iPod mini battery life

[LindyLouLou]

I have had an iPod mini for about 18 months-2 years and use it a few times a week.
Just before the weekend I found the battery was flat when I came to use it. I charged it up as normal and used it for a bit, with a full charge left on it. When I come to use it the following morning, the battery was totally flat again. Last night I made sure I had it fully charged and this morning its flat again.
I am assuming that my battery needs replacing. Is this normal with the iPods as I would have expected a longer life from the battery. Also, does it need to go back to Apple or will the likes of PC World change it.
Many thanks for any help...
Lynne x

[fo3nix]

First of all, try putting it on charge and leaving it there for about 8 hours, and see if that helps at all. If you're charging it for only say 4 hours it'll be 70% charged or so, but show as being almost 100% charged. (It trickle charges for the remaining time.)

Rechargable batteries do stop working properly after so many cycles, however. The iPod uses a rechargable batteries, so is susceptable to this. Apple has come under fire since the iPod was released over this, since they don't make it easy to change the battery like you can for your mobile phone.

You can get replacement battery kits from many places, such as here. If you're confident that you or a friend can change the battery yourself (read the instructions first to see, on the website), then do that. If not, places like the one I linked to offer a service where they'll change the battery for you. Apple also provide a similar service, but charge too much for it I think.

[LindyLouLou]

First of all, thanks for your help.
The charging didn't help cos it still discharged itself overnight again.
However, we have used the service to order (and hubby has fitted) a new battery, so am now waiting to see if this has does the trick,
So thanks again