Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

OWC: We Make DIY Upgrading Easy! Maximize your Apple MacBook / MacBook Pro. Up to 8.0GB Memory, up to 1.0TB HD & More. Easy Guide + Free, Detailed Installation Videos. Click here

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Mac Lab Report

Replacing Your iPod's Battery: A Bit of Work, a Big Money Saver

- 2006.03.02

I recently replaced my iPod's battery myself. After many months of articles dealing with poor iPod battery performance (mine's a 3rd generation), following the information about Apple's battery replacement suits and subsequent settlement, I decided it was time to replace the battery, as mine had become essentially useless without a power plug. The thing wouldn't even finish booting up before it would click once and die.

At Fry's electronics (a west coast electronics store), I found a 3rd generation iPod battery replacement from Premium Power for $39.99. Yes, I could have taken it to the Apple Store, but then there would be a delay of indeterminate length - combined with a higher price - for the replacement.

I was eligible for Apple's battery replacement settlement, but I lost my receipt. So I'm the target audience for Premium Power's product.

The battery came in a package that had a helpful image of a 3G iPod on the cover (which it refers to as the Slim model, a term I'd not heard before). This helped me figure out that I had the right battery. The reverse of the package includes step-by-step instructions right where you can read them. I thought they were pretty clear. The package even included a tiny pocket screwdriver to be used to do the replacement.

Of course, I wound up scratching the case in the process (Step #1), but I figured that would happen going in, and my iPod's already kinda dinged up.

The instructions say to go in 6 cm (2.4") from the end and basically push your screwdriver in the side until you can pry up the metal backing. I bent mine ever so slightly, but it snapped right back into shape upon reassembly. I left about a half-centimeter (0.2") nick in the white plastic on the side, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be when I first started.

It took me about five false starts to get the lid loose. Once started, it wasn't loose enough to fall off, but gentle prying with the flat-blade screwdriver got the job done.

I would suggest to the manufacturer that they put a 6 cm ruler on the back of the blister pack just to complete the nicely done photo-based instructions.

The back, hard drive pad, hard drive, etc., came off without any difficulty. Some ribbon cables remained attached, so I didn't try to disconnect anything but the hard drive, which was required.

The only other slightly tricky thing is that you must route the new battery wires under a little peninsula of the motherboard containing the battery jack. The replacement wires were thicker and stiffer than the original. Eventually I loosened a star-driver screw nearby so I could slide the power wires under this little tab and plug the new battery back in.

Everything went back together easily. On a scale of difficulty, this is harder and more delicate than plugging in a PCI card, but not as bad as disassembling a laptop. A mild squeeze to the case, and everything popped back into place.

I let it charge overnight before playing anything (even docked); the directions recommend 3 hours. The next day I used the iPod off and on for about 3 hours before writing this article, and the battery is just about half-drained on the indicator. Battery indicator response is not usually linear, so I expect to get about 4-5 hours of steady use out of it.

Summary: Good product, clear instructions, performs as expected. Downsides: Instructions include a tool but not a ruler, and a ruler is easier. Power cables are a bit thick to fit easily under the motherboard tab.

I'd recommend it to anyone in a similar situation who is looking to save a few bucks or just loathes paying others to do what you can do yourself.

Oh, and by the way, if you need to justify your iPod purchase, remember it can be used as an external emergency boot drive - I've repaired two of my colleagues' machines in this manner.

You can also use it to move around enormous files too large to fit on a USB flash drive.

Jeff Adkins is a science teacher who isn't afraid to state his preferences in computing platforms. In his classroom he has everything from a beige All-in-One to a a G4 XServe, and they all work together nicely. He calls himself the "poster child for technology integration" in the classroom. He was the 2006 Outstanding Educator of the Year for the California Computer Using Educators (CUE) organization. He also maintains a site for astronomy teachers at www.AstronomyTeacher.com.

Recent Mac Lab Reports

Microsoft Word 2004 vs. iWork Pages 1.0 for writing a book, 01.10. Microsoft Word is great for technical writing, powerful yet slow, while Pages lets you concentrate on just writing, making it great for novels.
iWeb a great tool for quickly creating an attractive website, 09.11. Apple's iWeb software isn't just easy to use, it also integrates nicely with .mac and other programs in the iLife bundle.
Use your Bluetooth phone to control your Mac? Maybe, 02.27. Salling Clicker software turns many Bluetooth phones into remote controls for Bluetooth-equipped Macs.
Two more markets the iPhone could conquer, 02.01. How Apple could redefine the ebook and calculator markets with a pair of free apps for the iPhone.
More in the Mac Lab Report index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 17" iMac G4/800 MHz, July 2002 - The iMac 'grows up' with a 17" 1440 x 900 display.
Group of the Day: LisaList supports Lisa users.
November 8 in LEM history: 99: OS 9: I think I like it - 01: The simplified Mac life - Soured on Windows - Flea market Mac - 02: Little room for improvement in new 'Books - Combo drive upgrade for iceBooks - 04: Re-Porter - 05: Fix the old iMac or buy a Mac mini? - Apple's Copland project - 06: MacBook Core 2 - MacBook value equation - Cheap is as cheap does - 07: Problems with Classic mode in Tiger - The G4 Power Mac that won't run Leopard
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.03. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 8-core. $2,299; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.26 8-core, $2,799; 2.93, $4,999.
Best iPhone Deals, 11.03. New 8 GB iPhone 3G, $$99; refurb 16 GB 3GS, $149; new, $199; 32 GB, $299.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.03. Used 867 MHz SperDrive, $348; 1 GHz, $499; 1.33 Combo, $298; SD, $559; 1.5 Combo, $448; SuperDrive, $589.
Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, 11.02. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; G4/366, $49; blue & white 350, $80; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15; shipping additional.
Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.02. Used 400 MHz, $50; 733 MHz, $69; 933 MHz, $209; 1.25 GHz dual, $299.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.02. Used 2.0 GHz, $800; 2.2, $900; 2.4, $1,000; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,949; 3.06, $2,169; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
Best Mac mini Deals, 10.30. Used 1.33 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.42, $389; 1.5, $419; 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $350; Core 2, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $770; Server, $990.
Best G4 iBook Deals, 10.30. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $225; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1 GHz, $349; 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $498.
Best Classic Mac OS Deals, 10.30. System 6.0.8 floppies, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5, $20; 7.5 CD, $4; 7.6 $13; 8.1, $11; 8.5, $20; 8.6, $90; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $30.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Mac Lab Report copyright © 2000-08 by Jeff Adkins. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.