iPhone lacks removable battery - Do you care?

west3man

Well-known member
May 16, 2006
423
6
0
Visit site
The iPhone will have no removable battery. So, I guess, running out of juice means no music AND NO PHONE... unless you can plug in somewhere.

Maybe I've missed the threads, but my search didn't produce many discussions on the issue. I wondered if the lack of a removable battery is a big deal for folks? (And, if so, how big?)

I'll post up a poll for convenience.
 

daThomas

Active member
Feb 4, 2004
26
0
0
AskTheCouch.com
Well, lets see. I'm on a three hour flight so I download a movie via iTunes to watch on the plane. After watching video for two hours my battery is all but gone. What's the first thing one usually does when getting off a flight, yea make a call.

Yes, the lack of removable battery will be a detriment to this device.
 

surur

Well-known member
Aug 6, 2005
1,412
0
0
Visit site
I think carrying and charing a second battery is a fringe activity, and Ipod chargers are universal, so it does not bother me for that reason.

However - I have had a battery suddenly die on me and refusing to discharge beyond 60%. This was solved by simply buying another battery and just replacing it on my own time. So I would be bothered some by having to take it into an Apple store, and bothered even more if I had to send it away for the same service.

Surur
 

marcol

Well-known member
Aug 31, 2005
762
0
0
Visit site
However - I have had a battery suddenly die on me and refusing to discharge beyond 60%. This was solved by simply buying another battery and just replacing it on my own time. So I would be bothered some by having to take it into an Apple store, and bothered even more if I had to send it away for the same service.
I agree (which makes a pleasant change :)). I've never had a phone battery die but the peace of mind of knowing you can sort it out easily is nice to have.

Main battery issue for me though is how long it lasts. Any device that can't get through an average day on one charge isn't a very attractive option.
 

braj

Well-known member
Jun 5, 2007
568
0
0
Visit site
I can see there being no conveniently swappable battery to make the case nicer, but there should be some method an end user could do to swap out the battery. I guess an option would be some kind of quick-charge accessory. That would be about the same as carrying around a spare battery.
 

west3man

Well-known member
May 16, 2006
423
6
0
Visit site
One of my many problems with the iPod was the fact that it had no removable battery. Another was the price.

Once I found a 40GB iPod at a much-reduced price, I jumped on it. As far as I was concerned, this was like getting an external harddrive with an internal power source... and it just happened to play music, too.

So, that got me over my removable battery issue with the iPod.

The iPhone, though, lacks that huge capacity (although I find it impressive for what it is) but gains the burden of being a primary communication device.

Despite my issue with it, I think it's a very impressive device. That said, some of those issues are real deal-breakers. For me, lacking a removable battery is waaaaay up there.

I'm usually fine with a single battery, but when I travel, I *always* regret it if I leave the extra battery at home. There's always some reason I don't get to charge the phone as long or have to use it much more.

And, as others have said, if my battery ever croaks, I don't want to have to take it to, go to, or pay for an Apple store for what should be a simple replacement.

Besides, there are no Apple stores where I live. None.

C'mon, Apple. Some folks use their mobile phone as their ONLY phone! Most consumers might not care that it lacks a removable battery, but I do.
 

MacUser

Well-known member
Aug 23, 2004
271
0
0
Visit site
battery

nice to have the option? absolutely

would i buy it without having that option? absolutely.

Ditto.

My iPhone, if I'm blessed enough to get my hands on one, will sit in a dock on my desk when I'm working there, and be connected to my car charger when I'm driving. I'm hoping the battery is not an issue.
 

Treo Rat

Member
Aug 20, 2002
14
0
0
edgarces.com
In my business I use the phone a lot but I never had a spare battery in all my Treos except the 650. But guess what, it was completely useless because the odd time I ran out of juice (outside of my office of course), the spare battery is at my office, not to mention the fact that I always forget to recharge it anyway. When I'm on a long flight, I turn off the Treo and I either use my iPod, Macbook, or the ultra portable DVD player.

My alternative to spare battery - car charger, power adapter at home and at the office, and at some point I also considered buying one of those battery packs that can plug into the Treo and allow you another 4 hours of use.

In my case, spare batteries are waste of money. I have spare battery for my Sony Camera and Macbook as well and they're both securely kept in my office desk. I hardly put them in my briefcase because everytime I remember that I have them, they're out-of-juice! :confused:

On another perspective, sometimes it's almost a treat to run out of battery in the middle of a crazy day - you have a quiet moment for a change, and deserve every minute of it :p You also have an honest reason for not receiving or returning calls!!!!!
 

Kenundrum

New member
Jan 21, 2004
4
0
0
kenundrum.smugmug.com
I remember that in the treo 600 days, they had an extra battery "sled" that attached to the backside of the phone and almost doubled the battery life... it was great. they also have similar things for ipods... i'm sure that apple or some 3rd party will cook one up...
The whole idea of a non-remoable battery is a turn off but not a deal killer for most people... short of failure of the battery either from old age or misuse, there will probably be some outside way of charging or extending the life of the device...
 

oalvarez

Well-known member
Apr 25, 2004
825
0
0
Visit site
The only time I remove the battery from a Treo is to soft reset it...although if I just wait long enough, it'll do that on its own.

now that is funny, or is it sad like a tragic comedy?

in all seriousness, it couldn't be more true! really! and to think that at one point i thought it was almost normal operating procedure for the Treos....
 

Insertion

Fear teh Munk!
Jan 10, 2005
27
0
0
fearthemunk.com
now that is funny, or is it sad like a tragic comedy?

in all seriousness, it couldn't be more true! really! and to think that at one point i thought it was almost normal operating procedure for the Treos....

Sadly, O and MacUser, this message occurs at least once a day:

baab395c.jpg


I'm sorry Palm, but you can shove your invalid chunk up your arse. I do expect my "smartphone" to just work.
 

braj

Well-known member
Jun 5, 2007
568
0
0
Visit site
Well, I've been CURSED with these Treos, me now being on my 4th. It would seem a blessing to have a phone that "just worked".

Amen

No doubt, but then go watch a movie like 'Hotel Rwanda' and then consider we're pretty blessed to have any damn phone. Or not. Not getting killed by machete is pretty damn blessed. OK, I guess you know what I've been watching on TV.

Anyhow, more than half the people who buy the iPhone will buy it because it is a status symbol, just like half the people that buy Macs or iPods. This isn't to discount the product's worthiness at all but some people wouldn't buy them if they weren't seen with them. They could care less about usability or real value. My HP Vista laptop was half the price with twice the power of a Macbook Pro but IMO not as good of a value. Real usability is worth a lot. If it doesn't have some features like IM chat but the features it does have are fully superior to anything else in the market now and in the next 12 months, then it will be a huge success. If real usability isn't there, even the vainest among us will get a bit peeved and look for a more serviceable phone.

So I do think the iPhone will likely be a great product because Apple usability is generally excellent, but those who are having mental orgasms just thinking about them right now are rather pathetic, absurd people. They actually turn off a lot of people to Apple's products through association. More people would have tried Macs were it not for the Mac zealots in the cubicle next door driving them nuts about intangibles they couldn't prove while denying the real tangibles like less hardware specs for the same money. I know, at one time I was one of those zealots.
 

taroliw

Well-known member
Apr 5, 2005
73
0
0
www.billsden.org
I'm not that worried about iPhone not having a removable battery... any more than I'm worried about my iPod not having a removable battery. This thing is a really pretty iPod with a snazzy touch screen and a phone thrown in. For the money, I'll skip the iPod + feature phone and wait for the derivative iPod-only device that's rumored to be following "soon" after the release of iPhone. I like my smartphones smart, and won't be spending smartphone dollars on a feature phone.
 

Trending Posts

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
259,860
Messages
1,764,746
Members
441,207
Latest member
Erik4711