How Much Greener Are Rechargeable Batteries?

I just read a short article in Wired - 16.11 which asks "Am I doing terribly wrong by the planet if I use alkaline batteries instead of rechargeables? I mean recharging requires power, right?"

I've always just taken it for granted that rechargeables would be more environmentally friendly and never really put a great deal of thought into how much more green they may or may not be. According to this article, a 2007 study by Bio Intelligence Service (sponsored by a French rechargeable battery maker) claimed that wearing out a single rechargeable battery impacts the environment less by a factor of 28 times. Makes me appreciate them all that much more!

Apple Settles Class Action Suit In Canada Over iPod Battery Life

A class action lawsuit filed against Apple Inc. in Montreal and Toronto has been settled with an offer to Canadian owners of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation iPods purchased before before June 24, 2004. The settlement awards $100,000 in legal costs and a $45 per owner rebate at Apple Canada's online store, with the exception of iTunes content. The suits were brought on by owners who claimed Apple overstated the battery life of the devices, claiming 8 hours when in practice they were averaging about 3 hours.

One down, and one to go, as the CBC explains, "The company is still facing another lawsuit in Canada regarding iPods, filed by Montreal student David Bitton last year, over the device's memory. Bitton said his iPod Nano has only 7.45 gigabytes of memory, rather than eight GB, as advertised by Apple. His lawyer is seeking class-action status and is asking for a full refund, or a 7.5-per-cent refund of the device's $220 purchase price and $75 in damages." The cost of the battery issue is estimated to be $3.6 million if all 80,000 owners apply and receive the rebate.