Changing an iPod Battery
Not really being a fan of the “iLife,” I have never had an iPod (I currently use my BlackBerry Pearl 8130, and previously a series of mp3 players, including a PSP). That is, until last week, when an acquaintance of mine gave me one as a portion of payment for work done. It’s a 4th Gen 20GB iPod, and the thing is a brick. After putting it on a friends charger (several times), I realized why my acquaintance was so keen to get rid of it; it will not hold a charge for longer than like 30 seconds.
Well, not holding a charge is almost definitely a battery problem, so I Googled “replace ipod battery,” and, within moments, found all kinds of stuff.
It seems that battery problems are pretty common with iPods. Apple will replace the battery through their iPod Out-of-Warranty Battery Replacement Program, for a fee (or two, or three). For my iPod, the battery would be $59.00, plus a $6.95 shipping fee, plus a $29.95 fee for “all warranty repairs performed six months after date of purchase.” That comes out to (counts on fingers…) $96.90! That price is too fuckin’ high!
After a few more moments, I found The ifixipodsfast.com Online Store. They sell after market batteries, and basically any other iPod part you might need. And for a $40 fee, that will replace it for you. Being a hands-on kinda guy, and always wanting to save money, I delved a little deeper and found that the same guys also offer up the iPod How To Video Tutorials, free videos covering all kinds of iPod parts replacement.
So, I’m gonna get this battery for $30.00 with FREE 2-3 day shipping (even comes with the tools I need), use this video, and replace the battery myself. I’ll let you know how it goes after I can scrape together the cash. Oh yeah, guess I gotta get a charger too, any recommendations?
PostScript:
While writing this, I saw a commercial for a Bose SoundDock for iPod
