It appears that the Samsung's Wall Huggers TV ads and their latest ploy of buying wall advertising near airport power outlets has finally started to get Apple's attention.
ArsTechnica is reporting that Apple has finally launched a battery replacement for iPhone 5 phones which were sold between 9/2012 and 1/2013, which was the rollout of the model.
Because those phones sold during that time period constitute a significant percentage of the iPhone 5 sales, and they were hit by battery problems believed to be solved in later releases, it's fairly common to see large numbers of these early models plugged in by their users later in the afternoon and evening wherever there are public outlets.
It appears Apple knew about this problem early, even though its Apple Stores were calling it normal for a two-year-old phone. It isn't clear that Samsung's advertising campaign had anything to do with the timing of the battery replacement program. Apple is not about to admit being goaded into replacement of batteries in the teeth of a new model release.
Users who already paid to replace their batteries will be eligible to receive a refund for the cost of the battery from Apple. Apple's support site says the program covers iPhone 5 batteries for two years after the first retail sale of the unit or until March 1, 2015, whichever provides longer coverage. Replacements are available beginning today in the United States and China, with the program beginning in other countries on August 29.
The standard warranty on these phones is expiring in March 2015, but Apple decided to proactively stand behind these early iPhone 5 models.
The link to Apple's page: https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-battery/
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 23 2014, @05:54PM
just get one of these instead of the new ipone ... price is about the same:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004O8CEHG/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1408816205&sr=8-7&pi=SL75 [amazon.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Nerdfest on Saturday August 23 2014, @07:34PM
Two years later is not really 'pro-actively'.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Adamsjas on Saturday August 23 2014, @07:56PM
I suspect frojack was being generous.
Personally I suspect the ad campaign has been a a bit of an embarassment to apple. They have been poo pooing this issue and even closing forum threads about this issue for a long time. I'm bettin they are trying to protect their iPhone 6 roll out by appearing to be standing behind their products rather than forcing users to file warranty claims and then denying them like they did for all the "water damage" issues in the past. With these warranties expiring in huge numbers beginning in September, less than a month from now, why else would they announce this?
The Samsung ads are pretty much correct as far as I can see. if you see a phone plugged in at a public place, restaurant, train station, ferry, library, school, the odds are like 95% that it is an iphone, based on my informal count at local library and coffee shops. Nobody else even carries their charger with them all day.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Hairyfeet on Saturday August 23 2014, @11:09PM
Which is what always blew my mind when these iPhone users would talk about how "superior" their phone was...as they were tethered to a jack LOL. I would NEVER own a device that can't have the battery replaced by me as the ONLY one that benefits from that is the company that makes it, NOT me. When the missus had her big family reunion coming up we simply ordered a spare battery and memory card and she was able to take pictures and videos for the entire weekend without requiring a charge or missing a shot, you just can't do that with an iPhone.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by isostatic on Sunday August 24 2014, @06:34PM
I guess my mophie doesn't work then. And I've 4 years of photos on my phone (originally a 3Gs, then a 4s, then a 5. The 4s went missing at Mumbai airport, but the photos just came back down from the built in online backup system)
still no sign of running out of space.
For a planned weekend though I'd be using a real camera, I use my phone when it's unexpected as I always have it on me.
SWMBO's crappy galaxy does have a battery that lasts longer, but that's because she hardly uses it.
(Score: 3, Informative) by mojo chan on Saturday August 23 2014, @09:21PM
They haven't really fixed it either. The point of the ad was that you can't change the iPhone battery. With Samsung devices you can carry a spare.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
(Score: 4, Interesting) by zafiro17 on Saturday August 23 2014, @10:53PM
Furthermore, there are certainly some in the tech press out there who will try to spin this as something positive: Apple taking a bold and positive move to improve user experience! Apple caring for its customers! But the fact is Apple's product was defective or at least outclassed by the competition, they're making up for lost time (and late, at that), and so on.
I'm going to scan the press for articles that spin this as Apple innovation or whatever, and take them off my reading list. It's the ultimate fanboi detector.
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday August 24 2014, @12:07AM
Lesson observed: Competition make corporation behave nicer.
(Score: 3, Informative) by khchung on Sunday August 24 2014, @03:26AM
I guess this will be treated as iPhone fanboyism, but seriously, who buys spare batteries nowadays? Everyone buys power banks now.
With a spare battery, you are locked in the that particular phone model, you have to switch off the phone when you replace the battery, and you need a separate charger to charge that battery while your phone is charging*, and you can't use it for anything else.
With a power bank, you can keep using your phone all the time (with the downside of connecting a cable to your power bank, but could be disconnected/reconnected anytime), you can charge the power bank independently with another USB cable. PLUS, you can share the power bank with your friends in a pinch who use different phone than yours. It is upgrade proof (replace your phone you can still use it), extremely cheap (just saw one $5.xx in Amazon, search for "power bank") and universal (can charge everything that takes USB power, even small cameras, 3G wifi devices, etc).
The majority of friends I know have a power bank, regardless of phone model they use. If you go on a tour, almost everyone take out their power banks to charge their phone while on the road.
* Without a separate charger for the extra battery, you just replaced wall hugging time on the go with wall hugging time at home, charging one battery after another, I've done that before years ago when using Nokia phones, and it make the battery useless most of the time cuz I didn't bother to replace the battery with the empty spare after one was charged.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 24 2014, @04:06AM
There is no wall-hugging at home. Replacement batteries are great to swap in (instant full-charge) and not have to turn-off GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, while charging.
Do the power banks give full charging or only USB?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @03:07PM
That was a reading comprehension fail on your part, I suggest you re-read what he said.
As to your question, did you mean "full speed charging"? If so, then the ones I have certainly do.
(Score: 2) by monster on Monday August 25 2014, @04:23PM
He doesn't mean "full speed charging", he means "instant full charge".
With a power bank you have at most the charging throughput of the phone. If you are consuming more power, the phone drains anyway and, since it would have started near empty, you could end with a powered off, charging phone. With a spare battery you power the phone down, swap batteries, power on again and presto.
A power bank has many pros, as the commenter above has shown, but the spare battery also has its own.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Sunday August 24 2014, @05:00AM
Power banks?
20,000mAh [ianker.com]
I think there are some even bigger ones out there too. That one can do 4 devices at the same time.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Hairyfeet on Sunday August 24 2014, @04:39PM
Because you can fit 3 spare batteries in a shirt pocket and not feel it, while your "power bank" (brick) is like dragging...well a brick around? And most of the spare batteries on Amazon come with the charger, just FYI. You are also ignoring the rotting elephant in the room which is the lack of a replaceable battery is not for your benefit but for the benefit of Apple and gains you absolutely nothing. The fact that fanboys will defend such an anti-consumer move is frankly just sad, and right up there with fanboys buying the "holding it wrong" BS. At least with my Android it is MY CHOICE whether to use a spare or a power brick whereas you? You have no choice, its powerbrick or wallhugging.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 1) by khchung on Monday August 25 2014, @03:15AM
Because you can fit 3 spare batteries in a shirt pocket and not feel it, while your "power bank" (brick) is like dragging...well a brick around?
Spoken like someone who have never used one. Why am I surprised? Yeah, power banks like a key chain (same capacity) is sooooo like a brick.
All my Android using friends also buy power banks instead of spared batteries at twice the price.
Are you happy for the privilege to pay Samsung or whoever $10 for their vendor-locked phone-specific battery when you can buy the same capacity power bank for $4? Don't miss the chance to pay them again when you replace your phone! Great choice there.
2600 mAh Power Bank Key Chain for $4: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Chain-Smart-External-Battery/dp/B00I3NDXZU/ref=sr_1_6?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1408934899&sr=1-6 [amazon.com]
Samsung 2600mAh S4 battery for $10: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Replacement-Battery-2600mAh/dp/B00BW0X892/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1408934219&sr=8-5 [amazon.com]
the lack of a replaceable battery is not for your benefit but for the benefit of Apple and gains you absolutely nothing
Keep saying it and maybe it will become true. Ever heard of KISS? Keep It Simple, Stupid. Didn't you notice that one of Apple's design philosophy is no user serviceable parts in a lot of their devices? Guess not, since you obviously never owned one.
From the Mac mini, to iPhones, iPads, iPods, to other devices like Apple TV and Time Capsule, ALL their devices are glued in blocks that was not intended to be opened by users. Not having to cater for user replacing parts is a design decision.
You are free to disagree with their design (as you obviously do), but to claim that design gains the user nothing is misguided generalization. Good design gives good product. I have a Blackberry phone which the battery connector got loose a couple times in the past, making the phone somewhat unstable. I have had similar problems with different model of Nokia phones in the past. I NEVER had that kind of problem with my iPhone, obviously because the battery connection is hardwired. Are you going to insist that having fewer problems "gains me absolutely nothing"?
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Monday August 25 2014, @05:41AM
Riiiight, because three tiny prongs is adding such failure, why android phones are dying left and right.../facepalm/ Thanks for giving a perfect example of an iFanboi, who will happily defend any corporate douchebaggery as long as it has an "i" in front.
And again you are ignoring the fact that everybody else has CHOICES, you DO NOT. Your battery failed? you are fucked, go to an iStore and hope they still support it. BTW one of my customers was stupid enough to jump on the apple bandwagon, he now has a $2400 Macbook Air that Apple no longer supports so guess what? He has a $2400 brick...niice. meanwhile if he would have bought a Windows laptop i could have just ordered the part and had it fixed in a day, oh and he would have had a more powerful laptop for half the price...gotta love that Apple innovation!
But it really doesn't matter what I or anybody else, including Apple, says or does because you will defend it, that is what a fanboy does. They royally buttfucked you on the battery and are only NOW admitting their mistake, are you mad? probably not, in fact you'll probably defend them for it. the battery thing is so they have you by the balls when it comes to service, does that pis you off? Nope you'l jump through flaming logic hoops to sell it as a "feature" which just FYI is fucking delusion, KISS has absofuckinglutely NOTHING to do with a replaceable battery, none. You would have to pull that battery a couple of million times to even possibly make that a point of failure, i should know as I have hung onto my LG slider for ages and have swappd batteries more times than I can count. But then again I have choice, I can swap batteries OR use a powerbrick, you can't. BTW doesn't it even piss you off just a little that Apple would have been happy to keep right on fucking you until samsung fucking shamed them into fixing their shit batteries? i know that would have pissed me the hell off big time.
Of course that is the difference between a consumer and a fanboy, as I will happily tell Google or MSFT to go fuck themselvs and take my business elsewhere when they try to fuck me, whereas you'll convince yourself your holding it wrong...geez.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 2) by khchung on Monday August 25 2014, @06:25AM
You keep harping on and on about a problem that I never had over years of owning multiple iPhone and iPads, and yet insisted that the real problem that I had experienced on multiple devices from different vendors as unreal. Starting with a post where I was talking about a gadget that is not vendor-specific, and is cheaper for its purpose for all kinds of non-Apple devices. And yet YOU keep call ME a fanboy.
I will let the readers decide who is the rabid fanboy here.
P.S. Your customer's Macbook Air, yeah, googling for Macbook parts is just soooo difficult - https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/MacBook-Air [ifixit.com], must be because he went to wrong place run by people who would rather rant how bad Apple is, rather than spend 5 seconds on Google to find iFixit for him (oh right, once he found out about iFixit then he won't be your customer any more. My bad.)