iPod shuffle vs. Replacement battery
One of the web sites I write and podcast for involves a fair amount of travel around the Washington DC region. It’s not uncommon to be in the car for eight hours a week traveling to shows. So my wife and I listen to several different podcasts. Unfortunately, my third generation iPod’s battery has finally gotten super weak. We bought a car charger so we can listen while driving, but that is yet another cable to clutter up the front of the car.
So after yesterday’s iPod announcement, here are my options for my limited budget:
- Deal with the clutter
- Order a new battery for my iPod and install it myself ($25-$40 depending on vendor)
- Get a refurbished iPod shuffle ($49)
- Get a new iPod shuffle ($79)
If you’ve ever replaced your iPod’s battery, I’d love to hear how it went. Or if you use a shuffle to only listen to podcasts, are there any downsides? I’d guess I’d only sync a few podcasts at a time to it. And the related question is how well does iTunes handle having two different iPods syncing?
#1 Bill says:I did a 3g replacement a couple of months ago - cost like $12 with shipping. It was a bit tough to get it open, but has worked like a charm.
#2 Brandon Eley says:Too bad you’ve got a 3g. I have a 4g with a bad hard drive but the battery is perfect (it’s a 20GB iPod Photo). I’d be happy to send it to you but I’m pretty sure the battery is a different size.
#3 Bill says:The only downside I find to listening to podcasts on my Shuffle is that sometimes I have more than one instance of a “show”, and can’t tell which is the newer, as some of them do not announce the date on them. This is mostly a problem with news shows, or anything episodic. A display would make it easier to tell which was which.
#4 Taylor says:Was not bad at all.. I bought a battery from batteriesplus. It seems like the battery lasts longer than a new ipod…
#5 Seth says:I use a 1G Shuffle for podcasts and the only problem I have is that, if you manage the content manually, you can’t re-order the contents of your shuffle. So, mine play in order from newest to oldest, which is the opposite of what I want.
#6 Rob Wilkerson says:I can’t speak to your podcast questions - I don’t really listen to any - but iTunes handles multiple iPods just fine. I have a shuffle and a 30G that I sync daily and weekly, respectively. iTunes handles the differences brilliantly and recognizes them properly. I’ve never had any problem at all.
#7 Michael says:I also put a new battery in a 3G iPod recently. It was a ten minute job - it would have been quicker if I’d just used my Apple ‘black stick’ straight waway, rather than the included plastic tools.
It’s is now as good as new.
#8 Bill says:Yep, did the battery replacement myself a few years ago on my 2g iPod. Easy as pie and has worked fine ever since.
#9 nicholas says:I actually sync a shuffle(once a month or so), a nano (when my running playlist needs to be updated), a 60gb video (once a week), and an iPhone, (daily for podcasts). iTunes has no problem with this and I have actually connected two of them at a time and had no problem.
#10 Lonnie says:I sync an iPod video, nano, and shuffle with one user and have no problems.
#11 Shafiq says:I opened up a 4G recently. Very easy to replace the battery. easy connector to the board. Again the hard part is opening the case. I used a small screwdriver. Scratched the metal a bit. Next time, I’d put some tape on the metal or use a plastic wedge.
#12 Nathan says:Replacing the battery isn’t that bad. If you have a Battery Plus around, they will break it open for you. Thats the hardest part. As the the shuffle, I wouldn’t recommend getting one for podcasts. As of upgrading to iTunes 7.2 the ability to manually sort podcast on the shuffle is gone. iTunes put the newest podcast at the top, there isn’t a way to change this. I hate it and am trying to figure out what new ipod to get. I have more info about the sorting problem on my site.
#13 Jrod says:2 other options:
Hit up a Mac Genius in your area (Bethesda Row, Montgomery Mall, Tysons Corner, Clarendon, Pentagon City) and do Apple’s out-of-warranty battery replacement. It costs $69.
Recycle the iPod. It’s 10% off of any ipod other than the shuffle.
I’ve done both options in the past. I refuse to let my 3G 15gb go, so I did the battery replacement and they just swapped out the iPod itself! I seem to be the collector of dead iPods, so I’m always recycling them for gifts and such.
#14 Kai Howells says:My solution - a proper iPod interface for my car’s stereo. I can control the iPod from my headunit, it charges the iPod while it’s plugged in, and the sound quality is as good as it gets.
#15 nfoo says:You’re lucky … not only does the 3G iPod really look good in it’s own special charme … but it’s also super easy to replace the battery. I’ve done it myself, and I’m not Superman.
You can even get a higher capacity battery, so it will play longer.
You can get it for about 15-20$รถ
#16 louis laregina says:Battery replacement is relatively simple; a 15-20 minute job.
#17 Joe says:Just 3 days ago I changed the battery of my 3G iPod, it was hard to get it open, but after that it was really simple and quick. I bough it from Other World Computing for $20.
I have a 2G Shuffle for jogging because I don’t really need controls while I’m at it, but I find that an iPod with screen is much better while driving, flying or commuting.
#18 Chris says:I think it’s time for you to invest in a new ipod. The good news is everyone is going to want to unload their 5G ipods to upgrade to new models. I think with some patience you could snag an old 3G for around $150. Meanwhile, some collector will like to grab your old 3G for around $50, giving you a nice upgrade path.
#19 Chris says:Oops, I mean snag an old 5G for $150.
#20 Jordan says:Out of warranty battery replacement by apple. They’ll take the old ipod and replace it with a new/reconditioned ipod of the same model.
Works out a little more than a replacement battery but you are getting a new ipod essentially with 90 days warranty.
#21 max31 says:Here’s what I did with my Shuffle. I left it in the drawer after I bought a Nano last year. I didn’t realize what I was losing by not seeing the contents of the Shuffle. I would not get into the mess of replacing the battery of a Shuffle, it’s a bit like trying to keep an old television set running.
I know everybody says they have a limited budget, that covers mine pretty well, but I bought a 4 gigabyte Nano in 2006. Yesterday, I went to the Emeryville Apple store and looked at the new Nano. I would get the 8 gigabyte in a heartbeat, the machine plays movies and tv shows, and the screen is sharp and bright.
#22 JB says:I replaced my battery in a 3rd gen iPod…about 10 minutes. Not hard, just take your time. I forgot where I bought the battery but it came with a tool.
#23 Michael Clark says:Thanks very much for the thoughts. I’m still deciding what to do. I think the lack of screen and being unable to change the order of podcasts means not to get a shuffle. I’ll price out batteries next week.
#24 Michael Stiber says:Note that you’d need to manage podcasts manually if you use a Shuffle; they won’t sync to it automatically.
#25 V. Stephens says:I bought one of the replacement batteries for my iPod video. After opening the case I was to remove the battery that was supposedly secured with “a small amount of glue”. It was actually installed directly over a small ribbon cable with a significant amount of VERY STRONG adhesive. In the process of removing the battery the ribbon cable tore, destroying my iPod. Maybe mine had an unusually large amount of glue- I don’t know. All I know is I wish I hadn’t done it!
#26 Rachel says:I found my I pod battery at needbattery.com They had the cheapest prices on the net. It was only like 20 bucks. Here’s the link to their ipod battery section.
http://www.needbattery.com/Mp3-Players/Apple.html
#27 YOULL DO SHELL says:i replaced ipod nano 2gb battery but not holding charge get 20mins before dies any ideas