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

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Whenver your battery on your very expensive Iphone is dead, you cannot ask a generic phone fixer with the right skills/tools or that friend with the same, to fix it for you.

As far as I know, you can. The tools and parts are available online, and there are generic "ifixit" type repair shops in many places that can service many Apple devices.
For that matter, with the electronics and custom components, it's harder and harder for shadetree mechanic to work on many cars now, too.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Whenver your battery on your very expensive Iphone is dead, you cannot ask a generic phone fixer with the right skills/tools or that friend with the same, to fix it for you.

There are innumerable third party sources for iPhone repairs such as battery or screen replacements. Just don't have the fingerprint scanner replaced by a third party! (See this thread). It's big business.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by Phogg

For a phone buyer who isn't skilled as a technician and doesn't have the tools anyway an iPhone is toxic landfill when the battery won't hold a charge anymore.

False. Apple (and others) will take happily take that phone from them in trade-in or replace the battery for them.

No, it's not (easily) user-serviceable. But yes, the battery is replaceable.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There are innumerable third party sources for iPhone repairs such as battery or screen replacements. Just don't have the fingerprint scanner replaced by a third party! (See this thread). It's big business.

What a huge whiff on Apple's part. I could understand disabling Touch-ID if there's a non-authenticated fingerprint sensor (that's non-secure) but bricking the entire phone is a bridge too far.

But I'll assume Hanlon's Razor applies here, and not conspiracy.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by Shane R

False. Apple (and others) will take happily take that phone from them in trade-in or replace the battery for them.

No, it's not (easily) user-serviceable. But yes, the battery is replaceable.

Well, Apple will charge you £60 and take a week to change a battery in an iPhone.
That doesn't really fit with my definition of a replaceable battery.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Well, Apple will charge you £60 and take a week to change a battery in an iPhone.

In some places, people don't have access to an Apple store, and yes, they may have to mail it in if they want Apple to do the replacement. But there are plenty of Apple stores in other areas, and also, third-parties that do battery replacements as well.

I do not understand why people enjoy spooling out half-truths.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Shane R

What a huge whiff on Apple's part. I could understand disabling Touch-ID if there's a non-authenticated fingerprint sensor (that's non-secure) but bricking the entire phone is a bridge too far.

Fortunately, I suspect that replacing the fingerprint scanner is rare. Most repairs consist of either replacing the battery or the screen.

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

That's always been an issue for me when it comes to non-user-replaceable batteries: Why can't devices be designed to use already-existing standard batteries? I would gladly take a larger device (and would actually welcome it since many devices are too small to fit comfortably in my hand) if it used two/four rechargeable AA/AAA batteries that you can buy for around $20(US) and last about 2 years of regular use. The batteries wear out and the user: Removes four screws from the back, removes the cover, replaces the batteries, replaces the cover, screws it back in place, initial charges it, and then continues to use the device for a few more years (ditto with the flash memory since my understanding is that flash memory eventually wears out too).

My guess: Cost.

Simple as it may seem, the mechanism you describe is a lot more complex than "soldier two contacts, squirt a blob of glue, drop in battery, close case".

The screws may cost next to nothing. But people will buy it even so - in great quantities.
Lets say the whole battery compartment costs 20 cent per device (material, additional build time, additional equipment, storage of additional parts).
Not much in itself, but multiply it with the number of devices sold.
Now imagine you're a manager that can offer the higher ups a way to cut production cost by that amount.


That the device will be thrown away sooner rather than later is just the icing, if you ask me.
No need to conjour up the romantic image of a mustache twirling badguy.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Cyberman tM

My guess: Cost.

Simple as it may seem, the mechanism you describe is a lot more complex than "soldier two contacts, squirt a blob of glue, drop in battery, close case".

The screws may cost next to nothing. But people will buy it even so - in great quantities.
Lets say the whole battery compartment costs 20 cent per device (material, additional build time, additional equipment, storage of additional parts).
Not much in itself, but multiply it with the number of devices sold.
Now imagine you're a manager that can offer the higher ups a way to cut production cost by that amount.


That the device will be thrown away sooner rather than later is just the icing, if you ask me.
No need to conjour up the romantic image of a mustache twirling badguy.

The question is, why can one phone have a user replacable battery and not the other. My Lumia 950XL for instance has a battery I can replace. It's not more expensive than the Iphone. My husband's Lumia has a battery he can replace. Apple won't even consider pricing something for that amount...

The only reason I can think of is your last remark: if the battery runs out, people will have to buy a new (expensive) device, instead of a cheap battery. So, instead of having to buy a new phone every year because the battery life has degraded so much, people will do several years with one phone.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by Shane R

In some places, people don't have access to an Apple store, and yes, they may have to mail it in if they want Apple to do the replacement. But there are plenty of Apple stores in other areas, and also, third-parties that do battery replacements as well.

I do not understand why people enjoy spooling out half-truths.

It costs money and takes a technician to replace a Battery in apple products.
That isn't green.

The assertion that Apple was somehow a green company doesn't even rise to the level of half truth.
It falls more in the range of laughably transparent falsehood.
Planned obsolescence is the new green?

And Apple stores readily available? That's at best a half truth. No maybe a quarter truth.
I would have to drive to Dallas to get to one. That's eighty miles, and I live in the US.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Phogg

It costs money and takes a technician to replace a Battery in apple products.
That isn't green.

The assertion that Apple was somehow a green company doesn't even rise to the level of half truth.
It falls more in the range of laughably transparent falsehood.
Planned obsolescence is the new green?

And Apple stores readily available? That's at best a half truth. No maybe a quarter truth.
I would have to drive to Dallas to get to one. That's eighty miles, and I live in the US.

Hi I just looked and the closest Apple store to me is 236 miles away. I also live in the US.
So I am thinking 1/10th truth.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by ApK

It does indeed mean it can deliver the equivalent of 13.69W for one hour, but, for example, if the AAs can only delivery .5 amps without overheating then it would have to deliver that equivlency by delivering less wattage over more time, which may or may not be enough power to power whatever device the equivelent Li-ion battery may have been powering. Perhaps it used a Li-ion bat with the exact same mAh and voltage as the AAs but needed 2 amps, lasting for half an hour.....THAT's why the AAs may not deliver enough power, not just because of the mAh and voltage ratings.

(I'm making up the numbers, I have no idea how much current a typical AA can deliver, just saying not all battery types are equal. Also note that AA represents a size, not a chemistry or other power requirements. Someone could make a Li-ion AA, or AAA or AAAA I suppose.)

On the other hand, I agree that more standardization among battery sizes (and screws, and connectors) would make for a better world.

Or else, it would be neat if the standard was to to tell the on-demand battery manufacturing machine what power requirements, dimentions and connector type you needed, and it just made you a battery, like making a cookie out of dough.....

ApK

I was thinking of Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) AA or AAA batteries, mainly since the AA and AAA sizes are an already-existing standard. Considering how much power a small-and-thin Li-Ion battery can contain, how much more power would a AA or AAA Li-Ion battery contain? Plus, it would allow the use of Alkaline and Carbon batteries (that you can buy anywhere) as a short-term emergency backup if needed.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

Considering how much power a small-and-thin Li-Ion battery can contain, how much more power would a AA or AAA Li-Ion battery contain? Plus, it would allow the use of Alkaline and Carbon batteries (that you can buy anywhere) as a short-term emergency backup if needed.

AA lithium batteries contain far less energy than a dedicated lithium battery pack. My Nikon DSLR has an accessory allowing the use of 8 AA batteries in its external battery grip in place of the standard battery pack, but they last a fraction of the time that the proper battery pack does.

Note that you can get emergency chargers that will charge a device through its USB port from AA batteries, eg this.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

The question is, why can one phone have a user replacable battery and not the other. My Lumia 950XL for instance has a battery I can replace. It's not more expensive than the Iphone. My husband's Lumia has a battery he can replace. Apple won't even consider pricing something for that amount...

The only reason I can think of is your last remark: if the battery runs out, people will have to buy a new (expensive) device, instead of a cheap battery. So, instead of having to buy a new phone every year because the battery life has degraded so much, people will do several years with one phone.

A related issue involves my portable CD players. They use replaceable AA batteries and despite being years old, they are still usable (and play more than 30 hours on one set of batteries). All it takes is putting in a new set of batteries, and that is something that I can easily do myself without the need for a technician. If they used non-replaceable rechargeable I would have had to replace them years ago, like I've had to with at least one of my DAPs.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by Phogg

The assertion that Apple was somehow a green company doesn't even rise to the level of half truth.
It falls more in the range of laughably transparent falsehood.

I guess we all have our own opinions.

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global...-clean/#report