Why do so many mp3 players prohibit battery replacement?

[incognitoedleon]

With the exception of those that take standard battery sizes (AA/AAA) just about every mp3 player on the market does not allow the end user to easily swap out a dead rechargable battery? Why do manufacturers do this? True, this keeps overall demand for mp3 players high because consumers will have to purchase a new player every few years. But what kind of justification can companies give for this practice when what they're selling are expensive short term disposable players?

 

[Fallingwater]

It's not a simple matter of just adding a battery compartment. If you make your players with removable batteries you also have to have a battery standard to adhere to, and you have to make sure spare batteries are built, and then you have people who ram in the wrong kind of battery and complain, and also chinese manufacturers who build non-standard batteries which can and sometimes do blow up, and then lawsuits are threatened, and who knows how many other things.

 

[austonia]

removable battery takes up space, weight and these devices are competing on portability

cost - both for manufacturer and consumer

the #1 best selling dap (iPods) doesn't have removable battery

unlike a cell phone, daps are not mission-critical devices, it's not a necessity

fast moving tech sector - daps from 2 years ago are largely obsolete

 

[ILikeMusic]

Most players will run at least 12 hours on the internal battery and that's plenty for most users. For the previously mentioned reasons a user-replaceable battery just adds size and cost and isn't really necessary. And the player isn't a 'throw-away', if/when the internal battery fails after 3-4 years (assuming you still even have the player) in most models it can easily be replaced in about 30 minutes by the user. 30-minutes effort every four years really doesn't represent much of a hurdle...

 

[hciman77]

My Creative Zen has an easily user replaceable standard 3.6V lithium-Ion battery at about $25 off eBay, you just pop the front off with a switch , no farting around sending it back to the manufacturer, no disassembling and voiding the warranty. Built-in batteries mean companies can charge for replacement or expect you to upgrade when the battery goes belly up when the player is a few years old, looks like greed to me.

 

[Spetsnaz Op]

it is EXTREMELY easy to find a player with a user replaceable battery - in fact MANY are. My nomad from 2000 included a dock, rechargable standard batteries (AAA I think), FM radio, voice recorder, and MP3 playback. The same company makes players today with user replacable batteries that are easy to aquire. Of course apple doesn't - but lets be honest here, who really expected them too? People who buy ipods don't care about long term - apple snags whimisical buyers who see a shiny player with an "easy-to-use" (a phrase for "I don't want any learning curve whatsoever even if it means not having access to advanced features") interface. They may not be the best, but they have somehow taken over the entire industry. I liked the days when no one knew what an mp3 portable player was and Apple and DRM mongers and the like stayed out of the business. Now you have people who buy CD's designed to prevent people from using MP3 players that crash PC's - so they buy them for a second time on "iTunes" or whatever other software is out there. Shame it's bolloxed up. I suggest you just buy one with a user replaceable battery and avoid the others.

 

[pds6]

For the most part, it is a question of saving space. Look at the battery replacable daps, most of them are fatter than an iPod.

It is true you have to order a replacement battery ($30.00) and spend half an hour to replace the battery on an iPod. At the same time, how many times have you had problems with battery compartments doors that won't close-open, break or allow-in dirt and moisture.

There are disadvantages as well as advantages to a closed system.

Spetsnaz Opit says:
Quote:

My nomad from 2000 included a dock, rechargable standard batteries

The circa 2000, Nomand Jukebox is the reason for a built-in battery. The Nomand had four rechargeable batteries. What a pain to carry around all those replacement batteries.

Quote:

I liked the days when no one knew what an mp3 portable player was and Apple and DRM mongers and the like stayed out of the business.

You're Dreaming, in the "Good Old Days":
A 6 gb. Nomands cost $500.00;
They were slow as hell;
The were always crashing (I just remember, one of the reasons they crashed was the batteries would shift and shut-down the play.);
and,
The controls were slow and buggy.

 

[LFC_SL]

I suppose in a way it hastens the desire for a new DAP to replace your current one with a failing battery life

 

[jmmtn4aj]

At least in the case of the iPod, having no battery compartment keeps the lines clean.

 

[pds6]

LFC_SL says:
Quote:

I suppose in a way it hastens the desire for a new DAP to replace your current one with a failing battery life

This is not brain surgery. I currently own four iPods. I have owned 7 iPod in total.

I have replaced one battery. I did it myself in about 30 minutes and at a cost of under $30.00 (I also got a free leather case for the iPod). If I can do it, ANYONE CAN. I would add that the replacement battery is far better than the original battery. The iPod, which I still own and use, seems to run better and it is about 4 years old.

For the record: My 2nd gen iPod is coming up on 4 years old; the iPod Photo is 2 years old; the iPod Video is 6 months old and the Shuffle is a month old. The only battery replacement was on the 2nd gen. The iPod Photo have been in my car for two years (both Summer and Winter). No problems!

 

[m_memmory]

I think that, if you have a rechargeable battery, there isn't really that much point in it being replaceable. My old PCDP had rechargeable and replaceable batteries in it. When I first had it they lasted for about 15 hours. By the time that the lens was failing and it would have trouble reading CD's at all (about 5-6 years) the batteries would last 7-8 hours) This was after being used extensively and recharged about 3-4 times a week. By the time I was getting to want to change the batteries I wanted a new player.

The iPod I've got now I'm expecting the battery to be able to last me 2 years at least. Once it gets close to wanting to die on me too quick I'm sure that there will be better DAPs out there that I'll be looking to rather then just a battery swap.

 

[Zakalwe]

While I agree that most DAPs will be replaced before their battery dies, I still prefer them having replaceable standard batteries. For one thing, I can carry a spare battery or get one almost anywhere, and if even that fails, then I can use the battery from my keychain flashlight.

The other thing is that I just don't get any joy out of owning such a short-lived item like a DAP with built-in battery. Maybe it is a sign of me getting old, but two years feels like very little time. If a gadget will become useless so fast, then I regard it as disposable junk, no matter its price. I like my stuff to be durable and of good quality, and I don't get that feeling from a built-in battery machine. I cannot imagine its engineers looking at their creation with pride, so to say.

My AA or AAA-powered players may be bulkier than others, but they are tiny compared to the Walkmen I had in the eighties, and I was strong enough to handle those alright. I may still replace my players frequently, but it is nice to know that I would not have to, and I like to use my older things again every once in a while.

Björn

 

[pds6]

I forgot!

There is another thread that is kinda on the same subject about batteries. Someone started waxing-on about the Nomad Jukebox (circa 2000) and how great is was to be able to replace the batteries.

I owned the Nomade Jukebox and replacing the batteries was a pain in the a**. They would fall-out and the cover would pop off. If you bounced the player around, the 4 AAA batteries would jiggle and the power connection would be lost and the player would shut-down.

A DAP with a bunch of replaceble AAA batteries is a pain!

 

[jdimitri]

To give people an excuse get a new one when it comes out

Worked on me..

 

[konish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zakalwe /img/forum/go_quote.gif While I agree that most DAPs will be replaced before their battery dies, I still prefer them having replaceable standard batteries. For one thing, I can carry a spare battery or get one almost anywhere, and if even that fails, then I can use the battery from my keychain flashlight. The other thing is that I just don't get any joy out of owning such a short-lived item like a DAP with built-in battery. Maybe it is a sign of me getting old, but two years feels like very little time. If a gadget will become useless so fast, then I regard it as disposable junk, no matter its price. I like my stuff to be durable and of good quality, and I don't get that feeling from a built-in battery machine. I cannot imagine its engineers looking at their creation with pride, so to say. My AA or AAA-powered players may be bulkier than others, but they are tiny compared to the Walkmen I had in the eighties, and I was strong enough to handle those alright. I may still replace my players frequently, but it is nice to know that I would not have to, and I like to use my older things again every once in a while. Björn

Ummm...you do know that it is possible to replace the battery in most DAP even with non-user serviceable batteries, right? Is it as fast as snapping open a battery cover and dropping them in? No. But replacing batteries is replacing batteries regardless of the time in between. As far as that goes, how user friendly is the battery in your car? I would almost consider a car battery as "semi-permanent" as an ipod battery (ie they can be changed relatively easily, but it is somewhat specilaized and a vast majority of people will not even attempt it regardless of its straight forward nature). Most new car batterires will last (on average) about 5 years...for the expense of an automobile, do you expect more? Does that make your automobile a disposable piece of junk?

Also, have you considered the environmental issue with standard batteries? While some *may* use rechargable, most will simply buy new alkalines and throw the dead cells in the trash. If a individual chooses to use rechargable batteries, aren't you imposing the same "limitations" of an internal rechargeable (i.e. still "tethered" to a wall wart at some point to juice them up). Arguably, in an austere environment where electricity isn't available you can simply replace them with alkalines, but how likely is that? Emergency radio, flashlight, GPS....all good things to have replaceable batteries due to the environments in which they may be used...but an emergency MP3 player?

R/
Dustin