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Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

thepodswap.com

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Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#41

Post by reaperducer »

conradev wrote: post #31
reaperducer wrote: post #26

The web site states: "The first-ever battery replacement program." I'm not sure this is true. Apple had an AirPods battery replacement program before COVID-19. I had my wife's done. I wanted to get mine done this past January, but it didn't seem to be an option anymore. Maybe because of the pandemic and the global supply chain problems and such. "Only current" battery replacement program, maybe. But not first-ever.

My understanding is that Apple never replaced the batteries, they just swapped the AirPods with new ones

That's what this company does, too.

Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#42

Post by eitland »

stefan_ wrote: post #17
polishdude20 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That might be what's already happening behind the scenes though. They tell you you're at 10% but that's actually 30% for example

For cars, maybe, but my org has had a long line of HP laptops with swollen battery packs within a year of use. No doubt there are companies out there that would rather have the extra hour of runtime on some journalists review fact sheet than a battery that doesn't put their customers at risk.

I hope all those gets replaced under warranty?

I hounded Dell for months and got them to replace I guess 2 or 3 dozens of Optiplex DL270 motherboards and it felt good: forcing them to take the cost for their shoddy work.

Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#43

Post by qeternity »

KingMachiavelli wrote: post #28
qeternity wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can’t just claim that they’ve shifted responsibility without arguing your point. It’s clear you have an axe to grind, but at the same time, where do we draw the line of individual responsibility? It’s not like we haven’t known for decades we were killing the planet…and yet here we all are. Why does the average Joe get off the hook here?

Generic electronics recycling is very expensive. I had to recycle an old 55" rear projection TV and it cost $150. Good luck getting the average person to pay that instead of disposing of it (illegally). It would be more efficient and cheaper for companies to create a recycling process and include that in the purchase price.

> It would be more efficient and cheaper for companies to create a recycling process and include that in the purchase price.

A totally fair point (one that I also happen to agree with) but not in the spirit of OP’s comment, which suggests some sort of moral trickery by the likes of Apple.

Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#44

Post by GekkePrutser »

denimnerd42 wrote: post #6
Etheryte wrote: post #2

As someone who gets a ridiculous amount of use out of their pods, I really hope this business pans out. I think the product is great, but batteries are consumable products. In fact, I would hope that one day it would be mandatory to offer battery replacements for all products you sell. (Do correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think Apple currently does this for pods?)

what's frustrating is that while batteries are consumable products they could last much longer if they stay between 80 and 20% capacity without overheating. (this is similar to what tesla does) I wish there was a "battery care" settings on all electronics that would respect limits like this so that I could get thousands of cycles out of my devices instead of only Apple has added a feature which tries to do this intel…

Well the good thing about these kinds of buds is that your rarely discharge them heavily. Because you always put them back in the case. Mine never go below 50% (don't have airpods but cheapie €20 xiaomis that work surprisingly great).

But it would be nice to have an option to avoid 100% yes.

Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#45

Post by GekkePrutser »

reaperducer wrote: post #41
conradev wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is that Apple never replaced the batteries, they just swapped the AirPods with new ones

That's what this company does, too.

But with refurbished ones, not new. And at a much better price.

Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#46

Post by lights0123 »

reaperducer wrote: post #41
conradev wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is that Apple never replaced the batteries, they just swapped the AirPods with new ones

That's what this company does, too.

No, they actually open them up and swap the battery and resell, i.e. refurbishing. Apple just throws them away.

Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#47

Post by beckman466 »

throwaway81523 wrote: post #39
specialist wrote: post #20

Just guessing: Podswap has stock of both new "blank" bud cases and batteries. Crack open buds using some kind of jig. Scoop out the electronics. Solder to new battery. Cram it all back together. That's how I'd do it. Bonus points for choice of colors. I'd love clear or forest green or deep purple. Watching a few air pod tear down videos, I find it weird the battery itself isn't part of the case. Like just use white i…

Their FAQ is pretty clear that they actually replace the batteries somehow. I'm glad someone figured out how to do that, but I agree with you that the airpod batteries (like the batteries in everything else) should have been replaceable in the first place.

> I agree with you that the airpod batteries (like the batteries in everything else) should have been replaceable in the first place.

100% agree, you can't unsee things like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mleQVO1Vd1I

Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#48

Post by ylyn »

Scoundreller wrote: post #21
smoldesu wrote: post #5

So you're paying $60 to get your earbuds replaced, but you can't use the service if they have any external/cosmetic damage. Something here doesn't add up, is this just because Airpods don't have replaceable batteries?

> can't use the service if they have any external/cosmetic damage My guess is that you're not getting your own airpods back, but someone else's. Quick turnaround that way and I think people want that for a product like this. Positioning in Miami isn't ideal for turnaround, somewhere more central or a courier hub (Memphis or Louisville) would make more sense. As repair-turnaround time is no longer an issue, and Airpod…

> My guess is that you're not getting your own airpods back, but someone else's.

I guess reading the linked site before commenting on it is no longer in fashion.

They clearly state that they send you a new (or refurbished rather) pair before you send in your old pair.

Re: Podswap: Keep airpods alive and out of the landfill

#50

Post by wonnage »

GekkePrutser wrote: post #44
denimnerd42 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what's frustrating is that while batteries are consumable products they could last much longer if they stay between 80 and 20% capacity without overheating. (this is similar to what tesla does) I wish there was a "battery care" settings on all electronics that would respect limits like this so that I could get thousands of cycles out of my devices instead of only Apple has added a feature which tries to do this intel…

Well the good thing about these kinds of buds is that your rarely discharge them heavily. Because you always put them back in the case. Mine never go below 50% (don't have airpods but cheapie €20 xiaomis that work surprisingly great). But it would be nice to have an option to avoid 100% yes.

There are a lot of complaints about the buds not charging in the case, most likely due to not making full contact with the charging pins. The buds have no auto-sleep feature for some reason, so they'll stay connected until the battery runs out.

Not only is this annoying, it also adds tons of unnecessary full discharge cycles.

The new wireless charging cases are also bad - they seem to stay warm even when no longer charging, which probably degrades the batteries as well.

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