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2 Small iphone Screws Spark Rumors About Replaceable Battery

tgdaily.com — One of the little known mysterious features of the new iPhone 3G are 2 clearly visible screws positioned at the bottom of the handset. Two screws may not mean much, but they are fueling a discussion. The leading opinion appears to be that Apple may be offering iPhone owners a way to replace the batter by themselves.

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  • ELLIS1128, on 07/08/2008, -2/+12We can only hope...
    • easypie, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1iPhone has only two screws? What about iPod?
  • Revolution101, on 07/08/2008, -3/+11Doubtful. My bet is for sturdier assembly because the black part of the older iPhones kind of wiggles and I bet the one piece plastic backing did it too.
    • easypie, on 07/08/2008, -8/+3Actually the screws are there so that every time you need to recharge your iPhone, you have to unscrew them using a screwdriver and charge the battery separately. Awesome iDea!!!
    • elrond1999, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1Exactly. They are perfectly placed to make the dock connector more sturdy. Maybe they had problems that the connector broke in some phones. Or maybe its a lot cheaper to do it this way.
      • br0ken1128, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1There's already two screws in that approximate location on the existing iPhone .. once you get the black cover off ..

        I think this is just due to the fact they were using a pre-release version
  • shufan, on 07/08/2008, -1/+8I doubt it. I'm sure someone would already know about it if that was the case.
  • digjam, on 07/08/2008, -14/+7HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW I CAN REPLACE BATTERIES EVERY DAY!
  • ryanbrown345, on 07/08/2008, -8/+2Not gonna happen. The screws just make it easier to take the phone apart.
    • bromac, on 07/08/2008, -1/+12...and replace the battery?
      • TheHayze, on 07/08/2008, -1/+4... Which is soldered to the pro-logic board on the original iPhone/iPod Touch; making is quite difficult even for the most experienced DIYer. Those screws there are probably to make it sturdier, as folks here are saying. Of course, I enjoy surprises, Apple. :-)
    • senatorpjt, on 07/08/2008, -1/+2Screws would actually make it harder to take apart given the appropriate tools.
  • MarkusX, on 07/08/2008, -8/+4That would open up a market for proprietary/generic iPhone batteries to manufacture, sell and obviously to buy, unless you HAVE to buy it from Apple again, which would make the whole replacement hype unnecessary, because Apple would just charge you the price according to the "lost" profits from "fewer" new iPhone buys.
    Maybe it's just a shift in strategy.
    • MacParrot, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2What? I'm not seeing what you're trying to say. While there certainly is a market for third-party batteries for cellphones, even assuming warranty issues how could Apple tell whether or not a generic battery (assuming that's what these screws are for) had been used?

      Apple apparently charged $86 for battery replacement. Even at say, a 100% markup over labor and parts, this isn't really that much money even spread out over millions of phones. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't buy new electronic goods because of a slight case change but because new features make the purchase worth it to me. If the battery had reduced capacity to the point where it was detrimental to its functionality, I would have it replaced over buying a new one. But that's not the case with the 3g iPhone. Seeing how its connectivity has completely changed to a faster method, obviously some people are willing to buy a new one. Apple is going to sell a lot of these phones and most likely will easily meet their goal of 10 million sales by the end of calendar 2008.

      And before anyone says something along the lines of fanboy (like it hasn't happened before) I still don't and still won't purchase an iPhone until its storage capacity is what I want.
      • Fritzel, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2just out of curiosity, how much storage are you talking about.
      • MacParrot, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2I would like at least 32GB for it to be a suitable replacement for my iPod as well. I keep a lot of videos (mostly stuff like old Taxi episodes and I'm currently on season 2 of Boston Legal) and would also like additional space for whatever apps I might want.

        I won't buy something not suited for the purpose of what I want no matter who makes it.
      • Fritzel, on 07/13/2008, -0/+1-nod- I can't blame you there
  • trumpcard, on 07/08/2008, -16/+7iphone is *****.
    • mynameistux, on 07/08/2008, -6/+4Yay a normal person, I'll just lie down here, and get buried as well.
      • MacParrot, on 07/08/2008, -1/+5Actually a "normal" person upon seeing a story about something trivial like a cellphone they didn't use or like wouldn't bother to comment at all. But you keep working on normalcy, I'm sure you'll get there one day.
  • NobodyYouKnow, on 07/08/2008, -2/+6It would be a feature, which would have been covered in the keynote. Sorry. This is probably just to make repair at apple stores easier.
    • TimmyGUNZ, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Not necessarily. The iPods don't have any user-replaceable battery and to boast that this is a feature for the iPhone could cause a backlash on iPod users feeling they are getting the shaft.
  • Ryan166, on 07/08/2008, -6/+52My 15 year old Nokia has that feature...
    • winmywii, on 07/08/2008, -1/+132 screws?
      • Jenadae, on 07/08/2008, -0/+4Actually, none...
      • Konformitee, on 07/08/2008, -5/+5So it sounds like your Nokia is a piece of ***** compared to the iPhone 3G which has *2* visible screws.
      • RadicalEdward, on 07/08/2008, -6/+3Really ryan? Is that the best you can come up with?

        That's like Lamborghini coming out with a new car with screws in it and me saying "my 15 year old prelude has that"

        who cares if it has screws, it's still not a lambo.
      • Elranzer, on 07/08/2008, -4/+3That would be a nice analogy if the iPhone were indeed the Lambogini of phones. But it's not. Any random Japanese DoCoMo phone kills it in every way.

        They use CDMA over there, which means with a bit of hacking, they could be activated over Verizon or Sprint.
      • compdude32, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1RadicalEdward, problem with your statement is the iPod is far from a Lamborghini of cell phones.
    • ross., on 07/08/2008, -9/+4And hows that working out for you buddy?
      • TheKorn2, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3Any piece of technology you still have after 15 years is an unquestionable success.
    • e68895f, on 07/08/2008, -4/+5Lets see where apple is in 15 years with iphone....
  • felixio420, on 07/08/2008, -7/+1whats an iphone?
  • doctordbx, on 07/08/2008, -2/+13Wasn't this already debunked last week as the phone used in the shoot was a pre-production model and the released phone won't have them... or something.
    Or is this based on an Apple order of 10,000,000,000 mini screws from a manufacturer in Thailand?
  • ganjaguru, on 07/08/2008, -9/+7Yes, were all bakers and we love to replace our BATTER.
    • Tddupre, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3You can never replace Ken Griffey Jr.
  • Identiti, on 07/08/2008, -3/+4This was news like..... 3 weeks ago
  • rx55, on 07/08/2008, -6/+0That would be great news .. i'm sooo looking forward to finally getting that thing
  • alanr19, on 07/08/2008, -6/+30Really. Wow thanks Apple. We are so grateful for th..... hey wait a sec all other phones have that already.

    Why the ***** are we kissing apples ass for what "might" be user replaceable battery, something that should have been there from day one, and not screwing customers by charging them crazy fees. Wake up fanboys.
    • AppleGeorge, on 07/08/2008, -12/+5Yeah, and all other phones have touch screens and iPods built in.

      Jackass. Nobody is "kissing Apple's" ass, but the first didn't have a replaceable battery for a stupid reason, and people are excited that this one might. Relax and stop whining so god damn much.
    • utnow, on 07/08/2008, -12/+4I don't really understand the all driving desire for this useless feature. The vast majority of cellphone owner/users have never replaced their cellphone battery and are forced to endure a cellphone with a jiggly back-end, and a large piece that always breaks off when it falls out of your pocket. I'm thrilled that the phone DOESN'T have this, which would require an extra compartment in the back causing the design to be larger and less sturdy. Honestly if you really have to have extra batteries/juice pick up a Mophie Juicepack and enjoy. It's what you'd end up spending on a replacement battery anyway.
    • Konformitee, on 07/08/2008, -3/+2We have to be happy about something because from the looks of it, the only improvements over the current generation iPhone are that its a bit thinner, a tiny bit more improved battery life, a real GPS built in, and 3G support. Talk about a waste of time. They had all this time and still do not have some of the absolutely basic features you'd find today in very low end cell phones like a Motorola RAZR like video recording, MMS, free user-uploadable ring tones, Bluetooth DUN profiles, standard mini-USB port instead of the proprietary iPod interface (makes finding a replacement charger or spare computer interface cord difficult unless you are near a major electronics store), and so on.

      Now they've supposedly added third party apps, but they must be signed and approved by Steve Jesus himself instead of the platform being open like Windows Mobile so we're going to be thoroughly underwhelmed by the ***** lack of awesome software like Mozilla Firefox mobile, VoIP apps (over 3G), and so on. They've had a year to put the damn thing out and it STILL doesn't have iChat!
      • sjmulder, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1For me the biggest feature is that's it's not limited to the US and a handful of other countries.
    • crashingechelon, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1I don't think they're screwing people with the crazy fees. Sure $86 isn't cheap to replace a battery, but everyone makes it seem that they can replace their phone battery for free. I've looked into replacing batteries in my older phones but they cost like $40-$60 for a new one! The batteries last about 2 years which is usually when peoples service contracts run out and you can usually get a new phone at the cost of a new battery.
      • compdude32, on 07/08/2008, -1/+2Gee I can go to the Sprint store buy a battery for my phone for $30 and they will even put it in for me. Oh and guess what I am not without the phone.
  • tehjarvis, on 07/08/2008, -4/+7They're probably only there to look cool and serve no purpose.
    • tedrock, on 07/08/2008, -2/+6why the ***** would they ADD screws to make something look cool? Most designers try to hide ***** like this.
      • the_snitch, on 07/08/2008, -1/+10Actually I was pulling apart my Apple Macbook 13" yesterday following the Apple Service Source Manuals. To remove the top case, the two screws on the front right must be unscrewed. But the screws on the front left? Yeah, they are just there for aesthetic and symmetrical purposes. The manual even says so.
      • tedrock, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2yah but that makes sense. it has to match to be visually pleasing.
  • webkami, on 07/08/2008, -0/+59"Two screws may not mean much...."

    Dude, for diggers even one screw means a lot...
    • PurpleSfinx, on 07/08/2008, -4/+1Yeah, I know I'd sure like to have sex with an iPhone.
  • nluck, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1i think everyone should just break it open and find out
  • exhale, on 07/08/2008, -6/+12You can not replace the battery in the original iphone? What a joke.
    • MacParrot, on 07/08/2008, -2/+5You're just discovering this? Welcome to Digg as you're obviously brand new here
  • jono10, on 07/08/2008, -0/+26This just in - Apple users excited at prospect of having a screw.
    More at 7.00.
  • sjh0313, on 07/08/2008, -6/+5Tell me about these Apple iPhones. Is it just a cordless with an extra long range, so you can use it out on your lawn? Or is there more. What's the catch? My cordless currently has 2GHz, which I think is plenty. And it lets me put people on hold.
    • Agret, on 07/08/2008, -3/+2Mobile phone. nuff said.
      • redstorm986, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1i debated for a few moments if he just forgot /sarcasm then I read some of his other comments.
      • sjh0313, on 07/08/2008, -1/+0Yeah, I was just joking. I have an iPhone (the old one).
  • Protoss, on 07/08/2008, -4/+5Honestly who cares about a user replaceable battery? I have not once replaced my battery in any cell phone I've owned, if it's dying I just turn it off until I get to a place to charge it. If I'm out and about, what is the chance I'd carry a spare battery in my pocket?
    • thephosphorbox, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2Having a user replaceable battery doesn't only mean you can carry a spare. It also means you could, if you wanted to, buy an extended life battery and easily swap it on. I have an HTC PPC phone and I just put an extended battery on it, now I can go for 5 days of heavy use without having to charge.
    • spoonchucks, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Since Apple trying to market this thing to business users, most business users would agree that replaceable batteries are a necessity. After all, what if someone is on a business trip and a crucial phone call comes in when their battery is low?

      Although, I honestly can't see why a business would buy what is essentially a toy for their employees to "increase productivity"...
  • Phox, on 07/08/2008, -6/+28Steve: I told you Digg users would go bananas if we left two screws out in the open. I'm a genius.
    Peon: Sir, how often are you on digg?
    Steve: I masturbate to offbeat videos...
    Peon: .....
    Steve: .....
    Peon: ....
    Steve: what?
    • MacParrot, on 07/08/2008, -3/+1OK, that's just funny. Dugg up
    • TroHax, on 07/08/2008, -3/+1Only if I can digg you up a million times.
  • fezzasus, on 07/08/2008, -4/+2I'd agree that they are for a replaceable battery simply because they are philips head (cross head) rather than hex heads that apple typically use when they have an exposed screw head.

    That said, my macbook has two philips head screws in the side solely for aesthetics.
  • chris9902, on 07/08/2008, -1/+6whatever will they think of next?
  • kenvsryu, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1Don't be stupid.
  • easypie, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1[Jumps into river]
  • macmangb, on 07/08/2008, -4/+2Go Apple!
  • slinky317, on 07/08/2008, -0/+4To me, they looked out of place and photoshopped.
    • manitoba98xp, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1But they were in the photos shown at the Stevenote, so they are indeed there.
  • akash8m, on 07/08/2008, -1/+6Screw Apple if they don't have replaceable batteries :)
  • Murrabbit, on 07/08/2008, -1/+6Oh goodness, the Apple fans are just foaming at the mouth at the merest hint of a basic and nearly universal industry standard convenience, aren't they. Surely this justifies such an outrageous price tag!
  • headband, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2my blackjack came with 2 batteries and a little box to charge one, I never have to worry about remembering to charge my phone I just switch it out and don't worry about it....I don't want to use a screwdriver to do it
    • blackinthmiddle, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1I've had four blackjacks over the course of a year and change. Sorry, that phone sucks. The biggest complaint I have is how it "loses" it's internet connection and you have to reboot the damn thing just so you can surf a web page. AT&T has since admitted this "feature" and has sent me a blackberry curve.
    • ripple123, on 07/08/2008, -1/+2whoa dude. batteries you can just pop out and charge? thats madness, madness i say! iphones are powered by steve jobs awesomeness, and hence, dont need recharging.
  • denhamcoote, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5Really? 2 screws on a cell phone and the world goes nuts?
  • Zippo, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3People bitch and whine about things not having easily-replaceable batteries... I've had two iPods and more than three cellphone and have never needed to replace a battery in either of them.
    The majority of people do not need to worry about replacing batteries.
  • blackinthmiddle, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3Doesn't matter to me. After I found that the "upgrade" price for existing AT&T subscribers is $399 and $499, I've suddenly become less than interestsed.
    • jonahan52, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3Unless you are due for a phone upgrade. Then it's the $199.
      • nicc, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1and if you are a current iPhone owner, you are automatically eligible for the upgrade
  • reformation, on 07/08/2008, -6/+5I'm trying to think of a time I actually replaced a phone battery on ANY phone ever.

    ...NEVER!!

    No one ever does it and no one gives a *****
  • MaceSoul, on 07/08/2008, -2/+3Why is this noise on the front page again?
    http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_3G_s_screws_may_indic ...
  • nycmac247, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1I thought that pic was shown - quite a while ago - to be a mockup and not final shipping product?
  • KLowD9x, on 07/08/2008, -6/+1How do so many people manage to destroy the batteries in these portable devices?

    I have a laptop from 1999 with the original lithium battery still installed. This laptop still has the same 1 hour 45 minute run time that it has always had. My first generation iPod nano that was once used as my daily music sorce, drained empty and charged every night, STILL plays music for 10 hours and never misses a beat.

    What are people doing to kill these batteries so quickly?
    • Kazbaeden, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3How do you have a 10 year old Li battery with absolutely no loss in battery life? The way they are chemically engineered ensures that they die over time, even if you don't use them.
  • jazzbeaux, on 07/08/2008, -0/+0Would that be pancake batter or what?
  • stupidStan, on 07/08/2008, -2/+2Oh my god! a feature that should be standard on any battery powered device might actually be offered!

    What will these geniuses think up next.

    Apple truly means innovation.
  • nsheikh80, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3One question: How many people have actually had to buy a new battery for any of their mobile phones?
    • jdbeast00, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1i have
    • scrap3r, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1If I pay $600 for a phone I expect the ability to replace the part most likely to die so that I can get some extended use out of it.
    • 1337chic, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1My razor has needed one for the last 4 months I'm just two cheap to buy one bc I knew I'd be getting a new iPhone soon, so I've dealt with the fact it loses charge after a half hour phone call or by sitting idle for more than nine hours.

      Almost everyone I know with a razr toward the end of it's two year contract has had this problem.
    • johnpaul191, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2There are two situations "i carry multiple batteries because i'm a power user" and the "my battery no longer holds charge, so it had to be replaced". We know the second is no issue, Apple can replace the battery. The only question would be a user hot-swappable one...... which doesn't seem like something that should involve screws.
      Personally i have replaced a battery on a cell phone, but it was only once. i was holding out for a new phone to hit the market and knew it was a few months out. Otherwise, it seems like the battery lasts as long as the usable life of the phone.... at least in my cases.
    • waydee, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1I have, I take spare batteries when hiking, camping, basically anywhere im not going to be able to charge one.
  • GruntboyX, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1batter.......mmmmmmm pancakes.............
  • sjames1010, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1If Apple was offering replacement batteries, they would have mentioned it in the keynote. And probably swapped it out on stage, without even powering the device off. This has been a long-standing complaint and it would not have gone unmentioned. Anyone else remember that they shaved $200 off the price? That's why there are screws.
  • senatorpjt, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Everyone always says you can't take Apple stuff apart. You just need a "spudger" which costs around $5, but if you can afford anything Apple makes it's not really a big deal.
    http://www.ifixit.com/search?query=spudger
    I wish I had found this site before throwing my money away on AppleCare. Actually, AppleCare has made things worse - One of the fans in my MacBook pro has blown out, but I don't want to lose my machine for a week and I don't want to buy a new fan for $50 because I paid for AppleCare...
    Also, I'm surprised they don't sell iPhone batteries. Hopefully they (or someone else) start selling them once they start dying!
    • senatorpjt, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1D'oh. They do sell replacement iPhone batteries for $20 as well as pretty much every other piece of the phone (although out of stock now)
      http://www.ifixit.com/iPhone-Parts/iPhone-Replacem ...
      http://www.digiexpress.us/Battery-kit-for-iPhone_p ...
    • br0ken1128, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Yep! .. I cracked the display on my iPhone earlier this year on my jailbroken unit (using t-mobile) .. my battery was flaking out as well ..

      So instead of trying to convince apple to fix it all for me (and me being out of warranty) .. I decided to buy a replacement touch screen and replacement battery ... fixed everything myself ..

      The screen was a total pain to replace .. and many hours were invested .. but the battery replacement is a breeze .. the hardest part os using the plastic "case tool" I ordered.. a metal spudger would have been way better.
  • chadpyle, on 07/08/2008, -2/+5Holy ***** fanboyism Batman, Who gives a *****?!
  • sirclown82, on 07/08/2008, -1/+0The subject says it all. Rumor.
  • johnpaul191, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1We will know in less than 72 hours. How many more stories on this will make the front page of the Apple section?
  • Gumby_Mac, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1"...offering iPhone owners a way to replace the batter by themselves."

    I can't wait to JailBake my iPhone 3G. GPS and chocolate chips FTW!!!
  • bpapa, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1My iPhone battery has been the ***** since earlier this year, but I can't be arsed to get a replacement (even though I have Apple care). And honestly? It's really not a big deal. I still get a day's use out of it and if I forget to charge it overnight I kick myself the next day. It's not like I'm going to carry around a second battery or anything, get a frikkin grip.
    • br0ken1128, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Replace it yourself.. all you need to do is to check youtube for instructions.. I've replaced my battery and I even went one further and replaced my cracked touch screen assembly .. (not for the faint of heart) .. the battery is very easy though

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