Charging

[Tris]

(apparently the battery can only sustain a certain number of full battery charges...very sneaky Apple). 

This is not unusual. And it’s not Apple’s fault (since they don’t manufacture the battery), they just inform their users up front. Different battery types require different charging procedures and have different cycle lives. The best advice on battery treatment I got from an engineer was “charge it whenever you like, and when the battery goes bad, then replace it.”

There may be more battery charging myths around than any other type. I keep my laptop, cell phone and Palm devices plugged into the charger all the time. Everything else is as whim dictates, and that is not consistent.

Mike

I dunno...'cause I only suprisingly found out about it during long hours of searching for a problem I was having with my iPod on their website.  Our Apple store (where I go fairly frequently) does not tell you at all and I haven't heard them telling it to their customers.  I told my friends and family who all just stared at me blankly at first.  I'm also one of those people who read their manuels all the time, and it was there either.  My laptop had it in their manuel and my personal CSR (customer sales rep.) told me about it when I ordered it.

Tris

[pidgeon92]

All batteries fail eventually, and have a limited number of charges. My car battery just bit the dust; one of the acid cells failed and actually bulged the battery out a bit.

I replaced the battery on my old iPod about a year ago. Took about 15 minutes, cost me ~$30 for the battery.

[Teninx]

NiCad batteries, such as those provided with early-model cellphones, develop a
"memory" that prevents the battery from attaining a full charge if they're not regularly discharged fully prior to a recharge. The Lithium Ion batteries, such as those that power the Kindle, do not.