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NewerTech iPod Replacement Batteries

by Mark Frauenfelder

As seen in MAKE 04 Toolbox

Type(s): Kit
Tags: ipod battery


http://newertech.com/ipod
$20 (US, estimated)

After several years of heavy-duty use, the batteries on my old iPods were losing steam. They’d play for an hour or so, then conk out. I knew Apple had a program to replace old iPods with refurbished, re-batteried iPods, but I didn’t want to pay $99 to replace them. It just wasn’t worth it, especially for my ancient 5GB iPod. So I ordered replacement battery kits from NewerTech, a company that claims its batteries offer longer playtimes between charges than fresh-out-of-the-box iPods.



The kits arrived with instructions and a tool to crack open the case. I learned that it isn’t easy to open the case. In fact, I marred the shiny metal finish of the iPod’s back case and gouged the plastic top while prying it open. If this had happened on a pristine iPod I’d have been hopping mad. Fortunately, my iPods were so scuffed up already I didn’t care. Once I had the iPod open, it was a trivial matter to swap out the old battery and replace it with a new one. Closing up the iPod was easy, too.



The new batteries do indeed last a couple of hours longer than Apple’s batteries. They’ll wear down again eventually, but as long as Newertech makes the batteries, I’ll keep buying them when the time comes.


newertech.com, amazon