Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
My issue is when ultra-light weight is considered the be-all and end-all of design and compromises such aspects as battery life.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gamba66
Now we are getting somewhere! There are more compromises than just the battery life with these devices getting thinner and thinner:
1. Durability: Yes a case helps but these devices are much more fragile than a thicker build with bezels. Impact resistance and Flex Damage increases.
2. Repairability: At a certain thinness these devices are actually glued together ( ipad air) and tend not to use screws anymore. So dis- and reassembly can be a PITA and nearly impossible sometimes. Even if the device doesn't break, after a certain time the battery will be dead and need to be replaced. Sustainability becomes questionable.
At a certain higher pricepoint of the larger E-Reader (10" and above) I like my devices to last me atleast 5 years.
I am still using my Hanvon E920 9.7" (1600x1200) which works flawlessly and was originally bought in 2012. It is possible to replace the battery with a generic one should it die. |
And this leads to early device failure due to dead battery, breakage, etc. When that occurs, people will just accept the inevitable and get another device. That way, they don't notice that their devices have built-in obsolescence due to ever increasing hardware and software advances, and the drive by companies to drop support for devices still capable of running newer software.
I currently have several devices in great condition and still running KitKat. They have hardware that would easily handle newer operating systems, but manufacturers refuse to upgrade them because they're more interested in churning out more advanced devices. This results in my inability to use apps that now require a minimum of Android 5. I could look for older versions of the apps that may or may not work, but then I'd lose certain features.
So now I only purchase cheap devices. If I'm going to toss a perfectly functioning device, it's much better to do it on the cheap.