News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

May 12, 2008

ipod

Canucks get money for bad batteries

Posted May. 12, ’08, 12:54 PM PT by Dan Pourhadi
Category | iPod

iPodCanada.jpgThe quality of iPod batteries has always been an area of much contention amongst the ‘Podding public, and a group in O Canada! got so peeved they sued Apple, claiming the fruit company misinformed customers about the capacity and performance of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gen iPod batteries.

Apple, being the intrepid consumer advocate that is(n’t), has agreed to settle the suit, offering a 45 CAD Apple Store coupon to Canuck customers affected by the poor battery performance who request compensation. Via the AP:

To be eligible, the battery life of their iPods — while continuously playing music — needs to have dropped to five hours or less for the first and second generation of the device and four hours or less for the third generation.

Apple Canada’s website has a page for details regarding the settlement — specifically, the legalese-laden settlement document (PDF) itself — as well as a placeholder for claim forms and instructions. If you’re a resident of The Dominion (I’m sorry), keep checking the site for the info you need to collect your dough.

The coupon thing seems to be working in Apple’s favor. Like the $100 iPhone rebate, customers get some moolah, but not enough to really buy anything good from the Apple Store. The money then goes to buying, say, another iPod, and voila: more cash in the bank for Cupertino.

This also sets something of a precendence: Don’t be surprised if Apple’s slammed with a bunch more class-action battery suits by users who can only play five songs before their iPods croak. If that happens…well, blame Canada.


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