[glamrlama]

Sorry if this has been discussed before. I was thinking how I was likely to keep using my PB until the hardware fails. The software continues to evolve but the physical hardware is what it is. How long does the battery last? I guess once the battery goes it will be run docked as a music/media player. (the original reason I bought it.) What would likely fail next? Can I expect the memory/storage to last 5 to 10 years? I have some decade old laptops and desktops that are still chugging along. Can anyone chime in on how long current PB hardware might last?

[Spencerdl]

Longevity.....interesting "word" in today's tech world. That's a very HARD theory to express in my opinion.

[glamrlama]

I'm not asking how long it will be state of the art or current; I'm asking how long it will physically last.

[DAnklaud]

without going into superfluous detail as i usually do, the play book can last you 5-15 years
(highly dependent on your usage)

[kennyliu]

Depends on your usage. If you look at MTBF for the major HW components, then you may expect it to work a few years on average. The thing that will probably die first is the battery.

But the question is whether you want to keep it for this many years. Tech is developing so rapidly and the prices are becoming more and more affordable.

[Denus]

How can we possibly answer a question like that without guessing?
The Playbook is a year old or so, so there's no data about the longevity yet.

The only part on a tablet that will wear out no matter is the battery, but I guess it can last for 3 years.

[peter9477]

As there are almost no moving parts, it seems quite likely the rest of the device will far outlast the battery. The most likely things to fail would be:

• the USB connector (if you use that a lot for either charging or backup, and by "a lot" I mean almost daily)
• HDMI connector (if you use it a lot)
• volume buttons on top
• the screen (by getting smashed, replaceable in theory, not sure if third parties support this yet)
• backlight (degrades slowly over time, getting dimmer)

Early indications are (and it's really too early to call this extrapolation reliable) that the battery will continue providing good service past three years, maybe a fair bit longer. By that time, it seems likely if the PlayBook has survived as a product that there will be after-market support for replacements, possibly letting you use yours for well over five years.

[Denus]

without going into superfluous detail as i usually do, the play book can last you 5-15 years
(highly dependent on your usage)

If the battery is still charging after 15 years, then it's a damn good one!

[DAnklaud]

If the battery is still charging after 15 years, then it's a damn good one!

EXactly buds , I did the math on mine based on My usage and the returned # is 7-8 years before it holds only 50-70% full charge, in 15 years mine should be between Dead for good - to 40% charge held , Max E.O.L. to me

[kennyliu]

EXactly buds , I did the math on mine based on My usage and the returned # is 7-8 years before it holds only 50-70% full charge, in 15 years mine should be between Dead for good - to 40% charge held , Max E.O.L. to me

You can't really project your today's battery degradation into the future accurately. Li-Ion batteries have a certain number of recharge cycles that depend on a few factors (e.g. recharge pattern, temp, time, etc.). 15 years or even 7-8 years is too much.

[DAnklaud]

Recharged 400 times for the Li-polymer(not ion in PBs case)= 80% -/+ 5%, ive had mine 4 months now and recharged it its 17th time so far,once every week or 2,averge temp of 32 degres celcius, i have quite the ways to go before I see degradation of performance , but this is me and my usage

Kennyliu's post above is THE formuli you need to determine for Yourselves what you may expect of your Battery

[sputneek]

If mine goes three years, that'll be long enough for me to save up for them Google glasses, probably be taking virtual tours of the cosmos by then. This will accomplish two things for me. I won't be squinting through my present glasses to see all these small fonts and it will satisfy my insatiable wanderlust.

[DAnklaud]

Just saw a news segment for google goggles , got me hope'n for a *Bridgeable* version i would call *Berry Goggles* to tether to the playbook

[hpulley]

A formula is mentioned above but I don't see one or a link. Is there one? I use my Playbook, a lot, and charge it a lot at room temperature. That said I will probably be ready to upgrade before the battery stops holding a charge.

BTW, attempts to purchase battery guru are not working this afternoon. Does it check a charge counter stored somewhere in the device or does it only work to record charges that occur while the app is running?

[DAnklaud]

"A formula is mentioned above but I don't see one or a link. Is there one?"
Average Li-po batts are rated for 400 charge cycles till they hold only 80% of the original charge , this then can be slightly reduced by erratic charge cycles (opposed to consistent , by day/ by week charges) , Lithium likes room temp (25-32* celcius) lower temps ****** the electron flow(not so good for the batt) higher temps (in worst case) will make the batt bloat,vent & leak , then there is how long you leave it on the charger After its done charging ,also not good.
If you charge daily, you'll hit 80% held in 1 year 1 month 5 days, I charge every 5th-7th day which equals 5.48-7.69 years before I'm at 80% held of full original charge, 80% is still fair for a charge, and if you wanna push it , it should hold 65% in 2-10 years (as you can see this is VERY dependent on YOUR usage , I'll warn you now , you will need Battery Guru too help you with Assuming your Battery's length of Usable life to your needs)
Lithium-ion polymer battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
will help with more info as well as Peter9477, I work with prototype Li-po as a hobby and i know that even so wiki states on that link i gave above that lithium polymers have a 1000 recharge cycles , the real average is 300-700 ( I buy from a prototype web-shop-- http://www.all-battery.com/highcrateli-polymer.aspx --- were you must choose the cell(s) you want, then determine the appropriate thermister ,if you want more than 1 cell , you must match the internal impedance of the cells (battery now) then find the thermister )..... any ways, when You(Hpulley) say you charge lots, it Sounds to me like your gonna get about 2 maybe 3 years (considering what I've seen of others batt usage , this is normal) before considering replacing the Batt or the Playbook.

[peter9477]

A formula is mentioned above but I don't see one or a link. Is there one? I use my Playbook, a lot, and charge it a lot at room temperature. That said I will probably be ready to upgrade before the battery stops holding a charge.

BTW, attempts to purchase battery guru are not working this afternoon. Does it check a charge counter stored somewhere in the device or does it only work to record charges that occur while the app is running?

I'd be careful applying any such formula, as it's a near certainty that those are based on discharging well below the 3.4V lower limit that the PlayBook allows you to go down to. Chances are if you find a curve that says only 400 recharges, it's based on discharging closer to 3.0V, and the difference in lifetime between the two would be enormous.

As for BG, sorry you're having trouble buying it... looks like App World is seriously troubled lately. I get "not available in your country" here... in Canada... which is pretty hilarious and sad.

It works by recording information reported but not recorded by the OS, so basically it does need to be running to log stuff. It will show you the latest information as soon as it starts up (or within a few seconds), but that information may be up to 2 minutes old by that point, and new data is reported by the OS every 2 minutes (or 30s while charging). Unfortunately there's no way to do better than this for now, as we have no background services for third-party apps, and the OS doesn't provide access to any record of this information beyond the most recent readings.

[Denus]

But the fact remains that the battery is the weakest part of the tablet, and a replacement will certainly cost as much as a brand new Playbook HD Deluxe G6 Turbo 512GB that will be available in a few years...

[hpulley]

Mine is probably used 12-16 hours a day so it needs to be fully charged about twice a day, sometimes more when I don't want it to run out. When the appstore lets me buy battery guru I will see what is says.

[hpulley]

And yes, RIM is losing a lot of money on apps this weekend, just what they need... Just down the road from them practically but cannot buy apps... come on get it together guys!

I love the device but speaking of longevity I am not sure what will last longer, my Playbook battery or RIM...

[madman0141]

The PlayBook will become obsolete before the system physical breaks and needs to be replaced. That is as long as RIM has complete control. If they change the ideas of quality then it will be just a tablet you can buy from walgreens. RIM has great quality in the design of their products and they set the minimum standards that must be met.

[OttawaGabe]

The battery will be dead in about 5 years, the capacitive touchscreen might last a bit longer, but it's hard to tell. First gen iPhones have touchscreens dying now, and a non-responsive touchscreen on a tablet is pretty well death.

[DAnklaud]

The battery will be dead in about 5 years, the capacitive touchscreen might last a bit longer, but it's hard to tell. First gen iPhones have touchscreens dying now, and a non-responsive touchscreen on a tablet is pretty well death.

a screen protector will stop the indium-tin-oxide capacitive layer from rubbing off,but can lessen the responsiveness

[pinkert11]

I totally think that the pb will last 4 to 5 years, at that point the digitizer and battery will be problematic. This is now hitting 1st and second generation ipod touches. Just this Thursday I tore down my 2nd generation ipod touch to replace the battery, digitizer and lcd. The worst was the battery as the Damn thing is a three point soldering ribbon, ridiculous. Now, the ipod touch will last another 4 or so years, but new ios can't be loaded and new apps can't run on it so it's life is still limited.

[dmlis]

I owned Palm Tungsten T (with some "mechanics" - a sliding section) from 2003 to 2006. Daily usage, slider in/out, stylos tapping, docking for sync and charging, etc. Then I gave it away to my daughter, who used it rather extensively as well for 3 years more. I heard it's still alive and serving as book reader. Yet battery life reduced significantly, daily charging become a norm. And original Palm's folded keyboard (a lot of moving parts) bought in 2003 is still in perfect shape after very thorough usage during 4 years at least.
So... I don't see any reason why Playbook can not last as long as old Palm did (9 years).