« Translation Service | Main | Maybe The Horses Can Read It »
July 6, 2007
iPhone Battery
Apple's designed the iPhone to have the same battery problem (I think it's a problem) as the iPod. That is, you can't just buy an overpriced spare battery and swap it in when you need it, the way you can do with about a million other electronic gizmos. The battery is soldered in and it's either charged up, or it's not. If the battery fails, you can send it back to Apple for a replacement battery; three business days turnaround. The charge for that will be $85.95, plus you can rent a loaner phone for only $29. That's $114.95, total.
Filed under Technology | permalink | July 6, 2007 at 02:24 PM
Comments
R-
I wasn't asserting that you were spreading FUD, sorry to give that impression. (Unlike the guy on InfoWeek fulminating about the corporate security lapse that iPhone presents due to its ability to function as a firewire disk --- except that it doesn't have that ability.)
Anyway, I'm sure we will see less expensive 3rd-party battery replacement, just as with the iPod. It's a tempest in a iPot.
Posted by: b at Jul 7, 2007 2:23:37 PM
I think you got it right when you mentioned overpriced spare battery.
The iPhone battery, like the phone, has a warranty for a year. They'll fix it free in that time period.
And if you bought it with a credit card that has warranty doubling power (most of them do these days) that should give you a 2 year warranty.
Just my 2c.
Posted by: Mark at Jul 7, 2007 12:50:57 PM
Well, I'm not slinging FUD here. I'm saying I don't like Apple's design decisions that don't allow users to swap out the battery. I don't believe I said anything else for or against the iPhone.
Posted by: Ron's Log at Jul 7, 2007 8:54:45 AM
Clearly, the iPhone is not ideal for everyone -- just like any other cellphone.
You have to balance your needs and the phone's capabilities. I'm not in the market for an iphone either.
However, there is so much FUD being slung that is contrary to fact and experience, that I find very irritating.
The a fully-charged iphone has a 250 hour standby capability -- 10 days.
Naturally, you can get car chargers. $20.00
I just looked on Verizon's website. Standby times seem to range from 170 to 400 hours, So 250 is in the middle of the pack.
One thing that folks are talking about are getting a free/used/cheap ATT phone for beach/hiking/boating and swapping the SIM card between the phones.
If you have the opportunity, play with an iPhone at at Apple or ATT store. The software is AMAZING. There's real flame behind the smoke. In 9-10 months there will be several phones out there that look exactly like the iPhone, but *feel* nothing like it.
Posted by: b at Jul 6, 2007 9:58:44 PM
For me, the lack of a spare battery is a killer for the iPod, since I'd like to use it in places where there aren't electric outlets. For the iPhone, anyplace without electricity probably also lacks a cellphone signal, so a dead battery would be unimportant. Still, how long a charge is there in an iPhone battery? My cellphone is pretty miserly using power, so the battery charge can last for days, but it doesn't do nearly as much as an iPhone.
Posted by: Ron's Log at Jul 6, 2007 8:17:42 PM
I'm on my 3rd (maybe 4th) cellphone.
I have never replaced a battery, & suspect this is true for most folks.
If the battery fails under warranty, Apple will replace it.
Any use of this battery replacement program is years away.
Posted by: b at Jul 6, 2007 3:33:53 PM
