In case we needed another lesson in the vagaries of the “open” APIs that are offered by web companies for developers to build features around, Facebook has provided a perfect example by shutting down the API for Face.com, the facial-recognition service that it acquired last month — even though the company said after the deal was announced that it wasn’t planning to do this. When combined with the recent rumblings about Twitter and its plans to further restrict use of its API by outside developers, the incident is a welcome reminder of how open APIs can suddenly become a lot less open, and startups (and users) can get trapped in the middle.

When Facebook’s purchase of Face.com for a rumored $60 million was first announced, the service said that it valued its developer community and planned to continue to support them, implying that the API would remain untouched. But as The Next Web reported on Saturday, the facial-recognition startup sent an email to developers saying that as a result of the acquisition by Facebook, it would no longer be able to support the API or the developer network. To some developers, this seems a bit like the company saying: “Thanks for helping us build a company so we could be bought by Facebook — now get lost.”

Building on another company’s API is a huge risk

Twitter has suffered a similar backlash from developers and other observers, after a blog post from the company’s director consumer product announced that the service was planning to tighten the rules around its API. As we explained in a recent post, the news triggered such a negative response in part because the company has been aggressive about doing this in the past, and many developers seem a little gun-shy about their status as part of Twitter’s “ecosystem.” Some have stopped developing for the service at all, and some angel and venture investors say they have lost interest in such opportunities as well.

This isn’t an issue that affects only Twitter, of course — it is a Faustian bargain that applies to plenty of other companies as well. Amazon has cut off third-party services such as Lendle in the past, and Google recently started charging for APIs such as its Google Maps API, which likely threw a large wrench into the business plans of a number of startups and outside services. As blog and podcasting pioneer Dave Winer put it in a recent post, the lessons that should be drawn are obvious:

Smart developers will not just conclude that Twitter is unsafe to build on, but also any company that is operating in the Twitter model. If they are running a website, and trying to attract a lot of users, and are going in the direction of advertising, you’d be a fool to think they won’t do the same as Twitter has.

One of the reasons why Twitter’s behavior has caused so much backlash is that — as Reuters blogger John Abell and others (including us) have noted — much of the foundation for the company’s estimated $8-billion market valuation has come from the same third-party apps and services that Twitter no longer seems interested in supporting. Using those tools, users came up with most of the features we now take for granted, including @ mentions, the idea of re-tweets, and the the whole concept of hashtags (which are quickly becoming an advertising tool). And now some developers seem to feel as though they are being tossed aside after outliving their usefulness.

Open APIs are a double-edged sword

What the Face.com and Twitter cases reinforce is the dual nature of an open API, as entrepreneur Syed Iqbal noted recently: it can be an incredibly useful tool for other startups, especially if it allows them to tie into a larger platform or network — such as Twitter, or Google, or Facebook — and take advantage of the size and reach of that partner to grow more quickly. And for the platform company itself, all of those developers and outside services can add value relatively quickly (and cheaply) to the network.

The flipside is that when a network or platform gets large enough, as Twitter has, having all those tiny developers and outside services can seem more like an unnecessary bug than a crucial feature — especially if the company wants (or needs) to take control of some of those external features and apps in order to monetize its network effectively. Is this just a natural process, in the same way large predators consume smaller ones, or one species grows so quickly it squeezes out another?

In a recent debate on Branch, a startup that offers hosted invitation-only discussions, a couple of former Twitter staffers — former product VP Jason Goldman and former lead engineer Alex Payne — defended the company’s actions by saying they believe such moves are more about developing a standardized consumer experience than “evicting” outside developers (an explanation that echoes the Twitter post that started the recent controversy).

Entrepreneur Narendra Rocherolle, however — an earlier advisor at Twitter who developed the service’s original mobile app and was the first to post a re-tweet — also made the point that by tightening the reins on its ecosystem too much, Twitter could be giving up the benefits of a more open approach. Alex Payne has also made this argument in the past, including in a letter he sent to Twitter’s management after leaving the company in 2010, in which he said the service needed to “become more decentralized or die.” The full Branch debate is embedded below:

Post and thumbnail images courtesy of Flickr users Steve Jurvetson and See-ming Lee

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In an order issued Friday in Manhattan, US District Judge John Keenan said “service by Facebook is unorthodox to say the least” and told the bank to instead place ads in local newspapers in and around the town of Hastings, New York.

The case turned on Nicole Fortunato who reportedly used her mother’s identify to obtain a credit card from Chase and run up charges of $1,243. The mother, Lorri, claimed she and her daughter are estranged and filed a lawsuit against Chase after the bank garnished her paychecks to recover the debt.

Now, Chase is trying to sue Nicole but can’t find her. The bank hired a detective who found four possible addresses as well as a Facebook profile that lists a Nicole Fortunato in Hastings, New York. After failing to find Nicole at any of the addresses, Chase asked the judge for permission to use alternate methods to serve her (normally, courts allow only a few ways to perform “service” — the process that lets a court know a defendant is aware of a lawsuit).

In rejecting Chase’s request to use Facebook, Judge Keenan said “this Court is unaware of any other court that has authorized such service.” Facebook service isn’t unusual, however, in other places. Courts in Australia and New Zealand all allow service via the social network and, in February,the High Court in England allowed service by Facebook and Twitter in a highly-publicized ruling.

To be fair to Judge Keenan, he also wrote that Chase hadn’t proved that the Facebook profile was the right Nicole Fortunato and that “the Court’s understanding is that anyone can make a Facebook profile using real, fake or incomplete information.” Still, it’s interesting that he didn’t note whether the public profile picture corresponded to the Nicole in question. Also surprising is his conclusion that “a local newspaper is the most likely means by which to apprise Nicole.” While such papers are anchors of local communities, is it likely that a young woman who appears to be troubled and transient is reading those papers?

The Nicole case is just one of a growing number of awkward collisions between social media and courts which, by their nature, are very conservative institutions. Other recent examples include tweeting jurors, improper Facebook friending between judges and lawyers and increased use of social media evidence in trials.

Here’s a copy of the ruling:

Chase Bank Facebook Service

(This story was first reported by Law360 (sub req’d))

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You could say I was shocked, stunned and horrified. To clear a few things up: No, as I told my inquiring editor, tequila shots were not involved. Yes, I realize it’s just a phone. But I don’t make a habit out of carelessly destroying expensive things — especially when I’m so close to the end of my AT&T two-year contract and looking forward to a no-penalty upgrade to a new phone circa, say, October.

I’ll jump forward to the end: this is a happy story. I walked out of the Apple Store in Center City Philadelphia at 7 p.m. the following day with a brand new iPhone 4. But the journey was very impressive considering the level of service I received for a product that is not a refrigerator or pricey household appliance. Remember, we’re talking about a phone. (Note: I did not disclose my profession to the Apple Store staff for obvious reasons. Nor do I think every customer does or would have the same experience I did — your mileage at the Genius Bar may vary.)

Apple is famous for customer satisfaction — it scores tops among cell phone owners and computer owners, according to the American Customer Service Index. It’s probably no coincidence that high customer satisfaction scores – and offering professional and prompt technical help goes a long way towards ensuring satisfaction — are happening at the same time as the historic expansion of Apple’s business and the ascendance of its stock price.

After my Genius Bar appointment, Apple sent me its standard follow-up customer survey asking me about my experience. And since I write about Apple, I figured I’d share my answers here, in survey form. I was asked to rate my satisfaction with various aspects of Apple’s service on a scale of very dissatisfied to very satisfied.

Overall, how satisfied were you with your in-store repair experience?

Very satisfied. The morning after the fateful accident, I walked into the Center City store without an appointment. I was immediately greeted and told to come back for the next available time slot at the Genius Bar in 20 minutes. When I returned, I waited about a minute and 30 seconds before my designated Genius, Dan, walked up.

That wait was the only thing about my experience that was short — but we’ll get to that in a minute. Despite a somewhat complicated situation due to a failed iCloud backup, I was consistently updated on what was going on with my device. And the employees acted like they cared about solving my problem. Customer service isn’t necessarily the most rewarding job, so it’s gratifying when an employee understands that your presence means there is a problem and that getting it fixed is important. (Apple has just over 34,000 retail employees, with about 100 assigned to each store. Horace Dediu at Asymco calculated that Apple retail sales employees make from $9 to $15 per hour, but Genius Bar workers can make up to $30 per hour.)

Overall, how would you rate the professionalism and technical ability of the store employees responsible for your repair?

Very satisfied. This was somewhat of an emergency situation for me — it’s hard to get work done as a reporter when your only phone is unusable for calls or apps you might be writing about. The Apple Store employees made me feel like getting a new iPhone right away was a priority for them.

They also were very straightforward with me. They made sure I knew what my options were from the start: I could use my AT&T upgrade for a new iPhone 4S, which would start my two-year contract over again (no thanks), purchase a new iPhone 4S off contract for $500 (eek); or, if I left my broken device with Apple, they’d replace my same model with a new iPhone 4 for $149. I chose the latter.

They also let me know that this is fairly routine. Dropping a phone three stories? Not weird at all — they’ve seen and heard worse. The phone’s screen had a lot of scary-looking shards of glass sticking up from it, and when I apologized for its state, my designated Genius shrugged: “I have chefs’ fingers. I deal with cracked screens like this all the time.”

How many times were you contacted about the state of your repair?

At least 10 times, and I hadn’t even left the store. While my new phone was re-syncing Dan would attend to his other Genius Bar appointments, but he’d continually pop back over to update me on the status of my phone. This went a long way toward making me feel like the situation was resolvable and that they cared about getting me a satisfactory outcome.

Once your repaired product was returned to you, what happened?

This actually wasn’t a simple get-a-replacement-phone-and-resync-it-with-my-latest-iCloud-backup situation. Turns out, after 25 minutes of syncing my new phone, none of my roughly 3,000 photos copied over. This was, you might say, problematic. After some troubleshooting, Dan said iCloud was the culprit: my last iCloud backup had failed. He said I should bring my computer that my phone was synced with in and he’d try again, and made me another appointment later that day.

When I returned with my MacBook Air and my new iPhone, he battled further issues: iPhoto kept crashing, and the latest iTunes backup wouldn’t sync. He tried a few different approaches, and finally ended up finding a solution. This troubleshooting took almost an hour, again, thanks to the sheer number of photos I had on my device. Then once he figured out the fix, it was a least another 45 minutes of syncing.

From the start of the discussion, how long was your interaction at the Genius Bar?

Over the course of two different appointments, I spent just under four hours getting in-person tech support from the Apple Store. While that might sound excruciating, Dan was seriously heroic, never got flustered, and even took time to discuss one of my favorite topics while we were waiting: where to procure Philly’s best pizza. (Osteria on North Broad Street, if you’re wondering.) As someone who works from home or remote locations regularly, it wasn’t really a problem to be nearby the Apple Store all day. But that might be harder for people who have to report to offices.

Plus, when his shift ended at 6 p.m., he found another Genius to check in on me while we waited for my syncing to finish so they’d be sure my problem was entirely fixed before I left the store.

In the end, yes, it took a while, and iCloud has some serious issues to work out. But I left with a new phone, only $160 and some change poorer. And, perhaps more importantly, a lot of customer goodwill — an asset that even the most valuable company in the world can’t put a price on.

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The company, which lets you search for, get bids from, and ultimately book jobs with background-checked and licensed local service providers, has already seen solid growth since it was founded two years ago — but the capabilities in the iPhone app could help Redbeacon take off even more. The biggest new perk of the app is it lets people shoot videos, take photos or record voice memos when requesting home services; this makes it easier for consumers to show potential contractors what specifically they need done, and it saves contractors’ time in assessing job prices.

Redbeacon for iPhone screenshot (click to enlarge)

Mobile move is a ‘game-changer’

Redbeacon has already been testing its users’ appetite for mobile apps in a way, the company’s co-founder and president Yaron Binur said in an interview this week. Two months ago, Redbeacon rolled out a mobile web app strictly for service providers that works on all phone platforms, and since then more than 30 percent of the platform’s project bids have come from a service provider on the mobile app. The company expects to see a similarly strong response with its consumer app.

Binur put it this way: “We think it’s a real game changer for us. It’s hard to explain exactly what your yard looks like, or what your carpet looks like. And for providers, they’d rather not have to waste their time to come on-site to provide an estimate of how much a job should cost. The photo and video changes all that.”

The new consumer app is launching only on iOS because the majority of Redbeacon’s user base has an iPhone, Binur said. Down the line, the company will probably launch an Android app as well.

Competition from TaskRabbit? Not quite

The service-oriented online marketplace has heated up in recent months, with companies like TaskRabbit and Zaarly garnering attention and venture backing. Binur says that Redbeacon is different from those kinds of startups since it is focused solely on the licensed service professional market. “They’re creating a brand new category, convincing consumers to contract someone else to do something that they may have done on their own previously,” said Binur. “This is an established market for a certain kind of job for your home. We don’t have to convince people; we just need to provide a better experience.”

It’s a fair point. And so far, Redbeacon’s somewhat narrowly focused strategy has proved fruitful: Redbeacon is now live in eight metro areas in the United States, and is currently seeing month-over-month growth rates of 80 to 85 percent, Binur said. Redbeacon is backed with $7.4 million in venture capital and it makes money by taking a small percentage of each completed service transaction it facilitates. Overall, I think it’s a solid approach because it provides benefits and empowerment to both the consumer and the service provider — and the mobile debut seems to have the right elements to make the process even better.

Here are a few more screenshots of Redbeacon for iPhone (click to enlarge):

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Of course, the outage was annoying and inconvenient, and hopefully Apple learned a valuable lesson about managing a large-scale, persistent data service managed from its own server facility, and this will never happen again. But the extent of the outcry as the outage wore on, as well as the attempts on Friday to follow up and try to get to the bottom of what exactly happened, show that Siri’s effect on the mobile landscape is not insignificant.

It could be the case that Apple’s servers couldn’t handle the demand that Siri was putting on the system, as some users who contacted Apple support about the problem were told. That would indicate that Apple underestimated the scale of demand for Siri, which suggests the personal assistant is being used a lot. But even if the problem is independent of demand, the fact that the news of Siri’s going down spread as far and as quickly as it did, and elicited so much response from the user community, indicates that it is finding a place in people’s lives. Some of the media attention could be attributed to the fact that people love when a winner like Apple stumbles, but user concern seems genuine.

When Apple first announced the personal assistant software, I admit to thinking that Siri had limited value beyond triggering an initial feeling of novelty that would fade quickly. After using Siri myself, I found that it actually had a lot of real use value, even in countries where it hasn’t yet gained localization features. The indignation of users affected by the outage indicates that I wasn’t the only one who found myself leaning on Siri a lot more heavily than I expected to.

It’s not as widespread, but the outcry about Siri’s downtime reminds me of the web-wide groans that go up every time the Twitter fail whale makes one of its visits or when Tumblr takes a tumble. That’s a minor PR problem for Apple in the short term, but in the larger picture, it’s a very good thing that people miss Siri when she’s not around.

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Like many first versions of iPhone apps, Turntable.fm isn’t without its bugs. Sometimes when you logout of the iPhone app, it requires you to reauthorize via Facebook, something which should normally be required only once. It also crashed several times, and was occasionally laggy or slow to change rooms, and playback sometimes cut out. The more popular the room, the more issues it seems to have.

Once in the app, you navigate between DJ “rooms” that have music already playing, selected by the DJ. Each room has a limit of 200 people and five DJs — just like the website. Leaving rooms wasn’t intuitive (you have to go to the lobby and then click the X on the room). Although the iPhone app has the speaker graphics like the desktop version, you can’t change the volume by clicking on the speaker, but must return to the lobby to change the volume and output.

Chat works just fine on the iPhone (albeit via a separate, dedicated screen), but you can’t add a song to your queue directly by clicking on the song in the DJ room itself. You must manually add it to your queue, which is accessed somewhat confusingly using the chat icon from the main room screen. Your queue is synced between desktop and iPhone versions, however, which is a nice touch. Another nice bonus on the iPhone is that content plays in the background even when you exit the app, although your normal music controls in the app multitasking tray and lock screen don’t affect playback.

Creating a room and DJ’ing are both possible from within the app, but note that you can’t upload any music on the iPhone app. You can only play items already in your queue, or add to them from Turntable.fm’s existing database of tracks. You can still decide whether a song is Awesome or Lame on the iPhone app in order to give the DJ points. A nice visual tweak displays iPhone users with an iPhone in hand at the DJ booth. Over Wi-Fi, navigation was smooth and music started immediately, but over 3G, music suffered from drop-outs, and sometimes, I couldn’t enter rooms.

Overall, I like the idea of Turntable.fm and this app. This seems like a great way to be introduced to new music (as is something like Pandora) without the same music repeating itself (a common problem with Pandora). The app has great promise, but needs a lot of work to overcome its current bugs. As long as issues get resolved in upcoming versions, it should introduce more users to the Turntable.fm services.

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1. Create a service-only account

Often repair work involves administrator-level access to your Mac’s operating system. While I’ve never heard about privacy violations at Apple Authorized Service Providers, I like putting an extra barrier to protect my personal data, since I’ll sheepishly admit my account password is used in a few other places, and I’d rather nobody know it.

For added protection, I have another administrator account prior to sending my Mac in for service. An extra administrator account is good for testing purposes, so I already have one. If you don’t, then go to System Preferences, and then to Accounts and click the plus button and under “New Account.” choose “Administrator.” Create a full name and unique password and then click “Create Account.”

When checking in your computer at the repair shop, give them this password. Yes, your original account’s password could be reset and your data read, but at least this makes it a bit more difficult to do so. Even if your primary account’s password is reset, they still won’t have easy access to your keychain or be able to find out where else you use that admin password.

Now that your Mac is safely backed up and ready for service, here are two tips for an often overlooked part of the job — physically transporting your Mac.

2. Dress your iMac in a t-shirt

The iMac’s screen in particular can be easily scratched when lifting it in and out of the car. Shirt buttons and jewelry are common items that could cause scratches on your person, too. A large towel is a common protector for transport, but it’s difficult to keep that in place. My solution is an old t-shirt. If your screen size exceeds your shirt size, go to a thrift store and pick up an XL. Old shirts tend to be extremely soft and stretch easily, thereby protecting your iMac screen and keeping that protection in place during transit. The bonus is that your computer looks absolutely adorable.

Once you’ve got the T-shirt wrapped around the iMac, lift it carefully, making sure to grasp it firmly with two hands at the bottom and press the protected screen against your body. Don’t try to carry it by the stand. Unless you’re a weightlifter with unusually long arms, avoid carrying an iMac under one arm.

3. Keep it in the backseat

Just like people do with their other most precious cargo (ie., children and pets), keep the Mac in the backseat. Have the screen face backwards and strap it in with the shoulder and waist restraints. I typically place the shoulder strap over the back of the iMac and then use the waist restraint close to the base. This will not keep it in place as well as it will a child in case of an accident, but it serves to slow the Mac down, and if it does hit the back of the passenger seat, the screen is less likely to crack and the hard drive is less likely to get jostled. For an extra ounce of prevention, I push the passenger seat as far back as I can and brace it with a pillow if needed. This will also help if you have to make a sudden stop, or if you hit a few potholes long the way.

Any other tips for getting your injured Mac to and from service-related visits?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user kaikajus.

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1. Know your policies, terms and limitations.

I believe that the biggest mistake we all make when drawing lines with customers, clients and other professionals is that we don’t have a firm grasp of our own policies and limitations before beginning to do business with someone.

It’s important to sit down on your own, when you’re not under pressure, and decide, “These are my policies. This is how I do business. This is what I will accept. This is what I won’t accept.” That might include things like your rates, how you handle rush jobs, your availability and working hours, how you handle late payments, etc. Figure out your terms and then stick with them. If someone tries to push your policies and limitations, simply say, “That’s not how I do business,” and then outline your terms.

2. Lose the need to be liked.

Our need to be liked can interfere with our ability to run our businesses effectively and profitably. If we’re constantly allowing clients, customers, and service providers to dictate how we do business, simply because we’re afraid of making an enemy or making someone angry, we’ll never get anywhere. I’m not saying that you need to go around being a flaming jerk, but if someone is going to write you off because you won’t allow him/her to run over you, that’s not a friend you’d want anyway. Be willing to walk away from toxic people and relationships and know that you’re not always going to be liked, and that’s OK.

3. Know your value and be confident in that.

I think a lot of times it’s unnerving to stake a claim and say, “This is what I’m worth.” However, it’s necessary to establish that value and know that we don’t have to accept less than that. Sometimes you will come across people who want something for nothing, and there will be times when people who see that you’re succeeding will try to get a free ride on your coattail. If you try to cater to those types of people, you’ll never get anywhere. It’s OK to say, even just to yourself, “I’ve paid my dues to get here. I’ve worked hard, studied hard, and applied myself to make the progress that I’ve made.”

You can be willing to help other people (if they’re willing to help themselves, of course), but you have to always remember to be conscious about how you spend your time. Every minute that you give to something or someone is a minute you can’t get back and is a minute that isn’t going to something or someone else, so always think, “Is this a wise investment?” If you’re giving away your time to someone who constantly takes advantage of you, is always looking for ways to nickel and dime you, or isn’t your ideal client, then you no longer have that time to give away to someone who values it, pays you what you’re worth, and is better-suited for you.

4. Follow a modified “3-strike” rule.

Inevitably, you will come across people who will try to take advantage of you and push your boundaries, and inevitably, there will be times when you try and try (and try again) to work with these people, even though you know they’re not a good fit for you, they are trying to take advantage of you, or the relationship is a one-way or dead-end street. Knowing where to draw the line is the most important thing in these situations, which brings us back to Rule #1.  You must establish your limitations, and a good place to start is a with a modified “Thee-Strike Rule.”

If you find yourself working with a client or service provider who tests your limitations or policies, try to give three opportunities for correcting or improving a situation before walking away. This will be different for every situation and business, but in these situations, keep a mental (or even physical) record of how a project or relationship has gone. If you constantly find yourself back at the same point of negotiating your terms or what you’re worth, then eventually you have to say, “Enough is enough.”

The “modified” part comes into play when your integrity or principles are at stake. In that case, one strike is all you need, so if, for instance, a client or service provider does something or asks you to do something that clearly lets you know this person is not someone you want to do business with, be willing to walk away right off the bat. In these situations, there’s no sense in hanging around for three strikes and allowing the opportunity for your integrity to be called into question.

Finding a balance between being of service and being a doormat who is constantly taken advantage of by customers, clients and other professionals can be a challenge, but by deciding upfront what’s acceptable to you in your business, you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches — and be more likely to create a successful and thriving business.

In what ways do you make sure to leave the doormat at the door?

Photo by Flickr user say_cheddar, licensed under CC 2.0

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The concept of the book really resonated with me, as recently I’ve been surprised by how hard it is to find anything that I would call remarkable, whether it’s service professionals, books, products, customer service, or even food at restaurants. Everything seems to be declining in quality, and a lot of people seem to be indifferent when it comes to the quality they bring to their work.

It’s unfortunate how rare it’s becoming to hear things like:

• “She’s awesome with [fill in the task/skill].”
• “He’s a rock star [fill in the task/skill/title].”
• “She’s a [fill in the task/skill/title] genius!”
• “He’s expensive, but you won’t find anyone who’s better at [fill in the task/skill].”
• “Oh, you should contact them. They’re wonderful at [fill in the task/skill/service].”
• “They have a waiting list, but it’s so worth it!”

How many people can you think of who are truly remarkable at what they do — not OK, not good, but remarkable?

Although this can be disappointing when searching for a particular product or service, it presents a wonderful opportunity for anyone willing to go the extra mile and stand out, for anyone willing to do more than just show up and watch the clock. As Godin says in his book:

When customers have the choice between faceless options, they pick the cheapest, fastest, more direct option. If you want customers to flock to you, it’s tempting to race to the bottom of the price chart. In a world that relentlessly races to the bottom, you lose if you also race to the bottom. The only way you win is to race to the top. When your organization becomes more human, more remarkable, faster on its feet, and more likely to connect directly with customers, it becomes indispensable. An organization of indispensable people doing important work is remarkable, profitable, and indispensable in and of itself.

If you can be a rock star, truly remarkable at adding value to the lives and businesses that you serve, you win. You’re the one they’re going to rave about, you’re the one they’re going to call on every single time they need help, and you’re the one they’re going to pay top dollar to for the skills and talents you bring to the table.

Exceed expectations. Over-deliver. Out-perform everyone around you. Focus on exceptional quality. If you do those things, your customers and clients will be running to the mountain tops for you.

Think about it. How often are you truly impressed by someone? When you are, isn’t it hard to wait to tell someone about the experience? Now imagine if your customers and clients felt that way about you.

When’s the last time you felt that you received a truly remarkable product or service? How quickly did you share the news with someone around you?

Photo by Flickr user nikilok, licensed under CC 2.0

Though some critics like to vilify Apple for its practice of building devices with inaccessible batteries, the benefits definitely outweigh the consequences for such a tradeoff. The MacBook Pros are rated for up to eight hours of battery life, the iPod nanos get up to 24 hours of audio playback and the new iPad is touted to go for 10 hours on a single charge. But what happens when your iPad doesn’t get a great charge anymore? Similar to programs in place for the MacBook Pros and iPhones, Apple has announced its iPad Battery Replacement program and it’s not a bad option, all things considered.

The rules are pretty simple. If your iPad no longer holds a charge as good as it used to, you can pay Apple a service fee ($99 plus $6.95 shipping) and it will replace it. Of course, if your iPad is damaged because of an accident, neglect, liquid contact or if there is another hardware issue, then Apple reserves the right to say “No, sorry.” Fortunately though, unless your glass screen has been smashed, Apple is rarely picky on these types of issues. If your device turns on and displays what its supposed to on the screen and can connect to a computer to sync, it’s pretty much eligible for a battery replacement.

What is interesting about the iPad Battery Replacement program is that Apple outright acknowledges that your data will not be preserved because you will receive a replacement iPad. In reality, this is what usually happens with an iPhone replacement as well, but its refreshing to know Apple is actually acknowledging this now. Replacement devices (iPad or iPhone) are technically considered “refurbished” but, as a company who puts extra care into every little detail of the experience, refurbished to Apple means “almost new” to most users. As is the case with iPods and iPhones (and will likely be the case with the iPad) the “refurbished” unit will come with a new exterior case so even if your previous unit did have a few superficial scratches, you’ll end up with a fresh and clean device.

Arranging for a replacement can be done by calling AppleCare or through Apple’s website. Additionally, users can get service through the Genius Bar at their local Apple Store. Once the initial iPad demand settles, Apple Stores will begin to carry additional iPads as “service parts” which means that, should you need a battery replacement, you can simply walk into an Apple Store, pay your fee and walk out with your replacement.

If you’re not keen on paying Apple such a price for a battery replacement or you’re one who doesn’t sync their device and therefore do not want to lose all your apps and settings, you can look into third party service providers for battery replacement options. These will likely be cheaper than going through Apple, but this route means you will lose the benefit of getting a nice, new and clean scratch-free exterior.

What are your thoughts on Apple’s built-in batteries and their replacement plans? Have you had your iPhone or iPod replaced because of battery issues? Do you think their plan is fair? Sound off in the comments and share your thoughts!