More Ways to Optimize iPod Battery Performance

By now, you must already have appreciated the importance of knowing some basic facts about your iPod nano battery.  If you haven’t yet, read on and find out what you are missing.

Your battery, like any other batteries, is destined to expire.  Meaning, time will come that no matter how much you charge it, it won’t power that sleek tiny work of wonder called the iPod nano.  It means you have to replace it.  Have you noticed how impregnable your gadget seems?  Unlike your any other toys, laptop, other mp3 players, or your cell phone, your iPod does not have a detachable cover for the purpose of removing and replacing the battery.  No one knows what was inside Steve Job’s mind when he designed his iPod like a disposable gadget.  And he sells replacement batteries!

Now, you wouldn’t want to rush changing batteries, do you?  Besides the expense, you have to go through the trouble of prying open your sleek tiny work of wonder that is not designed to be opened at all.  Visit http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html and you will find that Steve Jobs is charging you $59, plus $6.95 shipping for a replacement battery.  (And he sells replacement batteries!… For his doorless iPod!)  Thankfully, there are several third party manufacturers that sell at less than one-third of what the nerd of Silicon Valley is charging us, plus free shipping!  Halleluiah, to free enterprise!

So, let us not rush putting ourselves into replacing that iPod nano battery by extending battery life: employ energy conservation measures.  First on the list of our recommendations is an obvious measure that a lot of users just seem to always neglect—“hold.”  When not in use, set it to hold.  This will prevent your iPod from accidentally turning on and use power.  Optimize your settings by turning off some features that consume your iPod nano battery more quickly.  Not using these would conserve battery power: Wi-Fi, backlight, and equalizer.  Do you know that Steve’s avowed 22-hour playtime was accomplished with these features off?

Your manual fast forward uses a lot of power as it forces the hard drive to skip songs until you find an audio file you wish to listen to.  Compress your songs, less than 9Mb is better.  That 22-hour playtime was also done with compressed songs.

You feel so secure seeing your iPod encased in that gorgeous pouch, or that lovely silicon gel casing.  You’re sure that it is now protected.  This protective cover could be the main enemy of your iPod battery (heat!)  Remove your iPod when charging.  Charging generates a lot of heat, let it breath.

Always check for latest software from Apple for your iPod as these would always find new ways to optimize battery performance.  Note that early model iPods without dock connectors gained from update 1.3 or later.  iTunes 7.4 or later can update your iPod with the latest software.

Finally, if you think that if you use your iPod sparingly, you would save its battery.  You are wrong.  Not using it for a longer periods of time will cause your iPod nano battery to deteriorate.  Use your iPod, wisely.  Enjoy it.  And be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month.