12-05-2019, 03:59 PM | #31 |
Nil adsuetudine maius
Posts: 278
Karma: 500000
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: US
Device: PW4
|
It's more expensive to manufacture a replaceable battery. It has to have a hard shell then, a more expensive connector and it's shape and location become more constricted. It makes a product less competitive or profitable. Market history shows that people will pay for thinner device but not so much for less obvious advantages like replaceable batteries especially when that makes their iphone a millimeter or two thicker and 5 grams heavier. And it's easy to argue that it wouldn't be in the manufacturer's economic interest either.
If that iphone had a replaceable battery or memory card slot for that matter it would extend the product's lifespan. Apple makes more money if you buy a new phone though when you run low on memory or your battery begins to fail. Apple, which has a very successful business model by most standards is infamous for strongly discouraging customers from repairing an iphone or macbook when they could buy a new one instead. Even to the point of grossly inflating the repair costs and lying about whether a repair is possible. You might want to watch a Louis Rossmann video on the subject sometime. A replaceable battery would cannibalize a certain amount of new sales - one less reason to buy a new phone. And that phone would be fractionally thicker, heavier and less profitable. And epithets like thin and profit take on a religious fervor in Cupertino. And Amazon isn't adverse to making profits either and there is little push back from consumers. When devices that do not have replaceable batteries, like Kindles or iphones have commanding market share we consumers are telling Jeff and Tim that replaceable batteries are a non-starter. |
12-05-2019, 04:03 PM | #32 |
Karma Kameleon
Posts: 2,940
Karma: 26738313
Join Date: Aug 2009
Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn
|
Junket - you are certainly putting forth common "Apple does this for evil" type reasoning. They just don't hold water when examined closely.
And they certainly don't explain why everybody else has followed suit even when having a user replaceable battery would be an easy competitive advantage. |
12-05-2019, 04:05 PM | #33 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 44,823
Karma: 55645321
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Peru
Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One
|
Quote:
|
|
12-05-2019, 04:24 PM | #34 | |
Nil adsuetudine maius
Posts: 278
Karma: 500000
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: US
Device: PW4
|
Quote:
Evil is a subjective perspective. I only pointed out the obvious - that Apple is largely motivated by profit. You won't find many business analysts that disagree with that observation. |
|
12-05-2019, 04:33 PM | #35 | |
Karma Kameleon
Posts: 2,940
Karma: 26738313
Join Date: Aug 2009
Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn
|
Quote:
Apple doesn't make it's products wanting them to break down....you wouldn't create a sustained business that way. iPhones stay on the market longer than any other phones...owned longer by first owner and then by subsequent owners. iPhones get brand new OS upgrades for 5 years and sometimes more. Apple does make decisions that it thinks "it's best for users" that some users don't like. Removing/obsoleting ports and connectors being a frequent one. The point is....there are trade offs in all the design choices. Reasonable...design choices. |
|
12-05-2019, 06:35 PM | #36 | |
Resident Curmudgeon
Posts: 74,608
Karma: 130140792
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
Quote:
We are throwing away a lot of electronics that would still be in use if they had a user replaceable battery. The thing is, even if we no longer use these older device, we might be able to give them to someone else to use. But with the battery needing replaced and no way to replace it, it just gets thrown away. |
|
12-05-2019, 06:40 PM | #37 | |
Resident Curmudgeon
Posts: 74,608
Karma: 130140792
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
Quote:
|
|
12-05-2019, 06:45 PM | #38 | |
Resident Curmudgeon
Posts: 74,608
Karma: 130140792
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
Quote:
|
|
12-05-2019, 06:48 PM | #39 | |
hopeless n00b
Posts: 5,111
Karma: 19597086
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: in the middle of nowhere
Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9
|
Quote:
Our old flip phones all had user replaceable batteries. We've never replaced the batteries on any of them since it was harder and more expensive to get a replacement battery than it was to replace the entire phone. I've never bothered with battery replacement on our older iPhones and Androids since they were already too slow by the time the battery died. Still very happy with my iPhone 7 though and it'll be useful as a travel phone so I'll get battery on that one replaced by Apple ($50?). |
|
12-05-2019, 06:55 PM | #40 | |
Resident Curmudgeon
Posts: 74,608
Karma: 130140792
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
Quote:
|
|
12-05-2019, 08:52 PM | #41 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,459
Karma: 68781975
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Arkansas
Device: Paperwhite 4
|
It's true that there are good reasons for not putting replaceable batteries in phones but there are also good reasons for doing it. It can be done. Not doing it was a choice manufacturers made. We bought the phones anyway so it's hard to see it as a bad choice from their perspective. It's definitely a bad choice from my perspective.
As for the idea that we have to upgrade every year or two, our economy is kind of based on that. I don't like it much but I do it. I'd prefer to have tech devices that lasted decades but that isn't going to happen and if it did a lot of us might starve. Barry |
12-05-2019, 09:09 PM | #42 | |
eReader Wrangler
Posts: 7,547
Karma: 48453105
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Boise, ID
Device: PB HD3, GL3, Tolino Vision 4, Voyage, Clara HD
|
Quote:
There was one Sony that had a user replaceable battery, the PRS-900. |
|
12-05-2019, 09:15 PM | #43 |
eReader Wrangler
Posts: 7,547
Karma: 48453105
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Boise, ID
Device: PB HD3, GL3, Tolino Vision 4, Voyage, Clara HD
|
I've replaced the battery in my Blackberry Q10 a couple times now. The problem with this theory (no battery replacement necessary) is that batteries begin losing power long before they completely wear out. So a phone (or eReader) without a replaceable battery has reduced functionality long before it has no functionality. You end up living with a compromised device and having to constantly charge it during the day and in the car.
|
12-05-2019, 09:17 PM | #44 |
eReader Wrangler
Posts: 7,547
Karma: 48453105
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Boise, ID
Device: PB HD3, GL3, Tolino Vision 4, Voyage, Clara HD
|
|
12-05-2019, 09:21 PM | #45 |
eReader Wrangler
Posts: 7,547
Karma: 48453105
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Boise, ID
Device: PB HD3, GL3, Tolino Vision 4, Voyage, Clara HD
|
On the other hand, my wife is constantly charging her iPhone 7 Plus. And it's only a couple years old.
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Ereader with replaceable battery | Manaro | Which one should I buy? | 26 | 10-12-2012 05:28 AM |
Odyssey Odyssey battery non-replaceable? | angus77 | Bookeen | 1 | 03-16-2012 12:00 PM |
Replaceable battery | vinniec | Which one should I buy? | 11 | 04-25-2010 05:09 AM |
Self replaceable battery | daizyduke | Which one should I buy? | 8 | 11-25-2009 12:40 AM |
Consumer-replaceable battery | GA Russell | Which one should I buy? | 16 | 08-17-2009 12:01 PM |