backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 77 comment(s) - last by TomZ.. on Jul 7 at 12:12 AM
Replacing your battery will cost $79 plus $6.95 shipping

When the Apple iPhone was first announced, one of the major criticisms of the device was its lack of a user-replaceable battery. With the complaints levied against the batteries used in Apple's iPod music players, the thought of not being able to replace the battery in a cell phone weighed heavily on many minds.

Apple looks to put some of those worries to rest with its announcement of a battery replacement program for the iPhone. Should your iPhone's battery ever need replacement, Apple will do the deed for $79 plus $6.95 shipping. Apple says that the repair will take three business days not counting shipping to and from the repair center.

All data on your iPhone will be erased when you send it off, so Apple suggests that you backup all of your important information with iTunes before sending it off.

Considering that an iPhone sent in for servicing could be out of the owners hand for as much as a week or more (including shipping time), Apple has another program in place for customers. If you absolutely can't live without your iPhone, Apple will rent you an iPhone for $29 while your device is being serviced.

In the end, it seems like a pretty big hassle for what could be accomplished with a simple, user-replaceable battery. Hopefully, Apple will take this into consideration for the 2G iPhone.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
What a rip off!
By nayy on 7/4/2007 5:13:42 PM , Rating: 4
That's almost the cost of a laptop battery!! I know they are charging for the service but why didn't they made it user replaceable to begin with, and how can live over a week with out a cell phone these days.
The batteries better be good or there is going to be a lot of angry people.




RE: What a rip off!
By EndPCNoise on 7/4/2007 5:17:52 PM , Rating: 4
I hope those iPhone fanboys enjoy their phones because they are going to pay and pay and pay...(phone, services, accessories, battery, what's next?)


RE: What a rip off!
By nayy on 7/4/2007 5:23:12 PM , Rating: 5
Well that's the price for being "cool"


RE: What a rip off!
By S3anister on 7/4/07, Rating: -1
RE: What a rip off!
By alifbaa on 7/5/2007 12:29:09 AM , Rating: 5
Regardless of financial status, I can tell you I have a lot better things to do with my time and money than to sit around and wait for a battery to get replaced. There is no way I could tell my work or my clients to not call me on my cell phone for a week because my battery is getting worked on. Then, once I got the phone back, not having any of my data would be an absolute nightmare. And that ignores the issues involved with sending off that data to be handled by who knows who.

Explain to me how this is more "cool" than ordering a battery on line for $25 and switching it out in 15 seconds when it arrives? This has nothing to do with aesthetics. It is a conscious decision made by Apple for the express purpose of squeezing more money out of their customers.

iPhone? I'll pass.


RE: What a rip off!
By conna on 7/5/2007 3:03:08 AM , Rating: 2
It's a rip off. I cannot agree more.
Well, I think Apple is trying to position their products as luxuries. Have anyone complaint about Louis Vuitton handbags a big ripoff? They have good business and ladies are very proud of owning ones. In this consumer market, it used to be Japan Sony, now it's Apple from USA. As long as you can afford it and you are proud of owning one, it worths the money.

I'll pass this time too... because I am waiting for an Iphone which supports 3G network.


RE: What a rip off!
By Chillin1248 (blog) on 7/5/2007 3:42:10 AM , Rating: 5
How the hell can anyone want anymore features than the I-Phone has now, I mean its got a shaver!

http://break.com/index/iphone-hidden-features.html

-------
Chillin


RE: What a rip off!
By theapparition on 7/5/2007 6:11:09 AM , Rating: 3
Of course its a rip off. There's no denying that. It's just following their ipod model of battery replacement and outrageous accessory prices. No surprise there.

However, I think the big picutre here is the phone backup. If the battery dies, will you even be able to backup your phone? Can it be run on USB power without a battery? Until that gets answered, I wouldn't touch it.


RE: What a rip off!
By Oregonian2 on 7/5/2007 2:06:00 PM , Rating: 2
Yes, it's like the iPod. But that's the problem, it isn't one. Being without one's iPod isn't a big deal. Being without one's phone (sometimes one's ONLY phone) for a week IS a big deal. Plus having to back up and restore things as well. So much pain for something so expensive. Pain is supposed be for cheap stuff and what you "pay" for being cheap.


RE: What a rip off!
By HotdogIT on 7/4/2007 6:18:02 PM , Rating: 4
quote:
I hope those iPhone fanboys enjoy their phones because they are going to pay and pay and pay...(phone, services, accessories, battery, what's next?)


As opposed to my PPC-6700, which I got for free from the Sprint Fairy, my free service thanks to Sprint simply giving me minutes, the free accessories I get by being a good person, and the free battery I got by being in the right place at the right time?

How do you think MOST phones work? Everything costs money.


RE: What a rip off!
By defter on 7/5/2007 12:58:05 AM , Rating: 4
Huh? $80 for battery is a rip-off. Genuine Nokia batteries cost around $20-30.....

At least with other phones, I can choose independently the operator. For example under my current plan, my monthly fee is 0, I pay only for outgoing SMSs/calls.


RE: What a rip off!
By mindless1 on 7/6/2007 9:52:28 PM , Rating: 2
And even $20-30 is a ripoff, they really don't have any particularly large expenses that would justify over $12 per. That'd be $10 for the battery and $2 for the custom plastic shell some use.


RE: What a rip off!
By TomZ on 7/7/2007 12:04:45 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
Huh? $80 for battery is a rip-off. Genuine Nokia batteries cost around $20-30

You're comparing apples to oranges (sorry, that was bad). Anyway, it's like the difference between going to the auto parts store and paying $7 for oil and a filter and doing the job yourself, or paying a shop $30 to change your car's oil for you.

In other words, for your Nokia battery, you're just popping the back off and changing the battery yourself. For the iPhone, you're talking about them having to receive a shipment, test the phone, take the thing apart, change the battery, put it back together, ship it out, plus pay for the warranty costs of the battery upgrade. All probably done with "expensive" local labor. There's quite a bit more going on there than just swapping a battery.

I'd be willing to bet that Apple makes nothing for that job (they'll probably farm that work out anyway).


RE: What a rip off!
By chick0n on 7/5/2007 8:11:44 AM , Rating: 1
Apple fanboys/girls dont give a damn, they're Apple's bitch.

Apple has a history of bad quality products. but these losers still want to buy their crap.

One of my friend has 5 ipods , yep, 5. I was like, why ? he said because all of them turn dead just right after the first year of warranty is over. I couldnt stop laughing. then I ask why do u still want it ? he said *he does not know any other hdd mp3 player* .... I was like wtf ?

Apple fanboys/girls ...


RE: What a rip off!
By PurdueRy on 7/4/07, Rating: -1
RE: What a rip off!
By TomZ on 7/4/2007 5:35:47 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Um, do what the world did before cell phones? Use a pay phone or home phone and not drive all over the road while making your "important" calls?

People have adapted their lifestyles and expectations to always being able to reach and be reached by cell phone.

What did the world do before running water? Before TV? Before microwave ovens? Before cars?


RE: What a rip off!
By Zirconium on 7/4/2007 5:41:09 PM , Rating: 2
There are three reasons I can think of off the top of my head for why many people can't live without their cell phones for a week:

1. Some don't have land lines. Also, I haven't seen a pay phone in ages (although I really haven't been looking for them).
2. Suppose you gave someone only your cell phone number and that person needs to get in contact with you urgently?
3. I keep all my contacts on my cell phone. I have this info backed up to my PC, but many people don't know how to do that. For those people, if they are without their cell phone, they won't know the numbers of people they might want to call.

Cell phones have changed the way we communicate, and for some people, it would be very difficult to go back to the way it was before having a phone at your fingertips all the time.


RE: What a rip off!
By Devo2007 on 7/4/2007 6:50:46 PM , Rating: 2
3. I keep all my contacts on my cell phone. I have this info backed up to my PC, but many people don't know how to do that. For those people, if they are without their cell phone, they won't know the numbers of people they might want to call.

The iPhone is not targeted towards these people.... heck, in order to activate the iPhone, you need to connect it to your computer.

Your other points are valid, and that's why Apple does have the loaner option as well. Yes, cell phone companies generally have loaner phones too (possibly for free), but those tend to be crappy phones. At least with that extra $29 option, you can borrow an actual iPhone.


RE: What a rip off!
By jmunjr on 7/6/2007 1:19:19 AM , Rating: 2
What a bunch of tard-cakes. You don't keep these people's phone #s in your head? Holy cow! Before I got my cell I memorized ALL my contacts info. Many hundreds of people. Then I got my cell, and I started to become a mindless sheep. Bahahaha.

Seriously, I finally caught myself after a few months when I could not call someone because I didn't have my cell. Now I purposefully always dial the number when I call someone - I never use my phone book, and I can happily say I know everyone's number by heart - the way it should be.


RE: What a rip off!
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 7/4/2007 5:46:08 PM , Rating: 3
Pay phone? I've seen maybe two pay phones in the past two years here in NC. In fact, one time was just a few weeks ago and I was astonished to see it. It was like a relic from the past.

Also, many of use our cell phones as landline replacements.