Apple I-phone rumor

[Bijou Media]

I heard a rumor that the new i-phone has an internal battery that can't be removed, and that battery has to be replaced every 6 months or so. You have to ship the phone back to Apple for the replacement. They will give you a rental in the mean time for $100 for three days.

This sounds pretty far fetched to me, just wondering if anyone else has heard anything like this?

 

[Bogy]

I've had PDA's with batteries that couldn't be replaced, but they lasted for far longer than 6 months.

 

[Bijou Media]

I've had PDA's with batteries that couldn't be replaced, but they lasted for far longer than 6 months.

That's the part I have a problem with, if their battery only lasts six months then they need to find a better one lol! That would be a PR nightmare. Again I doubt that six month statement is true.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Apple's ipod batteries have always sucked; but I usually get much more than six months in them.

I love that on my Treo, the battery is replaceable. I have 3 of them

 

[dont24]

Here's the Apple URL. I haven't seen anything about it lasting only 6 months. I've seen 18 months mentioned. Apple - Support - iPhone Out-of-warranty Battery Replacement Program

 

[Charise]

And it's supposed to be $29 for a loaner phone while you wait.

 

[TheForce]

The problem isn't with the life of the battery in the iphone, whether it's 6 months or 3 years. The real battery problem is it IS INTERNAL and NON ACCESSIBLE and LASTS for a short run time. Think about this- The iphone is using one of the slowest internet connects in the nation, at&t. The speed is unbearable. But apple's answer is we added wifi. Well cool, but you turn on the wifi, assuming you are in an open hot zone, and now your battery will drain down in an hour. I know this because I personally tested it. So you avoid using the wifi because you need your cell phone battery for calls. But then get busy with just calls and now your cell phone kills the battery in 5-6 hours. One of those calls might be an angry client who wants to know why you aren't answering your e-mail. So you try your iphone on the at&t for download of e-mail and it takes forever too because the network is slow. Face it, for speed and a phone that goes for a full work day, your iphone becomes a cord phone, the charging cord.
IMO, the two biggest mistakes on the iphone was first the internal non-accessible battery, and 2 the network they contracted with.
There is a third issue I have with it but this is way low on the priority. It is not open to third party developers applications. But, the upside of this is Apple has control and therefore the phone will be pretty solid, stable and consistent.

I addressed the issue of battery chemistry in another thread and explained there is no magic that Apple has over the chemistry or science of these batteries. They will last in what is expected from the equivalent design they used. and this is usually based on the number of recharges and time on charge. Everyone will have different experiences but mostly, it won't be any different than other cell phones using the same battery chemistry.

I will predict that soon, Apple will come out with a new version of the iphone that will have a battery access for field changing by the consumer. They would be stupid to continue on their present path with the battery.

 

[Bogy]

So Don, what you are saying is that the iphone is pretty much on track as an Apple device?

 

[Mr Tony]

The battery is internal and cannot be changed unless by Apple. That is what they told us when this IPhone came out (I work for AT&T)
I've heard 18 months and 500 charges and everything in between

 

[digiblur]

The problem isn't with the life of the battery in the iphone, whether it's 6 months or 3 years. The real battery problem is it IS INTERNAL and NON ACCESSIBLE and LASTS for a short run time. Think about this- The iphone is using one of the slowest internet connects in the nation, at&t. The speed is unbearable. But apple's answer is we added wifi. Well cool, but you turn on the wifi, assuming you are in an open hot zone, and now your battery will drain down in an hour. I know this because I personally tested it. So you avoid using the wifi because you need your cell phone battery for calls. But then get busy with just calls and now your cell phone kills the battery in 5-6 hours. One of those calls might be an angry

The Mogul on Sprint's Network puts the IPhone in the dirt! Nothing like streaming full motion video from my PC at home while on the road. Speed tests hitting 800-1200 kilobit. I showed my Mogul to a co-worker with an IPhone, he's jealous! And I could have bought two phones for his one!

 

[Bijou Media]

The problem isn't with the life of the battery in the iphone, whether it's 6 months or 3 years. The real battery problem is it IS INTERNAL and NON ACCESSIBLE and LASTS for a short run time. Think about this- The iphone is using one of the slowest internet connects in the nation, at&t. The speed is unbearable. But apple's answer is we added wifi. Well cool, but you turn on the wifi, assuming you are in an open hot zone, and now your battery will drain down in an hour. I know this because I personally tested it. So you avoid using the wifi because you need your cell phone battery for calls. But then get busy with just calls and now your cell phone kills the battery in 5-6 hours. One of those calls might be an angry client who wants to know why you aren't answering your e-mail. So you try your iphone on the at&t for download of e-mail and it takes forever too because the network is slow. Face it, for speed and a phone that goes for a full work day, your iphone becomes a cord phone, the charging cord.
IMO, the two biggest mistakes on the iphone was first the internal non-accessible battery, and 2 the network they contracted with.
There is a third issue I have with it but this is way low on the priority. It is not open to third party developers applications. But, the upside of this is Apple has control and therefore the phone will be pretty solid, stable and consistent.

I addressed the issue of battery chemistry in another thread and explained there is no magic that Apple has over the chemistry or science of these batteries. They will last in what is expected from the equivalent design they used. and this is usually based on the number of recharges and time on charge. Everyone will have different experiences but mostly, it won't be any different than other cell phones using the same battery chemistry.

I will predict that soon, Apple will come out with a new version of the iphone that will have a battery access for field changing by the consumer. They would be stupid to continue on their present path with the battery.

Good points I have had just about every brand now, and Cingular was the worst terrible network, and we won't even get into the customer service. I don't know how much it has changed since att took over.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

...

I will predict that soon, Apple will come out with a new version of the iphone that will have a battery access for field changing by the consumer. They would be stupid to continue on their present path with the battery.

AND of course, they will never admit that there was a problem; like with all the windows ipod problems in the early days... waiting and waiting for software fixes..

I love my ipod video, but only because I haven't found anything better yet.

 

[TheForce]

So Don, what you are saying is that the iphone is pretty much on track as an Apple device?

Hey Bogy, How you been? I even asked how your daughter was doing in another thread but I don't think you saw the question.

Anyway, if you mean it has enhanced the cult created by Steve Jobs, absolutely! This guy is a marketing genius. Who cares if it is really a good device. As long as it has that little fruit symbol on it, people will plop down 3 weeks salary on this thing. and that is no joke. I know one guy who is doing this with a part time job salary advance. Funny because when I asked him some specifics on it, he didn't know. He just knew it was way cool to have one.

 

[Bogy]

Hey Bogy, How you been? I even asked how your daughter was doing in another thread but I don't think you saw the question.

Anyway, if you mean it has enhanced the cult created by Steve Jobs, absolutely! This guy is a marketing genius. Who cares if it is really a good device. As long as it has that little fruit symbol on it, people will plop down 3 weeks salary on this thing. and that is no joke. I know one guy who is doing this with a part time job salary advance. Funny because when I asked him some specifics on it, he didn't know. He just knew it was way cool to have one.

Yep, it's got an apple on it, so it must be cool. Of course with any "new" phone that is different (and expensive) there will be those willing to pay big bucks to have it before everyone else. A few years ago it was the Razr, when it was new, and cost hundreds of $$$'s. Now, every grade schooler has one because they give them away 2 for $29.95.

I'm doing good, been in and out on vacation, and just really busy. So far this summer we moved my mom to the town we are living in, moved my second daughter's stuff home (after she graduated, she was also preparing to enter the Peace Corps, had her assignment to Nicaragua, and then she had to have sinus surgery and they have put her on hold for six months), and moved my son to where he has begun college (more of a college/tech school, classes run for 11 weeks and then they are off for 3, year round. He'll have his MS certification by Dec. 2008). So its been a crazy summer. The daughter in Kenya is doing fine, past the half-way mark on her 27 month assignment, and getting anxious to come home.

 

[mikew]

The lack of 3g support baffles me. The battery not being user-replaceable baffles me. The commercial showing how quickly you can go from a google map to a search of seafood to a location map to a phone number is truly unbelievable. The price for this thing is ridiculous. The lack of a "plays for sure" standard is disappointing in any apple product. No 3rd party apps?

I bought a refurb 8525 for $99.00. I can play Napster tunes, watch my slingbox, have 3g speeds and paid $400 less. Maybe I'm ignorant.

 

[Bogy]

I bought a refurb 8525 for $99.00. I can play Napster tunes, watch my slingbox, have 3g speeds and paid $400 less. Maybe I'm ignorant.

Or not easily swayed by hype.

 

[Hall]

Many devices have batteries that are "not user-replaceable" but give people a few more weeks and there will be "guides" on how to do it yourself.

 

[TheForce]

OK, lets be fair on this about price guys. The price is not out of the ordinary for any PDA phone, if that's what we'll call the iphone even though it's PDA function is quite limited by other PDA standards. What the iphone does lack are the subsidies from the carrier.

Batteries that cannot be changed? Yeah sure! My BT H700 is like that too. Drives me mad when I'm in the middle of a business call and the thing starts beeping that it needs a recharge and its 10AM so the rest of the day I ride around trying to hide I'm not on hands free!

What I see Apple doing for the gullible today who bought this iphone is adapt an old technology we had for years now on other cell phones. It is the plug-in charger booster. That would make life tolerable at least and get you by for, hopefully, the end of the day where you are back at a charging station.

Anyway I suppose I beat this topic to death as everyone knows ( at least in this thread) this was the biggest blunder Apple made on it.

Lasty evening we were having dinner with my son-in-law and daughter and he being somewhat of a MAC head, as well as easily hyped by the Apple marketing genius, started in telling me how he went in and sized up the iphone even though he can't afford one. (newlywed's budget) He mentioned that the battery went dead while he was demoing the thing. I told him of my experience. Then he said he was surprised that Apple didn't allow any 3rd party apps as he likes FF. He said how the apple genius said you don't need anything else as the iphone comes with everything you need. Then being the MAC head he is, he made the statement that set me in motion. He says But you know, it's really their first run and it will take time to get it right. I said hold on a moment! You can't sit there and mantra the same excuse for Apple that I have been hearing other mac heads now saying like Catholics saying the rosary. (I get kicked under the table by my wife.) Apple has been marketing this iphone as the phone that will revolutionize the cell phone industry for 6 months now. They have been boasting, creating the biggest media blitz of the 21st century on this thing. Every news cast, every night has something about it. Even my 86 year old dad who doesn't know what a mouse is knows about the iphone and believes it is a paradigm shift in communications. Now that its out we see it turns back the clock on so many cell phone features that have become standard for decades on other cell phones. I haven't had a fixed battery not changeable since my Mot Bag phone. Given all the screw ups this phone has I'm surprised Steve Jobs didn't give it a rotary dial with a bell ringer as we had in the 60's. After all that would fit the ipod look! No excuse that it's just a first generation. They claimed it would revolutionize the industry, not turn back the clock 25 years.
I'm sick and tired of all this: " It's just a first generation, so give them time to get it right" They lied in the advertising. But it doesn't matter for all the brain dead Mac users who worship that little fruit like a golden calf (Bible story) I'm insulted, as one who does advertising for a living. Apple is guilty of the biggest scam and con job of the decade in their advertising. Their entire ad campaign on this iphone is a big lie, pure and simple.

 

[Foxbat]

I replaced the battery on my 3rd Generation iPod with a jeweler's screwdriver and a guitar pick. Once you get the case snapped apart, it's pretty easy. I haven't got my hands on an iPhone to check it out, but I know others have dismantled the phone (see iFixIt: iPhone Disassembly, iPhone Topics, iPhone News, Latest iPhone News, Latest iPhone Reviews, iPhone Reviews, iPhone Articles at iPhoneTopic.com for one such site) and the battery will have 3rd party replacements if the iPod market is any indication.

Now, sure, I'd like to have a spare BP to slap into a phone at a moments notice, but I've lived without one on my RAZR for a year, mostly because a) I don't talk on it every day, and b) I stay within a digital coverage area. I went on vacation and all that was available was analog at my dad's cabin. The RAZR was drained in about a day of stand-by. I haven't heard what analog capabilities the iPhone has, but if it acts the same way, or doesn't have an analog section, well, that's another good reason for me not to buy one.

Besides, I just wanted the touchscreen iPod, not a new phone...

 

[TheForce]

Foxbat- I'm not an ipod user but I hear that dial is what is great about it. On the iphone, the navigation through music is much better than my win mobile 5 file explorer looking for the right mp3 way. Some things this will do better and navigation, the OSX streamlined way, should put Microsoft on alert.