[iCapture]

My phone is my life support. I own my own real estate development company and i am constantly in contact with all my clients/consultants via email and phone calls. I have been using the blackberry 8700 for a little over a year know (gone thru two of them [shows you how much it gets used]) and i am relatively pleased with it.

Well, i bought a 8GB iPhone the other day and i am now concerned. I heard a rumor today from one of my Apple/iPhone bashing friends that the iPhone's internal battery is only good for 300 something charges. After that it has to be sent back to apple so they can replace the battery. This may take a week to be done. This would mean that i would have to be sending my iPhone into apple every year for a week!

There is absolutely NO way i can be without my phone for more than a day, let alone a week or more!!!

Does anyone know if this rumor has some truth to it? If it is true how can apple look themselves in the mirror? They cant seriously think that a professional can go without their cell phone for a week.

This might be a deal breaker. Its a shame they couldnt have added a removable battery. I know they like sleek designs, but come on.

[mduell]

300-400 charge cycle useful lifetime is typical for a lithium battery. Replacing the battery requires paying $90 and mailing it back to Apple (3 days for service plus transportation time); a stark contrast to the $20 + 10 second BlackBerry battery swaps! You can rent an iPhone for $29 while yours is in service for any reason.

Apple - Support - iPhone - Service FAQ

[Neo.cmg]

Yes, from what I've read 300 to 400 charges is what others have predicted the cycle life of the battery for the iPhone to be based on the type of battery (lithium-polymer) Apple included.

Additionally, Apple announced it's iPhone battery replacement program today, which states that if your iPhone requires service due to the battery's diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, then the service provided by Apple requires you to send your phone to Apple who will replace the battery and return the phone to you within 3 business days for $79 + $6.95 shipping. So, if you're using this phone heavily in which you're charging it once per day, then you can expect to have to send the phone to Apple for 3 business days about every year. Considering you're stuck in a contract with AT&T for two years, you can expect to have to do this at least once for the life of your contract.

Additionally, once the battery is disconnected and swapped out for a new one, the data stored on the device is lost. Thus, Apple recommends synching the phone one last time before sending it to them.

More information regarding this service from Apple can be found here:

Apple - Support - iPhone Out-of-warranty Battery Replacement Program

[MacHeadChef]

When will Apple learn to design a battery which is removable by the people who buy their products.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by MacHeadChef 

When will Apple learn to design a battery which is removable by the people who buy their products.

The very second a battery that's removable doesn't add massive bulk - they switched from plugged to soldered battery connections in the iPod nano/5g because they take less bulk, and if you make the battery removable, you're losing/adding at least a millimeter in every dimension for the battery casing (more, actually, since the device itself also needs a receptacle for the battery), plus you add a lot more bulk because you're not *nearly* as flexible in your hardware design - you can't just shuffle around internal components until they fit the most effectively.
Also, you need to add space for lid clamps that tend to become unreliable over time.

[DigitalEl]

Originally Posted by iCapture

This might be a deal breaker. Its a shame they couldnt have added a removable battery. I know they like sleek designs, but come on.

There are always gonna be people with special and/or hardcore needs, who need to be able to swap out batteries. As a longtime cellphone user, I have never had the need to carry extra batteries... And I don't even have a home phone. My cell phone is my ONLY phone. Still, it's not a problem to put it on the charger every night... Even while on a trip.

I CAN understand how a real-estate agent, attorney or someone else who "lives on the phone" might need more flexibility. But to them I simply say the iPhone isn't for you. It's a CONSUMER device. If you're using 5,000 minutes a month, with heavy e-mail use... Then you probably should stick with your BlackBerry.

Even as a RDF victim, I don't mind fair and reasoned criticism of the iPhone, but you've got to keep the device's mission in mind. No device is going to be all things to every user.