Interesting. You guys are fast. But it's sad to see a perfectly good iPhone put to death.

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Mm... thats an expensive iphone to dissect. $500 + $30 + (60x24) = 1970. so if you killed the iphone through your dissection operation do you still have to pay for the 2 year contract your are signed on or can you get a replacement iphone some how ?



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They don't pay $60 for 24 months, they can just cancel the service for $175 fee.

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Actually, considering the iPhone is activated after purchase (at home), they may not have even signed a contract to begin with. (In other words, the pic at the beginning showing it's activated might be a different iPhone).

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the activated phone was in fact a different one. we never had service for the disassembled one.

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Have you considered telling Apple that the battery inside exploded? It might work, right after you convince them it was a nuclear battery.

All kidding aside, how the heck is someone supposed to change the battery in this thing? I'm not a big fan of cell phones (my fiance wants one, that's the only reason I'm even asking) so I don't know much about them, but the batteries still go bad on them, right? Seems like a lot of money to keep spending if the battery doesn't last so long.

Also, when I see something like this, the first thing that crosses my mind is scratching the screen. It looks like replacing that would be out of the question too. Is the screen made out of glass? If not, is it very scratchable or very resistant to it?

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In regards to the screen: Excerpt from David Pogues' Review of the iPhone from the New York Times

"... The glass gets smudgy — a sleeve wipes it clean — but it doesn’t scratch easily. I’ve walked around with an iPhone in my pocket for two weeks, naked and unprotected (the iPhone, that is, not me), and there’s not a mark on it"

Regarding Battery, I read on Pogues' and others reviews that the battery is replaceable by bringing it in or sending to Apple for replacement.
On a side note, I read somewhere (completely forgot where and now I can't seem to find it) that when you bring it in for a battery replacement that they (apple) will provide you with a "loaner" iPhone for a fee .

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quote:

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Regarding Battery, I read on Pogues' and others reviews that the battery is replaceable by bringing it in or sending to Apple for replacement.

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Where would someone take the phone to get the battery replaced? Some generic store that sells the phones or to an Apple store? Not every place has an Apple store anywhere nearby and there's no way anyone could afford (time-wise) to send their phone away for a couple of weeks just to change the battery. I can't believe anyone would make a phone where the most commonly replaced part (the battery -- mine usually last about a year) has to be replaced in the shop.

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I understand your point that not EVERY place might not have an apple store to bring it into but I would assume that if one somehow went out of ones way to acquire an iPhone then it wouldn't (or maybe shouldn't?) be too much trouble to send it/bring it in for replacement.
And besides we don't even know the details on the battery replacement program yet so it might be a bit unfair to say that it would take a couple of weeks for turnaround time. But then again you might be right. We'll just have to wait and see.

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From Apple's iPhone Out-of-warranty Battery Replacement Program FAQ

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What is the iPhone Battery Replacement Program?
If your iPhone requires service only because the battery’s ability to hold an electrical charge has diminished, Apple will repair your iPhone for a service fee of $79, plus $6.95 shipping. Be sure to follow these instructions for optimizing battery life and troubleshooting battery charging issues before submitting your iPhone for battery replacement.

How much does it cost to participate in the program?
The program costs $79, plus $6.95 shipping. The program cost is $85.95 per unit.
All fees are in US dollars and are subject to local tax. Service may not be available if your iPhone has been damaged due to accident or abuse. Please review Apple’s Repair Terms and Conditions for further details.

Will the data on my iPhone be preserved?
No, the repair process will clear all data from your iPhone. It is important to sync your iPhone with iTunes to back up your contacts, photos, email account settings, text messages, and more. Apple is not responsible for the loss of information while servicing your iPhone and does not offer any data transfer service. Please do not send any accessories with your iPhone.

How long will service take?
The repair process normally takes three business days.

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From what I can see, the standard warranty on the iPhone is 90 days. So, unless you have some kind of extended warranty, normal battery replacement will cost you $85.95 and three days (I guess they're overnight-mailing things).

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