Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

European Union votes to bring back replaceable phone batteries

techspot.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 622 posts

Re: European Union votes to bring back replaceable phone batteries

#4

Post by tallowen »

I wish there were better approaches to solving the problems around replacing batteries. This solution has downsides in terms of size (extra material required to surround the battery) and waterproofness.

I like the features that will have to trade off against replaceable batteries. I wish there were more opportunities for creative solutions to ewaste rather than the specific outcome being regulated.

Re: European Union votes to bring back replaceable phone batteries

#5

Post by Simulacra »

adaml_623 wrote: post #3

Cool. The manufacturers will figure out a way to make nice phones with a longer lifetime. Because the EU forces them to.

I wish you were right but I have zero faith that Apple would ever willingly follow through with this. A depleted battery is an opportunity for them to sell people on a new phone who don't realize they can get the battery replaced. It also totally goes against their whole ethos of non-repair. Mandating USB C was easier because Apple already did that with the Macbooks, so it wasn't that big of a leap. Removable batteries, however, they would claim would require some expensive, impossible redesign.

Regretfully I don't see this coming to fruition. Apple will find a way, by hook, crook, or lawsuit, to get out of it.

Re: European Union votes to bring back replaceable phone batteries

#6

Post by danpalmer »

I love the EU's focus on consumer protections and I'm all for progressive policies on environmental issues, but this and the USB-C issue strike me as misguided, policies from people who aren't qualified to to make the decisions they are making, and aren't listening to experts.

I'm glad we're getting USB-C on the iPhone, but it wasn't a huge problem and it was probably coming anyway in the next few years. But replaceable batteries? I'm skeptical, and think it could shrink the market and lower the quality for users.

I feel like a much better approach would be to say that phones must work with third party batteries, and manufacturers can't restrict battery replacements to their own repair centres. That increases competition, helps small businesses, and encourages a thriving batter recycling and replacement market, increasing device lifetime. As for USB-C, similar legislation about increasing compatibility and reducing lock-in (neutralising Apple's MFi program for example) could have had similar impact without the downsides of the industry being unable to move forward.

Re: European Union votes to bring back replaceable phone batteries

#7

Post by unglaublich »

The problem is not really the battery anymore, it's the software mainly. It's all closed source and is often deprecated before the hardware is dead. Then the manufacturer makes it hard to unlock bootloaders; keeps drivers closed source and effectively bricks the device. For recurring sales are the backbone of modern economy so we must force obsolescence.

Why would you want to replace a battery in a useless device?

Please, EU: bring a law that forces manufacturers to release their drivers / firmware whenever they stop updating a digital device.

Re: European Union votes to bring back replaceable phone batteries

#8

Post by steveBK123 »

On the one hand, maybe a reduction in e-waste. Then again - do you trust your average person to recycle batteries responsibly? At least the phones have some residual trade-in value so people are incentivized to turn them in somewhere.

However, the other challenge is people like buying sketchy cheap batteries off the internet, as we have seen from the recent spree of e-bike fires in NYC apartments so...

Post reply on HN