Dead iPad battery? Never mind replacing it, Apple just sends another iPad for $99
By Darren Murph 
posted March 13th 2010 1:24PM
posted March 13th 2010 1:24PM
Now, let's compare that to the verbiage found in the iPhone's battery replacement program details:"If your iPad requires service due to the battery's diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee."
We can see the puzzled look on your face from here, and we're sharing in the same disbelief. Apple is actually saying that it won't bother cracking open your withered iPad, replacing the battery and sending it back your way; instead, you'll pay $105.95 (including shipping) for a completely different iPad, which certainly has its pros and cons. On one hand, you're getting a new (or potentially refurbished, actually) iPad in around "one week," but on the other, you'll be waving goodbye to every morsel of personal data on the device that you send in -- unless you backup beforehand, of course. Here's Apple's take on answering "will the data on my iPad be preserved?""If your iPhone requires service only because the battery's ability to hold an electrical charge has diminished, Apple will service your iPhone for a service fee."
Lovely, don'tcha think? Head on past the break for the full text."No. You will receive a replacement iPad that will not contain any of your personal data. Before you submit your iPad for service, it is important to sync your iPad with iTunes to back up your contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc. Apple is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad."
[Thanks, David]
Battery Replacement Service - iPad: Frequently Asked Questions
What is iPad Battery Replacement Service?
If your iPad requires service due to the battery's diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee.
Note: Your iPad is not eligible for Battery Replacement Service if the product has been damaged, for example, as result of an accident, liquid contact, disassembly, unauthorized service or unauthorized modifications, or if the product is not operating correctly as a result of a component failure. Please review Apple's Repair Terms and Conditions for further details.
How much does it cost?
The service costs $99, plus $6.95 shipping. The total cost is $105.95 per unit.
All fees are in U.S. dollars and are subject to local tax.
How do I arrange iPad Battery Replacement Service?
Battery replacement service may be arranged via your local Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, or you can contact Apple Technical Support. Please do not send any accessories with your iPad.
Will the data on my iPad be preserved?
No. You will receive a replacement iPad that will not contain any of your personal data. Before you submit your iPad for service, it is important to sync your iPad with iTunes to back up your contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc. Apple is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad.
How long will it take to receive my replacement iPad?
If you arrange service by calling Apple Technical Support, you can expect service to be completed within approximately one week from the time you send your iPad to Apple.
@SolidSnake
Look at the HTC Magic / myTouch, that's a nice battery cover - seamless as an iPhone but removable
@rowehc It's a money issue, no matter how they wanna sipn it. Support for devices brings in a lot of money.
@etwashoo
On the other hand you don't want to make the battery too easily removable. I once dropped my SE P800 on a sewage cover grill. The whole thing exploded, and I had my phone, the batter, the battery cover and the stylus all delicately balanced on the metal bars...
Actually, even if it didn't "explode" there was always the possibility of the device falling in, be it the P800 or iPhone.
@rowehc
A couple angles on it:
1) There's no extra thickness/weight for a battery compartment to protect the internals from the outside world. This includes the thickness of the inside protection compartment, protection around the battery itself and whatever latch/door system you use for external access.
2) Less ports/doors make the external case stronger and more durable. Latches/doors/hatches are usually the weakest part of the device.
3) The battery itself can be bigger because it doesn't need this extra layer of protection around it. The external case protects it. You can also make the battery different shapes if you need too. We think of batteries as being square or rectangle but with an internal battery you could package together some batteries in an L or E shape to use all available space inside the device. With a user replaceable battery you're stuck with one shape/size for the most part.
4) It's nice to think people recycle batteries but do they really? An internal battery hugely increases the chances of the discarded battery being disposed of properly.
Look out China, more e-waste headed your way!
@219 Or if you had investigated this at all, you'd have found this:
http://www.apple.com/environment/complete-lifecycle/#recycling
All e-waste collected by Apple voluntary programs worldwide is processed in the region in which it was collected. Nothing is shipped overseas for disposal. Our recyclers must comply with all applicable health and safety laws, and Apple does not allow the use of prison labor at any stage of the recycling process. Nor do we allow the disposal of hazardous electronic waste in solid-waste landfills or incinerators.
what about when ipad is still under warranty? how long does the warranty cover for the battery?
So what happens to the old iPads? Landfills? Doesn't sound very environmentally friendly. Weird, I always thought beatnik hipster Apple fanboi's were pseudo tree huggers too!
@jimlivingston they replace the battery and send them out as refurbs probably. And this way you don't have to wait for you ipad to get fixed, and there will be no confusion over "I get my ipad back, so why I would backup the data?"
@redkamel sounds reasonable to me. less wait time for the customers and more discounted refurb units!
@redkamel I highly doubt they refurbish iPads that show even the slightest wear and tear! The worn down parts, which will mostly be plastic, will get dumped. Now, if they just replaced the battery, the user would get their slightly worn iPad back.
What this does is accelerate the life cycle of the wearable parts.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
@jimlivingston
"The worn down parts, which will mostly be plastic, will get dumped."
Which parts would those be? The one button and the 2 or 3 little switches. A tiny fraction of the waste of a standard battery case.
The face is glass and the back is aluminum, both of which are highly recyclable (and in the case of optical glass, easily refurbishable as regards light wear and tear scratches).
Install new battery, inspect electronics, replace any casings showing signs of wear, ship. Efficient and minimal waste.
Wow another reason not to purchase and iPad.
@Astrak Why do you need more than one reason?
Oh that's right, any excuse.
wow...the posts for this article have been censored more than chinese internet users.
i feel like i'm ilivin' in 1984.
I wish I can send my dead laptop in and get a brand new laptop. The screen is sort of cracked, and the wireless dont' work
Its crazy how people desperately try to make out everything apple does as bad, this is a good thing full stop. Anyone who sends something away to be fixed and doesn't back up their data first is an idiot.
@mark29 True, but the deal here is you won't get your own device back, you'll get a refurbished replacement. Say your battery fails after a month of purchase, it could happen, you send it in, and rather than getting your month old device back, you get a year old device. Now who knows what that device went through. I wouldn't be happy for sure.
@kozjegyzo Yeah i get what you mean but find me one person who received a refurbished product in worse condition than the one they sent, it might be a regular ocurrence but not to my knowledge
Awesome, ordered yesterday :)
Windows users worry about data loss. Between iTunes syncing and Time Machine back-ups, Mac users don't worry about such things. If I am afraid someone will lift sensitive data off my old iPad, I will use Disk Utility to 35X wipe the drive before I send it in. For all the others that think this is yet another "achilles heel," Apple has the highest ranked customer service in the business.
It's funny how there is so much hatred for Apple products on this website, yet consumers love them. I guess you guys are just smarter than all those people. However, they're not the ones having passionate relationships with multinational corporations. The one thing these people have in common with MNCs is they won't love you back, either. Apple fanboys are just as annoying. These emotions you all feel for these companies are pathetic. They are a substitute for actual, meaningful relationships. You are to be pitied!
@willengage
"Between iTunes syncing and Time Machine back-ups, Mac users don't worry about such things."
It's hard to worry about something you aren't savvy enough to know about.
So essentially you'll get a refurbished device back instead of your own, that has been who knows where and done who knows what.
But the main thing here is that they're charging $100 for a battery!!!
That is steeep. Why can't they just make it replaceable? I couldn't understand this with the iPhone either. They'll have trouble with the EU about this as they had with the iPhone.
@kozjegyzo
You realize this is a gadget, not a sex partner, right?
@kozjegyzo
so what? they will just BUY stupido EU. (in case there are still some non-bankrupt countries there next month)
@fuesse I laugh at your ignorance! If you looked around a bit you would see that the US economy is in far worse shape than the European countries. The EU has a multitude of economies working together to hold it up even when the US unleashes a financial crisis on the world.
@kozjegyzo
:) i knew i would trigger that one. but u r wrong, mister.
anyway.
i was talking about apple, not the US, btw..
cheers.
@fuesse I know you where talking about Apple. I saw that you have some German relation, so you gotta know that the EU is much tougher on consumer rights. For example if it where not for the EU you wouldn't be able to buy unlocked iPhones :)
@kozjegyzo
yes i know.
but i dont care in particular about locked or not. i people wanna be geeks, get something else! whats the problem?
hm..
They probably worked exchanging units and then refurbishing them later is cheaper.
Right now, if you get a battery replaced, Apple has to do the replacement domestically since it would take too long to have it done overseas. Now, they can just gather a bunch of iPads together and send them to China for battery replacement/refurbishing. They probably save a ton on labor.
@QuitePossibly
Seriously? So, let's take an example. $499 WiFi model. Apple sells this to the consumer for $499. Battery becomes diminished sometime years later due to excessive charging cycles, and consumer brings the device back outside of an AppleCare service agreement. Apple charges the consumer $99. At this point, the consumer has paid $599 for the base model. Apple gives the consumer a factory fresh model (new casing and screen). Apple takes the casing, glass, and battery on the returned device and replaces them, likely costing the company under $50 for parts, labor, and shipping. The HD is low-level reformatted and it appears in Apple's clearance section for $449 ($50 off). It is immediately resold.
Apple Profit: $50
Consumer Mood: Happy
If under AppleCare service, the same process is basically instantaneous and at no added cost. The consumer goes to the GeniusBar and immediately exchanges their iPad for a replacement device on hand.
But for how long? What happens after 5 or 6 years?
Thor reminds me of the drunk that was outside Stratford station the other day, singing hymns very badly, and mouthing incoherent warnings from "god".
SO convenient for him that god shares exactly the same views about everything. Maybe god likes a drink too?
I am surprised how many people on a tech blog ask "how do I turn it on if the battery has diminished charge?"
Seriously. Do you think about anything before you post? Do you own any electronics?
BTW whats the average age of engadget posters? I thought it was like high school, (Im older than that) but apparently its elementary school given these posts.
@redkamel
Schools out at the weekends and its raining outside too!
It's the naked, obese, middle-aged posters you should worry about....
@redkamel
To be fair, that is basically what Darren Murph implies in his article-that
1) If the battery dies, you can't get access to the data to backup
2) That if the battery dies, you can't delete the data before sending it to Apple.
Basically, he makes it sound like a security issue, because it makes the article more exciting! Plus, as you noted, it gets the commentors all frothy. Which is par for the course.
@redkamel
Actually most people here are asking "how to sync with a broken battery?"
Not an altogether unreasonable question considering that the last of the Macbooks with removable batteries wouldn't power on with the battery removed, even if they were plugged in.
@jon
Weird...why is that? My Macbook with removable battery ran at a fixed speed (1 core I think) with the battery removed...it was one of the tests people did to check for overheating.
@totorototoro
"Weird...why is that?"
Why Apple does anything they do? You're asking the wrong guy.
An Arrandale ULV OSX tablet was the first Apple product I've ever looked forward to, instead we got the iPad.
I love Apple's policy, I'm sure a lot of consumers will probably end up getting a next generation device (in this case the 2nd generation iPad) instead of paying 100 bucks for a same old device with a new battery.
Hopefully someday organizations like EU mandate CE companies to put user-replaceable batteries in their products so we wouldn't see such rip-offs in the future.
@fikhl The EU will surely have to say something about this. They almost banned the iPhone because of non replaceable batteries. It's against an EU environmental rule not to have the ability to replace the battery in a mobile device.
100 dollars for a battery replacement, fail! I'll stick to my laptop and phone to surf the web, thank you very much.
@Itzjames no, this isn't a battery replacement. this is a full fledged iPad replacement. Imagine sending in your $600 laptop to get its battery replaced and getting a brand new laptop or like new refurb laptop for only $100.
@Itzjames
Consult your laptop manufacturer for the price of your battery. Get back to me.
@soccerpro100cn battery changing+cleaning process = $100
Am I right?
"you'll be waving goodbye to every morsel of personal data on the device that you send in"
Wow, Darren that sounds awful. It is too bad there is no way to get access to that iPad information somehow to delete it before sending it in...like, PLUGGING IT IN, and ERASING IT.
And backing up? You mean like how the iPad backs up EVERY TIME YOU PLUG IN?
Having a dead battery doesn't mean you lose access to the iPad data, jesus. Having a dead battery doesn't mean you can't back up data.
@totorototoro I don't think anyone's concerned with losing the data, but with the personal data being potentially recoverable.
If I have to back-up my data on iTunes just to get an entirely no device I'm all in. Sounds like an awesome deal to me.
This is actually the same practice Apple employs with iPods and iPhones. They don't swap batteries in either iDevice, rather they swap the unit. These replacement units are also not "refurbished," rather they are "remanufactured." That is, they've never been used by consumers, they've just failed initial testing, been diagnosed, fixed, and put into "replacement stock." All of this, of course, is assuming your device is out of AppleCare coverage; if you're covered, it'll be free.