Batteries

Apple iPods have become ubiquitous in our society. You can’t walk around campus, meander through an airport terminal or even visit your technology-impaired parents without coming in contact with these products. They are fantastic little devices that have shaped society and the music scene considerably. Together with the iTunes Music Store, they have revolutionized the music industry.

These devices are comprised of five core components – a miniature hard drive, LCD panel, scroll wheel, logic board, and a rechargeable battery. They are confined to a plastic and metal case that is not supposed to be open. Special tools are required to open it, and doing so voids the warranty. But, why would you want to open it? The battery is housed inside the case and it is the limiting factor in its reliability and longevity.

The Apple iPod and similar devices from the likes of Creative, Samsung, and Dell use lithium ion batteries enclosed in cases that is not supposed to be replaced by the user. Although lithium ion batteries have a higher charge density than other batteries, their great disadvantage is they have a shelf life that is independent of charge and use. They begin to degrade as soon as they are manufactured. As a result, the batteries in iPods and other handheld music devices have had an industry average lifespan of 12 to 18 months.

Apple’s response to this problem is a $99 battery replacement program where the consumer ships in their device; Apple replaces the battery (and sometimes the entire device) and ships it back to you. The problem is that $99 for a new battery is much too expensive.

Apple needs to design a case that has access to the battery so that the consumer can replace the batteries by themselves. Given the iPods market share, an entire market would rise up to fulfill the need for replacement batteries, further reducing the Apple’s economic risk of getting into the replacement battery industry.