Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#151

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 9:46 PM UTC

tfandango wrote: post #99

aejnsn wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't go buy a BMW anytime soon. Have to recode the battery, and it's been that way for years.

Even Chrysler is doing things like this. I had a hitch installed, super simple, all of the wires etc plug in to the appropriate places, but if you want to actually use the break lights, you need to visit the dealership to flip a boolean flag somewhere, otherwise the lights just don't work.

In my experience that is pretty common. My F150, for example, has daytime running lights ... in Canada. Another boolean flag, if I had a programmer I could enable them on mine.

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#152

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 9:51 PM UTC

RandomTisk wrote: post #54

some_random wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's anti-consumer about explicitly not reporting inaccurate information to the user? Don't get me wrong, Apple does need a fist down their throat, but over this?

What sets me off is if you replace your battery with a genuine apple battery. I can certainly understand if it's a 3rd party battery missing some feature the phone needs to assess battery information. This just flies in the face of the whole right to repair movement and for no other reason than pure greed.

Getting a genuine battery is probably the bigger problem there. For an average joe, the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of any "genuine" battery they find being a counterfeit.

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#153

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 9:53 PM UTC

ksec wrote: post #150

I don't have a problem with Apple showing whether the Battery is replaced or using genuine Apple Battery. My problem is that replacement done by Apple is both too costly and too time consuming. Current iPhone X / XS / XR Battery Replacement is $69, which is roughly double the price of being replaced on streets with similar battery. Now of course there are scammers who tries to replace a crappy battery, but going to w…

Maybe it's just me, but $69 for a repair that 1) Apple will stand behind, and 2) will add another two years of life to a $1000 phone, is a pretty good deal. While there are undoubtedly good third-party repair shops, there is also a lot of crap that isn't worth half of what Apple is charging. Subpar work, subpar parts.

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#154

Post by rgovostes » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 9:54 PM UTC

14 wrote: post #147

gsich wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Show a warning, click ignore and be happy. Display battery information regardless.

This. I bought a second hand phone off some guy who does phone repairs in my area. Didn't realize the fingerprint reader did not work until a few days later as I had never owned a phone that new that had one and did not know it was supposed to work. When I looked on the internet it seemed that the reason was the home button was swapped out but without taking the chip that ties it to the phone with it from the old but…

To phrase this another way: a third party made some modification to the biometrics sensor that is used to control access to your private data, including all of your device’s encryption keys, stored passwords, and payment information.

The phone detected this tampering and disabled the compromised component.

And you are disappointed that the part has been “locked down”.

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#155

Post by MiroF » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 9:54 PM UTC

Semaphor wrote: post #125

MiroF wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google'a shit is more easily mitigated if you're smart and want an only slightly less great browsing experience

> and want an only slightly less great browsing experience You mean far superior because Firefox actually has extensions for their mobile browser?

yeah but if you're running no-script you're not going to have as good of a browsing experience

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#156

Post by alkonaut » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 10:03 PM UTC

throwaway2048 wrote: post #113

endorphone wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotes are worthless, but in the past half decade the only people I know who have successfully replaced a smartphone or pad battery have been Apple device owners. Apple has an easy, clear, successful program for replacing batteries, and most find the pricing entirely reasonable. A friend did buy a Nexus 6P battery replacement kit from Amazon, but the process was so byzantine, and no shop was willing to do it, that…

You realize user replaceable batteries with removable back covers are still a thing right?

I don't think that's worth it vs a slightly more rigid and more waterproof phone. Changing the battery is done 0 or 1 times in the lifespan of a phone, so making it a 10 minute affair is hardly too inconvenient.

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#157

Post by zepto » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 10:04 PM UTC

moate wrote: post #137

zepto wrote: post #7

iFixit is misrepresenting Apple to market its tool sales business. This is what they do.

Care to set the record straight? What's actually going on if not what they're presenting? They're making an assumption about intent. Unless you can prove you're part of the Apple team responsible for this hardware behavior, you're just going to be doing the same.

The batteries are not locked, and off-brand replacements work perfectly. There is no impediment whatsoever to repair here.

iFixit are therefore making a misstatement.

The only thing Apple is doing is not making assessments about the condition of off-brand replacements. This is pretty obvious and expected behavior.

iFixit are using a misrepresentation of this to generate publicity using the same narrative as they always do.

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#158

Post by ChuckNorris89 » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 10:09 PM UTC

privateSFacct wrote: post #109

Despite all the HN comments, Apple's made an absolute killing and charges FAR FAR higher margins for their products in part because they design them so normal people don't get totally f'd over. And yes, the scam of a trash after market battery to make the iphone battery life look good is well known. And guess how many parents and grandparents then go to apple to "fix" something that has nothing to do with Apple? The…

Apple doesn't want their customers to get f'd over you say?

You might want to check out Luis Rosmann's videos, a famous Apple repair geek who fixes for cheap the products Apple themselves misdiagnose[1] in order to rip off their customers[2].

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7RXJP4mxCc // teenager's MacBook's display is not working correctly so Geniuses tell him he needs a new motherboard replacement while Luis discovers in 2 seconds that the lid-close sensor cable is broken so he replaces it for $8

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2_SZ4tfLns // customer's MacBook's display is not working correctly so Geniuses tell him he needs a new motherboard and display replacement while Luis discovers in two minutes that the display connector has a bent pin and fixes it for free

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#159

Post by aembleton » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 10:11 PM UTC

e40 wrote: post #144

chmod775 wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hassle of doing it on an Android phone? I pop open the back and put in a different battery. No tools required. And it's even got a decent water proving rating.

I've been on Android since the OG Droid, and I can't remember the last time I had a replaceable battery. 4-5 years or more.

Nokia 2.2 has a removable battery [1]

1. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/07/one-of-the-cheapest-...

Re: Apple Is Locking iPhone Batteries to Discourage Repair

#160

Post by svachalek » Thu, Aug 08, 2019, 10:11 PM UTC

moate wrote: post #138

briandear wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don’t have to buy an Apple product.

You don't have to work in the mine. Metaphor still works.

People did have to work at the mine. At first because they needed to eat, and later because they were in "debt" to the company store, thus the term "debt slavery". I'm not quite seeing how this is comparable to a consumer product decision.