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Griggsy · Sep 6, 2002, 01:34 PM

have an original 5 gb iPod and have noticed that since upgrading to firmware 1.2 that battery life has gone down to the falkland islands.

Am i the only one with this problem, or am I in denial and my pod is bust?

hardcat1970 · Sep 6, 2002, 04:11 PM

i have posted the same topics, but i don't receive any answer yet. Maybe it's only our pod got busted!! i'll wait one more week for apple to post the new update, otherwise, i am sending my ipod back since i still have warranty!

Griggsy · Sep 6, 2002, 05:15 PM

can you switch the firmware back to an earlier version easily??

SupahCoolX · Sep 6, 2002, 08:08 PM

Try resetting your iPod (hold the play and menu buttons for a few seconds). I've noticed that if my iPod (v1.2 firmware) reports less battery power than I know it should have, a reset sets it straight again.

G4 Mac User · Sep 6, 2002, 08:36 PM

Griggsy,

2 points to make on this subject.

1. If you are running the 1.2 version then the clock will eat your battery life like you would not believe. I went back to 1.1 just yesterday. I have a brand new refurbished 5 gig iPod that I just received about 2 weeks ago from Apple. The reason; after 8 months my battery life went from 8+ hours to 3 overnight, yep overnight.

2. Oops already answered that one. Yes you can go back to version 1.1 which does not have the clock or the calendar.

Also once the battery runs down the clock no longer works so you have to reset it every time. What a waste to have a clock that you have to reset everyday. Err, at least for me it is everyday because I work 6 days a week and usually 10 hours a day so the iPod is dead when I leave work.

Dead iPod means resetting clock. To much hassle.

Your Pal

G4 Mac User (iBook Combo User Too)

Griggsy · Sep 7, 2002, 08:51 AM

Have switched back to 1.1 so we will see how we go

pbjudge · Sep 20, 2002, 01:10 AM

I have noticed the same problems as Griggsy since I moved to 1.2. In addition to that, I've noticed that it is failing to fully recharge. I plug it into the wall overnight and I see the recharging symbol and when I go to unplug it in the morning (over 8 hours), it reads "charged". But within an hour or less of play, I see the battery meter drop from four bars to three. In less than one hour!?!

Thinking it was the outlet, I tried another one, and then I charged it via my iBook. Same thing. It says charged but then it loses four bars way too soon...

amp · Sep 20, 2002, 01:44 PM

Im kinda new at this but can someone tell me where i can download the 1.1 firmware so i can restore it. I tried looking on the applecare site and couldn't find it. ooo maybe versiontracker.

amp

khufuu · Sep 20, 2002, 03:00 PM

Another question.

I'm going to buy one tomorrow if I can and I'd assume that it will ship with 1.2 on it. Do you think that I could still downgrade it to 1.1 if I experience short battery life??

Stryder · Sep 20, 2002, 03:50 PM

I just received my 10gig (new one) and it seems to hold the charge and play for 4hrs with only 1-2 bars down. The only options I activated were Sound Check and EQ. Is this "good fortune" a fluke?
Also, using ground shipping, left Taiwan yesterday, got here this morning. THAT is good service from FedEx (even with time zones)...

hardcat1970 · Sep 20, 2002, 05:19 PM

since apple has extended all ipod owners to 1 year warranty, why don't you guys just send your ipod back and have them either repair it or replace it. I had the same problem with 1.2 installed on my ipod, battery went down south. I sent it back and got my replacement ipod within 3 days. The only downside is you have to load back all the songs. Some might aruge that apple are acutally sending you a refurbished units, but hey at least the battery is brand-new!!

fishguy · Sep 20, 2002, 06:20 PM

If the clock is indeed a batery hog, is there a way to disable it with 1.2 but leave the rest alone?

hardcat1970 · Sep 21, 2002, 02:48 PM

Originally posted by fishguy:
If the clock is indeed a batery hog, is there a way to disable it with 1.2 but leave the rest alone?

I don't think it is the clock function alone that causes the shorten ipod battery life. I think it is a software bugs in 1.2 that causes some ipods to mulfunction.

I had restore 1.1 on my original 5gb ipod, still i got only 4.5 hours playtime, then i made up my mind and returned my ipod back to Apple. When i received my replacement and it still hasn't report the battery meter correctly. And since i upgrade to Jaguar, my ipod's clock automatically sync with my computer. However i am getting usual 10+hours playback time with my clock's running.

Perhaps you might argue that it is because i got a new unit from Apple, but my friend bought herself a new ipod few weeks ago, and she also suffered the same fate - short battery life, and she too, had returned it to Apple.

So i think it is a bug that causes some ipod to mulfunction, even a brand new unit. i suggest that if you have problems with your ipod's battery life, maybe it is time for you to send it back to apple.

hardcat1970 · Sep 21, 2002, 02:52 PM

ooh and i forgot one little interesting thing...some people claimed that when they reset their ipods, the clock was set back to Jan 1, 2002, the time was 12:00:00 and the clock had stopped ticking. However i could not reproduce this on my ipod. It always set back to a day earlier when i force-reset it, and the clock is always running too!

strange, huuh?

el lindo · Sep 21, 2002, 05:09 PM

I just tried and that happened for me. Maybe this'll help battery life.

fnevitt · Sep 22, 2002, 09:09 PM

I was reading in the most current issue of MacAddict Magazine about what really drains the iPod's battery. If you are having problems with battery life you might want to get the new issue or go to their website and read about it. http://www.macaddict.com

andycroll · Sep 23, 2002, 08:12 AM

Originally posted by fnevitt:
I was reading in the most current issue of MacAddict Magazine about what really drains the iPod's battery. If you are having problems with battery life you might want to get the new issue or go to their website and read about it. http://www.macaddict.com

Can't seem to find it on the website? Any idea it it's actually there? Or was that a supposition?

Have had patchy performance with the iPod myself. It seems to discharge whilst not in use.

Andy

pbjudge · Sep 23, 2002, 07:37 PM

Earlier in this thread I mentioned a problem with my iPod fully recharging. It has gotten worse in the last few days.

It is failing to fully recharge. I plug it into the wall overnight and I see the recharging symbol and when I go to unplug it in the morning (over 8 hours), it reads "charged". But as soon as I unplug I see the battery meter drop from four bars to three. Even before listening to a single song.

The only way I get a full charge nowadays is to charge it on my iBook. But that is not always practical or possible.

Has anyone else reported a similar prob?

- Pat

fnevitt · Sep 23, 2002, 08:33 PM

Originally posted by andycroll:

Can't seem to find it on the website? Any idea it it's actually there? Or was that a supposition?

Have had patchy performance with the iPod myself. It seems to discharge whilst not in use.

Andy

I was just guessing it was on their website, in the current issue section, but after looking I was unable to find it as well. It is however in the magazine. It talked about how to preserve the life of your iPod battery by not skipping songs too often, and some other tricks.