The iPod is a very precious gadget for it not only contains possibly your entire music collection but also a good faithful companion for workouts, daily commute and just to everywhere at all. Similar to all electronic devices, how to prolong iPod battery lifespan is always a major discussion between users.
An iPod battery is a lithium-ion battery.
Lithium-ion batteries are favoured by manufacturers these days because they are small and are ideal for gadgets that are becoming sleeker by day. Unfortunately, these batteries cost more and they do not generally last for a long period of time. The most they can last is between two to three years, possibly even shorter depending on your usage. Changing this battery isn’t something that you can do it yourself as well, unless you have the knowledge to dismantle your iPod. Failure to do it correctly might even result in an iPod repair bill. Therefore, changing an iPod battery can be costly and inconvenient.
But did you know that we can actually prolong the life of the iPod battery? How do we do it?
• Keep the iPod in cool places
Storing your iPod in hot places, such as in the glove box of the car, is not recommended because heat activates the chemical reactions within the battery that are used to generate power. Leaving your iPod for long periods of time in the heat wears out the battery faster because power is generated and iPod battery is used unnecessarily.
• Reduce usage of applications
Certain applications such as wifi, equalizer, third party applications and backlights are power-consuming. Just think of each time you turn on the modem and the lights in your home, power is needed, right?
• Use compressed files as downloads
Compressed files such as 160 kbps mp3s and 128 kbps AACs do not use as much power. This is because in iPods except the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle, music is sent from the hard drive to the memory cache for each playback. If the file is big, the iPod has to reload its cache more frequently and this drains the battery.
• Don’t be temperamental!
Some people keep fast-forwarding, rewinding or pausing songs. These actions actually cause power to be used in those actions, leading to further wear and tear of the iPod battery.
• Just use it
Yes, that’s right. Leaving your iPod idle drains the batteries too. So don’t be surprised if you take out your iPod from the drawer after a few weeks and wonder where the power has gone to even though you have just charged it before storage.
Those little steps above can help prolong your iPod battery life and put off battery changes and repairs until much later.
Your suggestion?