries, but the iPod would ave ended up really ugly.

I've got an original 5G iPod that is still working and holding charge as well as when I had it new.

Donald

Dez

http://www.geocities.com/podhat/gollum.html

a must have for the iPod + LOTR nuts..



++dez;

Kev

Dez,

My wife works for Apple

You won't catch me bashing their products, but pricing policy, sales and marketing are all below the standard they should be.

Anyway, my focus was iPod - magic little device, but an instant throw away when the battery dies - in 2 years when the battery is dead, $AU200 will buy something better.

The bit that gets under my skin is that we all know the battery isn't worth $200, but someone at apple with the iq of a rabbit just decided double the US price would do for Australia.

Kev.

ps we run a mix of mac and pc, the kids seem happy either way - unfortunately a few pieces of software don't run on a mac, ohterwise I'd use a mac portable in a shot ...

Kev

Sorry donaldc,

That's rubbish. It's a way on generating money - nothing to do with battery complexities. Even local apple people are surprised by the pricing.

donaldc

i think it does have to do with the complexity of trying to fit a battery into the iPod case. they ipod's battery is really quit ethin and flat. they could have just used a bigger, cheaper battery. well, i suppose the only way we'll find out if apple is ripping us off is to find out the cost of the battery when supplied from Sony.

Donald

Dez

or HP..

Kev

Guy's - the battery is $199 to try and scare you into taking out $99pa Applecare on your iPod.

The 15GB iPod is now $449. Do you really think the battery should be $199?

Sorry to labour on this, but even if the battery is so unique that it's manufactured from ground dragon's ***** - I still think the price is a rip off.

I'm not going to roll over on this issue because "company X charges stupid prices for batteries so apple should too".

I also believe the "brilliant people" at apple could design a battery bay in the iPod that could take either ~4xAAA batteries or their "special" battery. But that wouldn't give them a locked in income for future overpriced battery sales.

donaldc

I just found an Australian source for iPod batteries. They are AUD$99 from www.paleographics.com.au

Donald

timbo

Good one!

Thanks Donanld

Drnrg

as far as im aware the new ipod's with the click-wheel dont have battery problems? they're going down in price too, a 20gb uni is around the $500 mark these days, cheaper if you're a student of course

Choppy

Get this Ipod talk out of my face...

I dont need another toy, i dont need another toy....... See battery no good phillip, you dont need this.

ok im not getting one...yet...

MAC OS X Rocks. Slows down my G4 to much though but i will upgrade to a G5 very very soon. Anything with a flavour of FREEBSD would be good

Whats this FM transmitter for the IPOD? Good quality?

Regards
Phillip

Lustre

The iTrip FM transmitter is excellent - in my old car.

My worst pet hate with the RX-8 is that the antenna is molded into the rear window, so the FM signal from the iTrip is appalling. Has anyone developed a workaround that doesn't involve adding a line-in port to the radio itself?

dracoMJB

I've not had a problem with the iTrip in the RX-8. I was worried it would be worse because of the rear window aerial.

timbo

The iTrip is ... ... OK. But I am waiting for a line-in module kit.

Phillip, in your case the iPod is not a toy, it's a portable back-up device