Although I feel the non-user-replaceable battery was foisted upon the public by Apple and Samsung, consumers didn't really complain about it because so many people upgrade their phones 2-3 years before the battery becomes an issue. Also, the phone hardware industry still has enough competition that there are still battery swappable phones being offered. Kind of sad to see LG leave the industry though. My wife had an LG phone for a few years, and it was a great phone for the money.
All that said, there's promising battery tech on the horizon that might make this a moot point with batteries that can withstand 10,000 recharge cycles.
Verno wrote on May 9, 2021, 10:50:I dunno, my Samsung S4 isn't really much thicker than my Note 9. That said, I suppose you're right. Although I feel the non-user-replaceable battery was foisted upon the public by Apple and Samsung, consumers didn't really complain about it because so many people upgrade their phones 2-3 years before the battery becomes an issue. Also, the phone hardware industry still has enough competition that there are still battery swappable phones being offered. Kind of sad to see LG leave the industry though. My wife had an LG phone for a few years, and it was a great phone for the money.jdreyer wrote on May 8, 2021, 03:28:
ALL mobile devices should have user-replaceable batteries. I have tablets and phones that are otherwise completely useable except their batteries died. Heck, my monitor died after 12 years and my TV after 15. In both cases, the backlight went out. If I could replace the backlight myself, I'd still be using these devices.
You aren't going to get the form factors we have now without compromises. Companies and consumers prioritized convenience and form factor over user serviceable parts awhile ago in the phone market. I feel like you know this already, the few metal/glass backed phones without sealed batteries ended up being disasters like the G5. We could definitely have user serviceable parts back but it would also mean a return to chunky phones again and that would also mean we don't get other features consumers want like better water resistance.
I personally don't care that much about thin phones but the overwhelming majority of the market does and spoke a long time ago. I value battery life and repairable parts when I'm buying a personal phone but the market went in the other direction entirely, driven by consumer choice. There isn't much I can do about that, consumers don't care anymore. What is more important to me is that the companies ensure these things don't just end up in landfills by at least offering a battery replacement program instead of forcing consumers to upgrade every year. That is something that Apple used to do and thankfully no longer does.
jdreyer wrote on May 8, 2021, 03:28:
ALL mobile devices should have user-replaceable batteries. I have tablets and phones that are otherwise completely useable except their batteries died. Heck, my monitor died after 12 years and my TV after 15. In both cases, the backlight went out. If I could replace the backlight myself, I'd still be using these devices.
Mr. Tact wrote on May 7, 2021, 14:54:ALL mobile devices should have user-replaceable batteries. I have tablets and phones that are otherwise completely useable except their batteries died. Heck, my monitor died after 12 years and my TV after 15. In both cases, the backlight went out. If I could replace the backlight myself, I'd still be using these devices.Verno wrote on May 7, 2021, 12:59:*meh* They might have given into customer pressure a little bit and offered a couple of slight mitigations for some devices but overall they get a failing grade in my book. If they want to impress me they can start making iPhones with user replaceable batteries.
Yeah that was definitely a thing. I will say to Apple's credit, they've gone the other way during the Cook era and now give their devices long term support, inspect the factories where the phones are made and so on. Still a tax-dodging evil megacorp though for sure.
subx wrote on May 7, 2021, 12:42:Hey, c'mon now. Apple employees don't die, because they get caught by the suicide nets when they jump.
If sabotaging your customers’ devices in order to get them to buy new ones that you’re working a poorly paid foreign workforce to death to create somehow makes you a bad guy, the world truely has gone mad.
Mr. Tact wrote on May 7, 2021, 18:21:
Yeah, I don't thank murderers for picking up trash. Terrible analogy. Basically I think their pros are outweighed by their cons by at least a couple of orders of magnitude.
Mr. Tact wrote on May 7, 2021, 16:40:Apple is actively fighting against laws allowing third party repairs.Verno wrote on May 7, 2021, 15:01:Hmm. When did this about face supposedly take place? Can third parties replace the batteries, or is this a you must go to Apple situation.
Nah that's a huge understatement, they did a complete about face with long term hardware and software support. .... You can however take it to an Apple store and get it replaced so that they don't just get tossed into a landfill.
Mr. Tact wrote on May 7, 2021, 16:40:
Hmm. When did this about face supposedly take place? Can third parties replace the batteries, or is this a you must go to Apple situation. If you are right, it is news to me. But then I have never given them a single penny so I have no personal interactions with them. Wasn't long ago I saw a breakdown of something from Apple and it was clear they purposely built it so it could not be taken apart and repaired, it was covered in glue. Earbuds? Don't remember for sure... whatever it was, you couldn't dissemble it without breaking it.
BIGtrouble77 wrote on May 7, 2021, 13:11:Reads while playing on my still-supported (yet aging quickly) Samsung Note 8subx wrote on May 7, 2021, 12:42:Of course, because Android device makers have a wonderful reputation for long term support and industry leading treatment of their workforce.
If sabotaging your customers’ devices in order to get them to buy new ones that you’re working a poorly paid foreign workforce to death to create somehow makes you a bad guy, the world truely has gone mad.
Verno wrote on May 7, 2021, 15:01:Hmm. When did this about face supposedly take place? Can third parties replace the batteries, or is this a you must go to Apple situation. If you are right, it is news to me. But then I have never given them a single penny so I have no personal interactions with them. Wasn't long ago I saw a breakdown of something from Apple and it was clear they purposely built it so it could not be taken apart and repaired, it was covered in glue. Earbuds? Don't remember for sure... whatever it was, you couldn't dissemble it without breaking it.
Nah that's a huge understatement, they did a complete about face with long term hardware and software support. .... You can however take it to an Apple store and get it replaced so that they don't just get tossed into a landfill.
Mr. Tact wrote on May 7, 2021, 14:54:
*meh* They might have given into customer pressure a little bit and offered a couple of slight mitigations for some devices but overall they get a failing grade in my book. If they want to impress me they can start making iPhones with user replaceable batteries.
Verno wrote on May 7, 2021, 12:59:*meh* They might have given into customer pressure a little bit and offered a couple of slight mitigations for some devices but overall they get a failing grade in my book. If they want to impress me they can start making iPhones with user replaceable batteries.
Yeah that was definitely a thing. I will say to Apple's credit, they've gone the other way during the Cook era and now give their devices long term support, inspect the factories where the phones are made and so on. Still a tax-dodging evil megacorp though for sure.
subx wrote on May 7, 2021, 12:42:Of course, because Android device makers have a wonderful reputation for long term support and industry leading treatment of their workforce.
If sabotaging your customers’ devices in order to get them to buy new ones that you’re working a poorly paid foreign workforce to death to create somehow makes you a bad guy, the world truely has gone mad.
subx wrote on May 7, 2021, 12:42:
If sabotaging your customers’ devices in order to get them to buy new ones that you’re working a poorly paid foreign workforce to death to create somehow makes you a bad guy, the world truely has gone mad.