[stevesolo]

I think most of the general public is unaware when buying a hard drive based unit like the iPod or Zen that the battery is not replaceable. What I dont understand is that there does not seem to be much concern here that many of the hard drive players have limited lives as the batteries are not replaceable.

There is lots of excellent information here about the latest new players like the iRiver iHP-100 but there does not seem to be much concern over the battery replacement issue. It seems that lots of people here are spending $300-400 on players knowing up front that the batteries are not replaceable.

Can someone explain this to me?

Is it correct to assume that the lithium batteries used by the HD players will have a life expectancy of 2-3 years?

After the battery will no longer hold a charge, what will Zen owners do but buy a new player? If so, what a great marketing strategy.

I know that there are a few companies now selling replacement batteries and installation instructions for the 1st & 2nd generation Ipods, perhaps in the future other repalcement batteriies will also be available, however it seems that replacing the battery is not all that easy especially when soldered to the board.

I just bought my first hard drive player and picked the Nomad JB 2. It is not the most sexy, but the fact that the battery is replaceable had a lot to do with my choice. The software is not the greatest but manageable and for now the 10GB meets my needs. It is good to see that Creative has now provided for battery replacement in the new Zen nx and the JB3. Maybe some of the other manufacturers will follow

 

[PeterDLai]

Hey I wondered the same thing as you a while back, thanks for reminding me.

One way of countering this is if you purchase the 3-year warranty from Best Buy (assuming you buy the product from Best Buy), and they will replace the player for you if it goes faulty (battery dies).

Companies will put in non-replaceable batteries, but they will offer support after it dies, except it'll probably cost you (maybe a lot too).

Hopefully though, by the time your battery in your player dies, it'll be a time when the one that you bought 2-3 years ago is now cheaper or something. But that's not very likely, so I plan on just getting a new player (since 2-3 years is a lot for innovations).

 

[White Knight]

iRiver Customer Service is great. When the warranty is almost over (I just hope that it'll be 1 yr on my iHP-100), I'll just complain that its not working anymore and hopefully they will give me a new one.

 

[blessingx]

As you mentioned, places like http://www.ipodbattery.com sell iPod replacement batteries, so I wouldn't say I think most of the general public is unaware when buying a hard drive based unit like the iPod... that the battery is not replaceable.

And I've had my 1st gen open. It's easy to replace the battery (friction is all that holds the back on).

Do agree when something is this expensive, all parts should be replaceable. Not sure why Creative choose to solder their's on.

 

[GSTom1]

Most of us are aware that these units have non-removable batteries, but that is not of great concern. Large companies like Creatives and Apple will not alienate their customers by not offering a battery replacement 1-2 years down the line when they wear out. I'm pretty sure they had these things thought out before they manufactued their units.

Unfortunately, HD based players requires lots of power and typical batteries just can't handle it. Someone did a calculation and estimated that it would cost over $1,000 if regular batteries were used over a 2 year period.

Am I worried? NO. I'll deal with it when the time comes. Right now, I am enjoying listening to several thousand tunes as I type this.