alt Hacker NewsAren't today's phone batteries already replaceable with commercially available tools? I can walk into a non-apple store with my iPhone and walk out with a replaced battery 20 minutes later.
This isn't even what drives obsolesce of phones, it's software updates.
If you really want to be able to self-swap your own battery, you can just buy an Android that has a replaceable battery.
Do we need to regulate something that isn't a problem? All regulation has downsides, is it worth paying this price here?
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They're taking "commercially available" to mean things like a screwdriver - not a $1000 phone disassembly machine.
You talk about "an Android that has a replaceable battery" as if that was something you could just buy at any store at no inconvenience. Sadly the majority of Android phones no longer have user-replaceable batteries, and only a select few models have official replacement parts available.
I'd be happier if this was something the market took care of, but after 10 years of glued-in batteries that you most likely can't even buy, I think it's time for a regulatory nudge.
> This isn't even what drives obsolesce of phones, it's software updates.
Agreed, and software-locking parts, like batteries, to only first-party or authorized third-party repair shops is one of those drivers.
I can see the argument for software locking some components (to cut down on theft) even if I don't appreciate or agree with them - it is at least a valid reason from some perspectives.
Batteries are a wear item though, and will have to be replaced periodically until the device is discarded. Software-locking them to only "Apple and people Apple likes" is unconscionable
This one is pretty cool, it has a swappable battery plus an internal battery so you can swap the battery without shutting down the device.
Not replaceable in the sense of popping it out and putting in a new one in 5 seconds.
People shouldn't have to go to a special store or buy special tools requiring special skills to change a battery.
> If you really want to be able to self-swap your own battery, you can just buy an Android that has a replaceable battery.
Those don't really exist anymore.
> Do we need to regulate something that isn't a problem?
It is a problem and needs to be regulated.
> All regulation has downsides, is it worth paying this price here?
Of course the upsides of regulations are worth it. The downsides might cause slight inconvenience to the manufacturer, so that doesn't really matter.
This is part of a broader push to reign in on batteries not being recycled at the end of their lives.
An easily swappable battery can be processed separately and hopefully become a source of materials that would otherwise need to be mined somewhere far away.
Ultimately the goal is to have a closed-loop economy:
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/...