There are few products more popular than the iPod--except when it comes to battery life. The batteries in early iPods fail after a time (300 to 500 charge/discharge cycles or about two to three years) and just won't hold a charge. Even worse, there's no easy way to change the batteries. Angry owners sued and now Apple has agreed to some restitution (AppleIpodSettlement). That's good news if you're the owner of a third-generation iPod: You're eligible for a free battery replacement or (at Apple's discretion) a replacement iPod, providing you still have your proof of purchase and file a claim by September 30, 2005. The news is not so good if you have a first- or second-generation iPod: You can choose between a check for $25 or a $50 store credit to use on Apple products (excluding iTunes). Well, at least that's something. But you're still stuck with your dead battery. What can you do? The simple (and costly) approach would be to go with Apple's iPod Out-of- Warranty Battery Replacement Program.
Send in your dead iPod along with a check for $99 plus $6.95 shipping and you'll receive an equivalent new or refurbished model with a fresh battery in one to three weeks. Besides paying more than three times the cost of a battery, which can be obtained online for around $30, you're not even guaranteed you'll receive your exact iPod back in the mail. Why not avoid all of Apple's service fees? You really can replace the battery on your own: We'll show you how. Sure, you'll void the warranty in the process, but isn't that part of the fun?
http://www.videoipods.ws/How-to-Replace-Ipods-Battery-On-Your-Own.html
