Innovation or e-waste? Apple rumored to ditch headphone jack

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Buy early, pay much...

I have found over the last decade, that buying relatively early in the production curve usually gets you the most durable product. The companies are trying to build a market, and once built, they try to build and sell cheap.

I found this in e-book readers, CFL bulbs, and LED bulbs. The one I bought in the early mass marketing lasted much longer than the ones I bought later, when they were much cheaper.

At least two laptop manufacturers have been known to build early batches making sure that they had the best IPS screen, the best and fastest hard drives, most silent fans, were QA'd to perfection regarding housing, and even had their mainboards overclocked by 10%. This would give those laptops stellar reviews.

Later batches would still have parts of the same specifications (IPS screen, 7200 RPM hard drive), but cheaper/lesser versions and they were noisier. QA was also much less which led to problems with the laptop's casing, and they were certainly not overclocked, and thus slower than the ones reviewed.

I think such practices should be fined.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by ApK

My experience has been just the opposite!
So many of my early CFLs failed, I stared keeping a documentation folder and making sure I collected on all the warranties (and I must say, most companies were pretty good about sending out replacements).

Later, cheaper CFLs have lasted me much longer.

With LEDs, I can yet speak to longevity, but the new cheap ones sure seem better to me than the earliest ones I tried. They are certainly brighter, whiter and dimmable!

I cross my fingers and hope I'm right, that manufactures learn to do better for less money as time goes by and demand scales up.

Same for me. The early CFL bulbs I bought died very quickly. Others I got took over two minutes to get any kind of brightness at all. I would like to get led bulbs but don't want to waste my money.

[Cinisajoy]

I love my CFLs. More light, less power.
And in an old house it seems that every watt counts.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Same for me. The early CFL bulbs I bought died very quickly. Others I got took over two minutes to get any kind of brightness at all. I would like to get led bulbs but don't want to waste my money.

I'm willing to be an early adopter of LED (within reason) because I think it's fairly important and significant change.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I love my CFLs. More light, less power.
And in an old house it seems that every watt counts.

LED's even more so, with no flicker, no glass to break, and no icky phosphor dust!

[jbjb]

Originally Posted by ApK

I'm willing to be an early adopter of LED (within reason) because I think it's fairly important and significant change.

My house is now (very nearly) exclusively LED-lit. I've certainly not regretted it - much more efficient than incandescent or CFL, and none of the irritating slow startup of CFLs.

/JB

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ApK

LED's even more so, with no flicker, no glass to break, and no icky phosphor dust!

Thanks. When these go out, I will go for LEDs.
Now I do have a fluorescent above my sink and one lonely incandescent in my hall light fixure. The incandescent might get turned on 4 times a year.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by ApK

LED's even more so, with no flicker, no glass to break, and no icky phosphor dust!

I have one light that flickers. I get flashbacks of middle school every time it does, with all those flickering fluorescent lights.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by ApK

Maybe consider replacing or refitting the lamps instead?

I looked into replacing them. But at $120 each and increase cost of LEDs I don't think I'll see a cost savings.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by ApK

I'm willing to be an early adopter of LED (within reason) because I think it's fairly important and significant change.

I got burned so bad with CFLs that I want to make sure I don't pay three times more for something that dies three times faster. My house also is almost all recessed lighting and a lot of those are on dimmers. The CFLs I bought that were the spiral ones worked well. It was all the flood type bulbs that failed.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by ApK

I'm willing to be an early adopter of LED (within reason) because I think it's fairly important and significant change.

I am very happy with a cheap Great Value (Walmart) branded led 13 watt that has been running since may of last year - continuously. Cannot say how it would hold up to turn it on, turn it off, turn it on cycles, but the electronics hold up good to continuous use so far. On the plus side is the very low heat produced. If the light lasts for two years of use then I will be happy - hopefully it will last much longer. I am impressed so far.

[Apache]

I am currently replacing all of my daylight CFL's with Daylight LED's. I have recessed lighting in every room of my house.

[Phogg]

Has anyone seen twelve volt lighting fixtures with robust rectifiers built in?

It seems to me that much of the expense with LED is putting a rectifier in every bulb. A fixture using automotive LEDs should be more cost effective over time

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Which is precisely why EU consumer law now requires that a product have a "reasonable" lifespan, rather than a fixed warranty period. If a TV fails after 13 months a manufacturer isn't allowed to say "but it only has a 12 month warranty", because a reasonable person would expect a TV set to last longer than a year.

Why can't the US have sensible consumer laws like that?

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Apache

I am currently replacing all of my daylight CFL's with Daylight LED's. I have recessed lighting in every room of my house.

What brand are you buying, and are they dimming?