Checking the Basics iPod Malfunction

We all do things that can be classified as dumb once in a while. And using the iPod can result in a few of these events, so use the following list to make sure you haven’t done anything to shoot yourself in the foot:

• If the iPod won’t respond to any controls, make sure the Hold switch isn’t active. The Hold switch does just what it is supposed to—it prevents everything from working. It can be rather embarrassing to panic that your precious iPod has suffered a major failure only to realize that the Hold switch is on. (Of course you understand that this has never happened to me.)
  
• If the iPod won’t turn on, connect it to the power adapter or to a computer using a six-pin FireWire connection. It might simply be that the battery is out of power. Remember that the iPod uses some battery power when you aren’t using it, and after 14 days or so, it might not have enough battery power to wake up. Sometimes the empty battery icon will appear when you try to turn on a fully discharged iPod and sometimes it won’t.
  
• Try connecting the iPod to a computer. If it mounts, you probably just need to do a minor reset to get it to work again.

Updating or Restoring an iPod’s Software

Apple is continually improving the iPod’s software to add features, make it even more stable, and so on. You should periodically check for new iPod software and, when you find it, install it on your iPod—this is called updating the iPod’s software. When you are having major problems with your iPod or just want to completely reformat it, you can also restore its software to return it to factory settings.
You do both of these tasks in the same way, as the following steps show:

1. Open a Web browser and move to www.apple.com/support/ipod/. You’ll see the iPod Support page
2. Locate and click the link for the latest iPod or iPod mini software for your computer’s OS, such as Mac OS X or Windows XP. You’ll move to the iPod Software Update page.
3. Complete the form, click the radio button for your OS, and click Download Update. The update will be downloaded to your computer. Notice the name of the application you download and where you store it on your computer.
4. Launch the iPod Update application— in some cases, it will run automatically after you download it. On the Mac, you’ll see the iPod Software Updater application. On Windows PCs, you will have to restart your computer after running the Setup application. Then, choose Start menu, iPod, System Software, Updater. You’ll then see the Updater application for Windows.
5. Connect the iPod you want to update or restore to your computer.
6. If you want to install the latest version of the iPod software on your iPod, click the Update button. If you want to restore your iPod, click Restore instead.
7. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the update or restore process.

After you have updated your iPod, you can continue using it as you did before the update.
If you restored your iPod, you will have to perform an update from iTunes to load your music back onto it. You’ll also have to replace any calendar or contact information you want to store on it.

Getting Help from Apple for iPod Battery Problems

If your iPod doesn’t play for the expected time, the battery probably needs to be replaced. If the iPod is still under warranty (one year without the AppleCare Protection Plan or two years with it), Apple will replace the battery for free. If the iPod is not under warranty, Apple will replace the battery for you (currently this costs $99 plus $6.95 shipping). To get more information and start this process, go to www.apple.com/support/ipod/power/ and click the iPod battery service request form link.
If you are comfortable working with electronic devices yourself, you can replace the iPod’s battery on your own. How to do this is beyond the scope of this book, but you can purchase a battery and get help on the Web at places such as www.ipodbattery.com and www.ipodresq.com Replacement batteries cost from $60 to $80, including tools and instructions.
Although being a bit more expensive, sending the unit back to Apple is probably a better way to go in most situations. (Who knows, if you have an old iPod, you might get a better unit back in return!)

How to Test iPod’s Battery?

If your iPod doesn’t seem to play for a reasonable amount of time, you should test it to get an idea of what its current battery life is.
Test your iPod by performing the following steps:

1. Fully charge your iPod.
2. Remove the iPod from the charger so that it is running on battery power.
3. Make a note of the current time.
4. Use the Settings commands to turn off the Equalizer and Backlight.
5. Set Repeat to One.
6. Select an album or playlist and play it.
7. Let the iPod play until it runs out of power. While the iPod is playing, don’t use any of its controls. Anytime you cause the iPod to perform an action, you cause it to use additional power. In this test, you are attempting to determine what its maximum life is so you can compare it to the rated life.
8. When the iPod stops playing and the low power icon appears in the display, make a note of the time.
9. Calculate the battery life by figuring out how much time passed since you started the iPod playing (compare the time you noted in step 8 with what you noted in step 3). If you iPod plays for four hours or longer on a full charge, Apple considers that its battery life is acceptable. If the iPod won’t play for more than four hours, it likely has a problem and needs to be replaced.

How to Get More Life Out of an iPod’s Battery?

The iPod uses a lithium-ion battery. Any battery, including the iPod’s, will eventually wear out and no longer provide the power it once did. In my research, most lithium-ion batteries are rated for 300–500 charges. In this context, a charge can’t be precisely defined, but it does include a full discharge and then a full recharge. A partial charge doesn’t “count” as much, but the precise relationship between amount of charge and how much that charge “counts” can’t be specified. Batteries like that in the iPod actually last longer if you don’t let them fully discharge before you recharge them. Frequent “topping off” will not reduce the battery’s life and in fact is better for your battery than letting it run very low on power before you recharge it.
Every 30 recharges or so, do run your iPod until it is completely out of power and then perform a full recharge. This will reset the battery’s power gauge, which tends to get more inaccurate if the battery is never fully discharged.
It doesn’t hurt the battery to do frequent and short recharges, such as by placing the iPod in a Dock every day after you are done using it.
However, you should make sure to run the iPod on battery power for significant periods of time. If you constantly run the iPod from the power adapter or while it is in the Dock connected to a power source, the iPod’s battery’s performance will degrade.

Tips for charging iPod battery

Fortunately, there are a number of ways to charge your iPod’s battery, including the following:

• Use the included FireWire power adapter.
• Connect the iPod to a six-pin FireWire port either directly with a cable or via a Dock.
• Use a power adapter designed for 12-volt sources, such as the power outlets in your vehicle.

There are two different ways that the iPod lets you know it is charging. When your iPod’s battery is charging via a FireWire connection to a computer, the Battery icon will include a lightning bolt symbol and will include a filling motion from the left to the right of the icon. When the battery is fully charged, the icon will be completely filled and the motion will stop.
When you charge your iPod’s battery through a separate power adapter only, the battery icon fills the iPod’s screen and flashes. When the process is complete, the battery icon remains steady.
According to Apple, it takes only an hour to charge a drained battery to 80% of its capacity. It can take up to four hours to fully charge a drained battery.

How to Maximize and Monitor iPod Battery Life?

The Battery icon in the upper-right corner of the screen always tells you what your battery’s status is at any point in time.
When your iPod is running on battery power, the amount of shading within the icon provides a relative—and I do mean relative—indication of your battery’s current state. As you use battery power, the “filled in” part of the battery will decrease until your iPod runs out of gas. When it does, you’ll see an icon of a battery with an exclamation point that indicates your iPod is out of power, and the battery will have to be charged before you can use the iPod again.
To maximize your iPod’s playing time per battery charge, you can do the following:

• Keep the iPod’s software up to date.
• Use the Hold switch to prevent your iPod from being unintentionally turned on when you carry it around. You’d be amazed how easy it is for the iPod to be turned on and start to play without you knowing it, especially if you carry it in your pocket, backpack, or computer bag. (It’s no fun trying to listen to tunes only to find out your iPod’s battery has been accidentally drained—not that this has ever happened to me of course.)
• When you aren’t listening, don’t keep your iPod playing. Use the Pause button when you aren’t listening to music. Playing music uses power at a greater rate than not playing music.
• Put your iPod to sleep by turning it off when you aren’t using it. The Sleep, or Off, mode uses the least amount of power. (You can press and hold the Play/Pause button to turn the iPod off. You can also add the Sleep command to the Main menu if you prefer to use that instead.)
• Keep backlighting at a minimum level. Backlighting is very helpful to be able to see the iPod’s screen, especially in low-light conditions. However, it does use additional power, so you should use it only as needed to maximize battery life. When you don’t need it, such as in daylight conditions, turn it off. When you do need it, set it such that it remains on only a few seconds when you press a control.
• Minimize track changes. Each time you change tracks, the iPod uses more power than it would just playing tracks straight through.
• Turn the Equalizer off. The Equalizer uses more power than playing music without it.
• Every 30 recharges or so, fully drain and recharge the battery.
• Keep the iPod at a comfortable temperature. Using the iPod in very cold or very hot conditions lowers its battery life.