171–180 of 353 posts
I wonder if there is a market for higher end products that are truly built to last. Not so much things like cell phones (although I believe it should be mandatory that the batteries be easily replacable)... more like large appliances: refrigerators, washing machines, etc. Like, how hard would it be to separate all the little stupid useless features from the hardcore functional ones and make it so that things like con…
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Are you suggesting that it might be just coincidental that companies stopped putting chalk dust in milk at about the same time that doing so became illegal?
Citation needed. See what I wrote for https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32373369 and also have a look at https://www.econlib.org/find-the-date-of-osha/
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> I've made AirPods last longer than any other pair of earbuds I've ever had. same... now if only i could easily replace the batteries, it would be almost perfect (they just die on me mid-call sometimes)
There are services like this where you can exchange your Airpods for ones with replaced batteries! Note that I've never done it and can't vouch for the quality. I just read about it on HN once. https://www.theswapclub.com/collections/airpod-swaps
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High power (~100W) charging with USB-C has been a game changer for me. I barely even remember the days when every electronic device came with its own grotty little power brick I had to keep track of and carry around with the device. I guess time will tell how reliable USB-C connectors are, but my naive impression is that the female connectors (device side) are very simple with no springs or other moving parts. I imag…
I’ve personally found usb-c ports aren’t great longevity wise. They have a similar issue as I had with micro-USB: they stop clamping onto the plug and then you don’t get a reliable connection. I’ve found Lightning ports more reliable (with periodic lint cleaning) but it’s a shame that it’s a proprietary standard.
It's not even just batteries. Every laptop I've ever owned comes with a AC to DC converter. Every laptop I've ever owned has outlived that AC-to-DC converter. Every converter that has failed has failed in exactly the same way: the plug/cord connection at the laptop end becomes unreliable. And every single one of them, across a range of manufacturers, has had the cord not be detachable from the brick. So what could ha…
It is nice that laptops are now often USB-C powered.
I've made AirPods last longer than any other pair of earbuds I've ever had. It's the cord. For me, a max of six months of fiddling with the damn thing and it breaks. I've had real headphones last quite a bit longer— but I buy the ones with replaceable cords. The pair I still have is on its fourth cord and second pair of muffs. I don't view it as any sort of economic, human, or environmental catastrophe, that they sto…
It's not even just batteries. Every laptop I've ever owned comes with a AC to DC converter. Every laptop I've ever owned has outlived that AC-to-DC converter. Every converter that has failed has failed in exactly the same way: the plug/cord connection at the laptop end becomes unreliable. And every single one of them, across a range of manufacturers, has had the cord not be detachable from the brick. So what could ha…
Same experience here. That's why my current laptop is a https://frame.work - USB-C to USB-C adapters means that the part that will fail is changeable - All four USB-C are able to charge the laptop. And the power brick also has detachable USB-C AND power cord cable. (And just for fun I ordered an upgrade to the motherboard, will use the old motherboard as always on PC in my home)
Sadly, I found many other devices are also designed to become trash. The battery in my Philips Sonicare toothbrush not only can’t be replaced — it’s fixed so firmly inside that the manual says you have to take a hammer to it just to throw it away (because batteries can cause trash fires). “The battery is firmly placed, in a water-resistant handle, to ensure safety, durability, longevity and robust performance,” says…
I wonder if there is a market for higher end products that are truly built to last. Not so much things like cell phones (although I believe it should be mandatory that the batteries be easily replacable)... more like large appliances: refrigerators, washing machines, etc. Like, how hard would it be to separate all the little stupid useless features from the hardcore functional ones and make it so that things like con…
Its an interesting idea as the biggest problem where I live is the cost of labour to repair. By the time you get a serviceman out to take a look, order the part, come back and fix it the cost is approaching half that of a new machine. I've fixed my espresso machine, washing machine and fridge with parts that are usually sub $50, but they wouldn't have been viable to fix if I had to get a serviceman in for it. I'm not…
It's not even just batteries. Every laptop I've ever owned comes with a AC to DC converter. Every laptop I've ever owned has outlived that AC-to-DC converter. Every converter that has failed has failed in exactly the same way: the plug/cord connection at the laptop end becomes unreliable. And every single one of them, across a range of manufacturers, has had the cord not be detachable from the brick. So what could ha…
> But lo and behold: the brick-to-wall cord is detachable. And funny that, that one never breaks… Yup. But that shows they're willing to pretend to be recyclable...
I got a Razer once, and the power brick's integrated cable came with pre-frayed insulation, no extra charge. That laptop had tons of hardware bugs, too.