“Although it scarcely seems possible, we think the Apple iPod Mini’s design surpasses even that of its photogenic older sibling. Its stylish, anodized-aluminum shell is so tough that we felt as if we could stand on the device without consequence. Apple constructs the body by hollowing out Mini-shaped aluminum tubes so that there are no seams in the construction, then applies the color during the anodization process so that it can’t scratch off,” Eliot Van Buskirk reports for CNET.
Van Buskirk reports, “The tastiest design treat to our palate is the revamped scrollwheel. The play, menu/back, fast-forward, and rewind functions that the white iPod assigns to four touch-sensitive buttons are now located on the scrollwheel (or, rather, the clickwheel). We prefer this approach because it offers physical feedback when a function has been activated. In addition to the new functionality, the touch-sensitive clickwheel still works perfectly for scrolling through lengthy song lists with speed and precision. As with the white iPod, the unlabelled button in the middle of the wheel functions as Select. The only other control on the player is the sliding Hold key on top, which locks all functions.”
“Apple claims the internal battery takes three hours to rejuice and lasts eight hours on a single charge. Our tests outperformed this rating, usually by about an hour. The battery is nonreplaceable, but if you’re unhappy with its resiliency after a couple of years, Apple will swap in a new one for $99,” Van Buskirk reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Van Buskirk gives Apple’s iPod mini a rating of 8.7 out of 10, noting the lack of FM tuner and “nonreplaceable” battery as issues detracting from a perfect score. One question, though, if the battery is supposedly “nonreplaceable,” as Van Buskirk describes, how can Apple “swap in a new one for $99?” The only way the battery could be considered “nonreplaceable,” Elliot, would be if you had to throw out the iPod mini when the battery no longer held a charge. But, you know this, don’t you Elliot? So why did you include the word “nonreplaceable,” when the battery is indeed replaceable? Please, let us in on your addled thinking and twisted reasoning.
I think what Eliot means, and was very poorly stated, is that the battery is not replaceable by the owner and he has a point. I would rather replace the battery of my iPod or mini myself than send it to someone else and have him or her do it for 99 bucks. I hope the next generation of pods will allow me to replace the battery.
It’s friggin’ CNET, what do you want? The last time CNET wrote something fair and accurate about Apple was, well, never.
More FUD.
“meat of moose”, there are companies out there who will send you an iPod replacement battery that you can install yourself.
The word “nonreplaceable” is FUD. It is planted in the article on purpose to play upon fears that the Idiot Brothers iPod battery lie debacle created. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is an investor in CNET: The Computer Network, which publishes News.com.
CNET is bullshit.
File “nonreplaceable” in the class of words that need to be stricken with the vocabulary, along with “compatibility”, “upgradability”, “expandability”, “closed”, and a few others…
Thanks, Bill. I stand corrected. What tools would I need to purchase to get to the guts of my pod and where could I get them?
guys, get a grip. It was an otherwise fantastic review. It is the only product I’ve ever seen on CNET’s review site to get a 10 in design. And it *is* a downside to both the iPod and iPod mini that the average user cannot replace the battery himself. Clearly, that is what the reviewer meant.
Non-replaceable is not FUD. Does it tell you in the instructions that come with the iPod how to replace it ? No.
It’s a non-user-replaceablet part.
Replacing it is not something most people will want to do. There’s a good chance of permanently damaging the device if you do. It would make more sense for the consumer to have a bettery that was as simple to replace as one in a mobile phone.
There’s a lot of FUD about the iPod, but I don’t think this is a good example at all. It highlights a design flaw with the device.
Perhaps design flaw is a even being a little generous. A cynic might suggest it was deliberate so that Aplpe can make some money out of their replacement battery scheme.
Sometimes MDN gets this wrong. I wouldn’t be surprised if someday there was a headline here along the lines of “Apple RAM more expensive than PCs – CNET spreads the FUD”, whcn we all know it’s insane to buy memory direct from Apple at their prices.
The replacement battery for my mobile phone was �12. That’s the kind of price people want to pay for abattery, not $99 !
“meat of moose”, I know that PDASmart.com will send you a kit that includes everything you need to replace the battery yourself.
the integrated battery is far from a flaw. do you think the iPod and the mini could be so small if they also had to build in the ability to remove the battery? besides, unclippable batteries can be a big problem. I’m going to have to throw away my cell phone because suddenly the “replaceable” battery can’t stay connected and the phone goes dead intermittently. So despite the fact that I’ve never once had occasion to remove the battery for any reason, I’m going to have to buy a whole new phone specifically *because* my phone’s battery is replaceable. don’t discount the many advantages of having a one-piece non-detachable form factor…
This subject always brings out the most devoted cultists.
Replacable means you flip something open with your thumb, you pop out the battery, pop in a new one and close the thing. Maybe you have to turn a screw. You know–like your cell phone, walkman, watch, garage door opener, beeper, every other f*cking replaceable battery you’ve ever dealt with in your sad and pathetic life.
“Replaceable” does not mean having to pry open the case with a screwdriver, ungluing the battery (clue–when the words pry and unglue are used, the thing is not replaceable), and messing with thin, easily torn wires. Oh, and for the extremely clueless–“replaceable” does not mean having to do things that void your warranty. Draw yourself a little Venn diagram–in one circle put the word “replaceable.” Draw a separate circle that does not intersect the first circle and write in that circle, ‘Voids warranty.” You have now correctly diagramed the relationship between “replaceable” and “voids warranty.”
The iPod is consumer product; the mini is an ultra-consumer product aimed squarely at teenaged girls. Thirteen year old Jennifer is not going to pry open her mini, “unglue”–in other words, tear out without damaging–and play with delicate power couplings. Give me a break. That’s utterly ludicrous and y’all are idiots for citing it over and over again.
By the way, if the hull of the mini is a solid tube it obviously involves some other method of changing the battery.
I wouldn’t be quite so sarcastic about this, but come the hell on–the article fully explained Apple’s battery swap program with the price.
BTW, even though I no longer have the manual for my phone, replacing the battery is an obvious thing.
a. remove battery cover
b. remove old battery
c. put new battery in place
d. relace battery cover.
At no point does it say anything like, “wedge this little screwdriver into the side of the case and carefully…”
The iPod mini’s battery is indeed replaceable and CNET is a collection of retarded assholes owned by Microsoft co-founder / co-moron Allen. As with MSNBC, CNET is completely unreliable, cannot be believed, is bought and paid for, has no integrity, and sucks wild monkey anus. Fsck CNET!!!
” Oh, and for the extremely clueless–“replaceable” does not mean having to do things that void your warranty.”
Not that I want to point out the painfully, pitifully obvious, but if your iPod is still udner warranty, then you’re not going to be replacing the battery yourself, because it’s…under warranty.
Nice try, but you’re going to have to work a whole lot harder to spread FUD about the iPod than that…
MDN, the wonderful people that bring us our daily dose of goodness, are dead on target here. The word “nonreplaceable” is used to remind readers of the Mongoloid Neistat Brothers and their “nonreplaceable” iPod battery FUD. A simple Google search for “iPod Battery Replacement” showed no less than 3 third party iPod battery replacement options at the debut of the ‘tard’s poorly shot and edited movie of criminal vandalism.
CNET is a scam. Yellow tech journalism.
Sometimes MDN is embarassing. Of all the nits to pick at! Sheesh!
Bill,
Yes, I think tey could make it just as small with a user replaceable battery. Not with Duracells, obviously, but with a mobile-phone-like battery. The battery in my mobile is small, holds a similar charge and I’ve had it longer than the iPod has been around. (The original battery held about half as much charge as the new replacement).
What they would struggle to do though is make it quite as pretty. I think this is a real case of form over function. I do appreciate the comments about the connectivity of a replaceable battery being suspect, but that’s a problem with the design of your mobile phone rather than anything inherently wrong with replacable batteries.
Kenny,
That whole “iPod battery is unreplaceable” hurt sales to some extent — even though all such products have batteries like that. MDN was right to point out CNET’s incorrect use of the word – it’s basically an outright lie and FUD.
OK, now I’m really tired of the battery argument.
The battery can be replaced in an iPod just like a battery can be replaced in a Sony Cli�, the only question is “Do you wanna do it yourself?”
How many Palms and iPaqs are out there with this problem? How come we don’t hear from CNET (surely a misspelt anagram, using the wrong vowel) about that?
I think he described it fairly. Very few people are going to think that the MiniPod is only as good as the original battery because he uses the word “nonreplaceable.” Maybe he could have said it more clearly or elegantly, but it’s completely understandable as written.
Complaining about this is like complaining that the last person to blow you didn’t swallow.
Hywel, you’re a fool who knows nothing about the power consumption of your cell phone vs. that required for an iPod. You also seem to lack basic knowledge of miniturization, electronics, product design and many other areas. You should refrain from commenting about things upon which you have no knowledge. Let us try something simple, designed for even Hywel to understand:
If Apple could’ve done the iPod and iPod mini design with a user-replaceable battery at the same price, wouldn’t have Apple done so?
And no, Hywel, Apple didn’t forget to check if they could accomplish this. Please learn something about cell phone power requirements, iPod power consumption, and elementary battery technology before you attempt to reply.
Not that I want to point out the painfully, pitifully obvious, but if your iPod is still udner warranty, then you’re not going to be replacing the battery yourself, because it’s…under warranty.
Nice bit of pedantry.
I think the point that’s being made is that were you to do this in the warranty period, you’d be voiding your warranty. And you’d be voifing the warranty because there was a fair chance that the device would be FUBARed. So trying to replace a simple thing like a battery is an operation that could seriously damage your expensive iPod.
But Apple has missed a chance to make more money from the off. If you could buy spare batteries and swap them relatively easily and safely, how many peo;le would buy them ? I’d probably have at least one spare for those times my battery runs dry.
Bill: Thanks. Wow, I never thought of that. My life is just frikkin changed having been exposed to your brilliance.
Obviously you aren’t going to be changing the battery yourself under warranty.
Equally, and perhaps even more obvious, and even apropos to the damned subject here is that if the work involved was minor it wouldn’t be something where Apple would go to the trouble of saying, “Doing this voids your warranty.” If it is something a regular consumer isn’t qualified to do while the warranty is active, the regular consumer is equally unqualified to do it while the product is out of warranty.
jfbiii: bad example. If any of these guys were getting blown on a regular basis would they be so concerned about protecting the honor of the iPod battery?