New Battery or Bust

1. Replacing the battery


Using a small flat tool, begin prying open the case. Then wedge the tool inside and use another to undo the case clips.



2. With the case off,


use the same tool to gently pry the battery (left) from the hard drive.



3. Gently pull


the power cable to disconnect the battery from the iPod. Do not remove the rubber pad on the hard drive.



4. Now plug in

the new battery, place it over the original glue spots on the hard drive and snap the case back on, bottom-first.



5. With the iPod reassembled,

plug it in and charge the new battery for 3 hours to find out if you have a resurrected 'Pod or a real pretty paper weight.

Things to know if your battery begins to die:



The AppleCare Protection Plan for the iPod extends your
warranty by one year and costs $60. If the battery (or anything else) fails in that period, Apple will fix your iPod for free.



Apple does not return your iPod when it replaces the battery; it sends a refurbished model instead. For $68, pdasmart.com will install a third-party battery and give you your iPod back.



While new Apple batteries have a claimed run time of 8 hours, Neistat's third-party replacement lasted only 6 to 7 hours.



New iPods are harder to crack open than earlier models. No word yet on how hard it is to bust open an iPod Mini. (Update: the Mini has been cracked. Read about it here.)