iPhone battery deal
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 5:40PM
As a result of Apple losing (Yes, they don't win every time) a lawsuit, any iPhone user can purchase a replacement battery for $29 between now and Dec 31, 2018. The battery replacements were priced at $79 prior to this ruling. Once January 1st hits, the price will be $49.
My iPhone 7 is reliable but has suffered lower charge times in the last 6 months. I cannot make it through a day without charging in the car, plugging in at work, etc.
I was a perfect candidate for this program! I made an Apple "Genius Bar" appointment on a Thursday for the very next day. When I went to the Apple store at our mall, I was told the replacement would be $29 as long as no water damage was found inside my phone AND I had never had it serviced at a third-party fix-it place. Good by me, I qualified.
The technician took me in on time, had me disable the 'Find My Phone" feature and asked me if I had done a backup. I had, but not via the iCloud online method. The more complete - "plug it into iTunes with a cable routine" is how I backed up my phone. He explained the reason a backup was necessary was that if the phone did not go back together smoothly or the screen did not calibrate properly, Apple would give me a replacement iPhone 7. This of course, would render my data lost without having done a backup before I arrived.
I gave them my phone, wandered around the mall at Christmastime for an hour, and returned to pay $32.03 (tax included) for the replacement of my battery. The tech explained that Apple recommends replacing the battery at 500 cycles or recharges - Mine had 959 - so I was overdue.
I'm hoping this new battery in a phone that otherwise does all I require will allow me to do more with less midday recharging.
I'd encourage owners of the iPhone 6, 7, or 8 to take advantage of this before next week. As you may imagine, many people will receive new Apple products as Christmas gifts. This will clog the Genius Bar appointments following December 25th. Get in on this while it's still civilized at the Apple store!
-dm
