New EU directive pushes toward replaceable iPhone batteries

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 155
    retroneoretroneo Posts: 240member
    The iPhone 3G likely would comply with this already - it has a removable battery.



    Apple should extend phone recycling programs to all countries where the iPhone is sold.
  • Reply 22 of 155
    samabsamab Posts: 1,953member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2 View Post


    You are misusing the term "form over function" here. There is no loss of function in the product if the battery life exceeds the life of the product and functions well for the entire life of said product. Which is the case BTW.



    The "form over function" argument is about Apple trying to shave a couple of millimeter from the plastic housing (to make the iphone smaller in physical size) and sacriface the function of end users' ability to (1) use an extended battery or (2) swap batteries.



    For example, the LG Voyager comes with 2 standard batteries --- so the end users can swap them. You can also buy the optional extended battery for the Voyager.
  • Reply 23 of 155
    foo2foo2 Posts: 1,077member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by samab View Post


    For example, the LG Voyager comes with 2 standard batteries --- so the end users can swap them. You can also buy the optional extended battery for the Voyager.



    What a waste of resources.
  • Reply 24 of 155
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Every RoHS has its thorn



    Nice one.
  • Reply 25 of 155
    samabsamab Posts: 1,953member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Foo2 View Post


    What a waste of resources.



    LG put a much smaller battery (950 mah) into the Voyager --- which led them to be able to incorporate an actual physical keyboard into the phone. The iphone has a battery that is almost 50% bigger (1400 mah). Both phones weigh the same.
  • Reply 26 of 155
    Geez, this is annoying, majority of people dont bother removing their batteries, I haven't own an iPhone yet due to my country doesn't have an iPhone but honestly, no people that I know (and that is a lot), removes their phone battery, people only remove their phone battery to get to the sim and memory card.



    Besides, battery life nowadays is very long, by the time the battery life starts affecting the users phone use, he or she will likely want to own another phone already. Who wants to own a 8 years old phone (used)?



    What's next? Removable storage?
  • Reply 27 of 155
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Foo2 View Post


    This legislation is sponsored by... Nokia.



    Nokia reminds all Europeans that a happy Nokia makes for a happy EU.



    Why would you say that? That doesn't make sense.



    The current iPhone already complies, you just need to remove two screws to remove the battery.
  • Reply 28 of 155
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by samab View Post


    LG put a much smaller battery (950 mah) into the Voyager --- which led them to be able to incorporate an actual physical keyboard into the phone. The iphone has a battery that is almost 50% bigger (1400 mah). Both phones weigh the same.



    So, what you are requesting is a phone with inferior batteries mandating that you switch between two power sources to obtain comparable battery life, and in return hope that you gain the keyboard that Apple will most certainly not include? By that logic they could remove the battery entirely, requiring a constant connection to a wall outlet, making room for a microwave to heat sandwiches.
  • Reply 29 of 155
    samabsamab Posts: 1,953member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Phlake View Post


    So, what you are requesting is a phone with inferior batteries mandating that you switch between two power sources to obtain comparable battery life, and in return hope that you gain the keyboard that Apple will most certainly not include? By that logic they could remove the battery entirely, requiring a constant connection to a wall outlet, making room for a microwave to heat sandwiches.



    No, I am just saying that it's a design choice.



    Remember how PC world said that iphone's battery life is on the top end in their battery tests.



    http://www.pcworld.com/article/14834...ts_rivals.html



    What they don't tell you is that most of the other phones have a much smaller battery.



    It's a designer's choice --- apple got stuck with very lousy battery life, so they had to incorporate a much larger battery than its competitors.
  • Reply 30 of 155
    samabsamab Posts: 1,953member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wheelhot View Post


    What's next? Removable storage?



    Why not?



    It's a privacy concern that even with re-installing the OS, your data could still remain in the iphone.
  • Reply 31 of 155
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by samab View Post


    Why not?



    It's a privacy concern that even with re-installing the OS, your data could still remain in the iphone.



    And you're ignoring that personal data is also stored on the built-in flash even when there is removable storage and that OS X iPhone has a secure wipe feature built-in.
  • Reply 32 of 155
    samabsamab Posts: 1,953member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    And you're ignoring that personal data is also stored on the built-in flash even when there is removable storage and that OS X iPhone has a secure wipe feature built-in.



    And blackberries have secure wipe for that portion of flash as well --- along with removeable storage.
  • Reply 33 of 155
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by samab View Post


    And blackberries have secure wipe for that portion of flash as well --- along with removeable storage.



    So how exactly does the BB having the same feature make the iPhone "a privacy concern that even with re-installing the OS, your data could still remain in the iphone."?



    Seriously! Enough with the FUD.
  • Reply 34 of 155
    samabsamab Posts: 1,953member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    So how exactly does the BB having the same feature make the iPhone "a privacy concern that even with re-installing the OS, your data could still remain in the iphone."?



    Seriously! Enough with the FUD.



    It's called layers and layers of extra security.



    The amount of leakage is going to depend on a lot of factors --- including the size of the built-in flash memory, the usability of remote wipe, security policies....
  • Reply 35 of 155
    I'm all for replaceable batteries, it's good for the environment. Knowing Apple they'll discontinue replacing batteries for older iPhones and therefore most people will end up to throwing their older phones away because it won't be able to hold charge anymore. A phone that doesn't charge would not sell on eBay either.
  • Reply 36 of 155
    lictorlictor Posts: 51member
    For the banana jokes, people should know that this was from more than a decade ago, when the EEC worked on different rules to enforce the "Free" Market. Back then, the logic was to have common rules for all the member countries for them to compete freely with each others. So, yes, this involved legislating on the banana size and other stuff.

    Since then, it has been replaced with something that is plain evil : the substitution principle. Rather than bureaucrats, it is the least common denominator that is used. The worst country gets to tell what "X" means. For instance, England gets to tell Germany what a "sausage" is. It also gets to tell France what "chocolate" is and what is acceptable in it. Anyone who has ever "tasted" English "sausage" or "chocolate" knows how evil this principle is... But at least, Germany gets to tell England how tea is supposed to be made...

    So, enough with the banana jokes, that was actually the good days when standards were made to try to pull quality up rather than bring it undergrood...



    About the batteries, this is a good thing, that will have a worldwide impact. Just like RoHS. And this is not a matter than should be left to consummers, because 1) consummers don't have to deal with the consequences 2) consummers do not handle the full lifecycle of their phones. I don't know how it goes in the USA, but phones are usually recycled in Europe. This is not the responsability of the consummers, but of the resellers - you buy a new phone, you can bring the old one.

    Recycling can go several ways. If the phone is still functionning, it can go to social use - for instance for the homelesses who have a vital need for mobile phones. Then, remoeable battery is a necessity, by then the built-in battery is usually dead. If the phone is out of order, it is dismantled to recycle its part. Easy access to the battery means quicker access to that important part in the recycling process. Quicker access means less money spent. The question the bureaucrats answered is who should pay - Apple or the tax-payers?
  • Reply 37 of 155
    macslutmacslut Posts: 514member
    This is retarded on many levels.



    First, it's not what consumers want. People may think consumers want it, but they don't, and that's why Apple doesn't do it. We'd all like to be able to easily replace the battery in the iPhone, but not when we see what it does to the size and build quality. Keep in mind for the battery to be user replaceable, there needs to be significant casing around the battery and where the battery connects to the iPhone. Doing this in a way that still provides a solid feel would not be possible without significantly increasing size or reducing capacity. The MacBook Air is even worse as the battery is a diaphragm within the case.



    I have a external battery for my iPhone. There are several on the market, including some that work as cases. These are inexpensive and convenient...and hold more of a charge than the internal one does.



    The bigger issue is that this regulation would cause more harm on what it's actually trying to resolve. Currently, with the iPhone, if the battery goes bad, you take it somewhere or read instructions for replacing it yourself. A pro is going to have a battery disposal system, and if you do it yourself, the instructions are going to point you towards properly disposal of the battery. On the other hand, if Joe S. Pack can just a buy a bunch of spare batteries, he's probably going to have one in the phone, one in his glove compartment, one in a drawer, one in the bottom of his tool box, etc...



    They shouldn't regulate this type of stuff, but if they must, and if they were to do so with the goal of making sure batteries were properly disposed of, they'd be better off mandating that batteries must not be user replaceable like the iPhone.
  • Reply 38 of 155
    lictorlictor Posts: 51member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Apple simply needs to say that they (or authorized outlets) will handle it on behalf of the consumer at the end of the life of the product, and the actual cost associated with that can be included in the price up front (with complete disclosure).



    Will they also do that *past* the end of life of the product? For instance, if in 5 years a country is stuck with 100,000 iPhone v1 to recycle, can it send the bulk to Apple and ask it to pay for full transportation and recycling? Or will Apple bail out and let tax-payers pay the money to dismantle the iPhones?

    These legislations do not target the end users, they target the recycling process. End users have nothing to do with it, except for paying a small recycling tax, they just drop their device in the proper garbage can or they give it to their reseller. The legislation is there to cut costs on the local recycling industry by moving them to the global manufacturers. Which is also what RoHS did - it makes products easier (and safer) to recycle and thus shifts the costs from the recycling industry to the manufacturers.
  • Reply 39 of 155
    lictorlictor Posts: 51member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macslut View Post


    First, it's not what consumers want.



    It has very little to do with consumers... It might have more to do with citizens. And it has a lot to do with ecology and the industry.



    Quote:

    We'd all like to be able to easily replace the battery in the iPhone, but not when we see what it does to the size and build quality. Keep in mind for the battery to be user replaceable, there needs to be significant casing around the battery and where the battery connects to the iPhone. Doing this in a way that still provides a solid feel would not be possible without significantly increasing size or reducing capacity. The MacBook Air is even worse as the battery is a diaphragm within the case.



    You don't credit Apple with much capacity for innovation and clever design...

    Innovation manifests itself in the face of constraints, whether these constraints are competitions or laws. Apple will have to innovate some more. Just like the electronic industry had to innovate to comply with RoHS, the oil industry had to innovate to comply with lead free gas or the meat industry had to innovate to keep going without growth hormones and high dosage of antibiotics.



    Quote:

    They shouldn't regulate this type of stuff, but if they must, and if they were to do so with the goal of making sure batteries were properly disposed of



    This is already done, and has been for years. Every single supermarket is required to collect used batteries and sends them to recycling. I just collect whatever used batteries I have and throw them away when I do my shopping, that's really minimal efforts.
  • Reply 40 of 155
    zunxzunx Posts: 620member
    Well done. It is time to protect the environment and to protect the consumer, avoiding the ABUSE of some companies. The same could be said for iPhones: they should be free and not linked to any carrier by law. As said, STOP ABUSE!!!
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