Charging iPod fully the first time?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Charging iPod fully the first time?

I bought a new 5th generation iPod two days ago. The first time I charged it for about 20 minutes and used it till the battery was dead. Then I recharged untill the battery was full. After using it today I got the impression that the batterie doesn't last very long. It was half empty after using it for about one or two hours. When I read the manual more precisely i found this passage:
“For best results, the first time you use iPod, let it charge for about four hours or until the battery icon in the top-right corner of the iPod display shows that the battery is fully charged.”
I just wonder if it is really that important to charge it fully the first time? Can the consequences be serious when not doing it? Does anybody have some experience with it? Do I need to be seriously worried?
I am just worried if I made a terrible mistake or if this won't matter after using the iPod for a while. Is there anything I can do now to prevent a short battery life in future?
Thanks a lot for your help and advice.

5th generation iPod 30 GB

Posted on Oct 9, 2006 2:58 PM

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Answer 1

MikeyTG

Level 2

486 points

Oct 9, 2006 3:37 PM in response to iamarmen

If you were playing with it so that the backlight was on alot then this would account for the heavy battery use (1/2 empty in 2 hours). Also, the battery meter is really unreliable.

It doesn't really matter if you charged it fully the first time or not. Legend has it that the battery's capacity will improve once it has been used for a while, but I can't vouch for this. The charge circuits in the ipod are intelligent and will maintain the battery automatically as long as you hook it up periodically for a long enough time for it to do its work. You can leave it connected for long periods without worrying about overcharging.

If you are still concerned that your battery is not up to snuff you can do this test to see where you stand:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61475

Presumably if it fails this test by a wide margin you would have grounds to ask apple for a new unit.

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Answer 2

meike

Level 1

5 points

Oct 9, 2006 3:12 PM in response to iamarmen

As with any rechargable battery device (cell phone,PDA, Ipod), it's recommeded that you first fully charge your device and then run it down to nothing. Then recharge and use your Ipod the way you normally would.

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Answer 3

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Oct 9, 2006 3:28 PM in response to iamarmen

It was half empty after using it for about one or two hours
You mean the meter showed half.
That does not mean the battery was only half full/empty.

Accurately determine your iPod battery life

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