Apple's Tight Control Over Components Keeping iPhone 5 Repair Costs High

quickmac said:

Is there any reason why Apple still clings to the "non-removable" battery concept while nearly every other phone allows user access to the battery?

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AaronEdwards said:

Prolonging the life of the phone? Being able to give it to your kid when you upgrade? Not having to be forced to buy a new phone because the battery is dying?

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By making the battery non-replaceable, makes the phone smaller & thinner.

Considering the batteries that Apple uses can be recharged 1000 times often outlast the lifetime of the phone as the typical consumer replaces it with a newer model every 2-4 years. With normal usage a battery will last 5 years.

I've seen many times where the cover on the removable battery inadvertently fails off, as well as the battery itself.

acorntoy said:

What year are you in?

Lately Samsung has pretty much been the only manufacturer to let you access the battery, other phone makers are moving away from it.

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Rumor has it, the removable battery is so easy & fast to change, ex-iPhone users go into a state of shock. Followed by sheer bliss. :

Macboy Pro said:

Agreed. I would love a rMBP and wouldnt mind it being $200 more or whatever and even 1/8 thicker to accommodate RAM upgrades. Thin is great to a point, then it is pointless and more a problem when it takes away user features like upgrade-ability.

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That's not exactly what I was saying. I was saying right now you can max it on ram for $200, which is roughly a $100 premium over after market ram pricing. Later on after market pricing may drop off. It sometimes goes up again once the spec becomes rare. I refer to 16GB as the maximum practical spec as I don't think you will find any 16GB sodimms that will work in this. 32 works in machines that accommodate 4 sodimms total in an 8x4 configuration. It wouldn't bother me much if they're able to stick to this level on ram pricing upgrades, but I suspect that won't happen as DDR4 may start out expensive. The drive issue is the one that kind of nags at me. I wish they used a non-proprietary standard there. OWC isn't that great of an option. They're high markups due to being made for a very limited range of computers.

I.Love.Apple said:

And you probably think that you are the smart one. You are doing exactly what Apple wants you to do. I am pretty sure that they make sure that component prices stay high thus forcing people to buy two insurance policies for a single device. Woul'd not it be better if you did not need to buy this CrappleCare and instead was covered for one year with regular warranty and occasionally payed, say, $50 for replacing a broken screen? That's what people who buy normal phones do.

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The accidental damage cover I have is a "all in one" policy that covers all my gadgets up to a certain amount - £10000 if I recall, including abroad and with theft insurance. But I agree with what you said - it's all there to make you spend more on AppleCare+ etc.

gnasher729 said:

£55 for iPhone battery replacement done by Apple in the UK. On the other hand, these batteries do last quite long. So buying a new phone because the battery is dying is just stupid.

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£55 is highway robbery considering a new battery costs $23.
Apple charges a premium for "labor" to swap out something that takes 5 minutes to replace (iPhone 4/4S).
I had to replace the battery in my wife's iPhone 4 before I gave it to my daughter as it would be dead by lunch time under normal use.

iLog.Genius said:

I don't know if it's true since I don't have an iPhone or Android device but all my family members, who were all BlackBerry users, primarily use their iPhone's, S3's/HTC Ones like they were BlackBerry's - that is mainly for messaging, all complain that battery life is pretty bad. So it wouldn't be hard to believe that even if you removed most the messaging and just used the camera, battery life would be equally bad or even worse.

Perhaps that user is experiencing the same problem. You say battery life is fine for you, but I can't argue that you're wrong because it's your phone. People's experiences are going to differ.

Regardless of use and/or importance, I don't think anybody wants to worry about their battery dying especially for iPhone/Android users because those are truly all-in-one devices that allow you to be mobile.

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of course battery life isn't going to be the same across the board. There are many people that leave wifi/bluetooth on with their screens as bright as possible and are constantly using the device like crazy. If you adjust some settings and don't use the phone like a crazy person you should be fine with the iPhone battery life. To carry around 3 batteries with you.....there are more issues than just battery life you need to deal with.

Glad there is tight control

This is your best alternative to Applecare

$129/2yrs of coverage. Includes all damage, theft and loss. You can't beat it with a stick.

http://www.ensquared.com/iphone_insurance.htm

I.Love.Apple said:

And you probably think that you are the smart one. You are doing exactly what Apple wants you to do. I am pretty sure that they make sure that component prices stay high thus forcing people to buy two insurance policies for a single device. Woul'd not it be better if you did not need to buy this CrappleCare and instead was covered for one year with regular warranty and occasionally payed, say, $50 for replacing a broken screen? That's what people who buy normal phones do.

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He isn't that clever, AppleCare + doesn't exist in the UK. It's the bog standard cover. More fool him if he thinks it is.

rjohnstone said:

£55 is highway robbery considering a new battery costs $23.
Apple charges a premium for "labor" to swap out something that takes 5 minutes to replace (iPhone 4/4S).
I had to replace the battery in my wife's iPhone 4 before I gave it to my daughter as it would be dead by lunch time under normal use.

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Well, even better then. You see, there are people complaining that this battery cannot be replaced, when you just told us that you can buy one for $23 and replace it in five minutes

maxosx said:

Rumor has it, the removable battery is so easy & fast to change, ex-iPhone users go into a state of shock. Followed by sheer bliss. :

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And HTC users, and LG users and SONY users and motorola users.You completely missed the point of my post, manufactures no longer care about removable batteries, nor does the average consumer.

+ if the battery doesn't SUCK you shouldn't need an extra battery to get through a day of use. If you do just buy an external battery pack. Same exact thing, just more universal. It isn't that hard.

AaronEdwards said:

(it's $79.)

Also it has some major drawbacks.

1. You're without your phone for a week.
2. All data on the phone will be erased.
3. iOS will be upgraded if there's a new version (not everyone may want to ugrade).

Compare that to you being able to replace the battery directly with no hassle.

Also, this battery exchange is available as long as Apple offers it. I don't know which models are still available for a battery exchange, or how long Apple will be offering an exchange for a certain model.

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Hey, thanks for the correction. I knew thy did it for less than the $150+ but wasn't sure on the exact numbers. I didn't mean to imply there weren't drawbacks. Same goes for a removable battery; drawbacks to that too. It's up to the user to decide whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks though.

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rjohnstone said:

£55 is highway robbery considering a new battery costs $23.
Apple charges a premium for "labor" to swap out something that takes 5 minutes to replace (iPhone 4/4S).
I had to replace the battery in my wife's iPhone 4 before I gave it to my daughter as it would be dead by lunch time under normal use.

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This is one case where I really don't think I agree with you (in general I find you are on point). You walk into a retailer and want a replacement battery for your smartphone (those that DO allow battery swapping on the fly) and you are still going to pay $50-$60 for it. If you know where to look (online, of course), they can be had for much cheaper. On the same token, you could go to a repair kiosk in the mall and likely pay much less than what Apple charges you to swap a battery. It's all in how you look at it I guess.

Walter White said:

Then don't drop it. Sounds silly, but it is all it takes - not to drop. Just like any other expensive and fragile device (a watch, mp3 player, hard drive and so on) some of those devices aren't even repairable.

I dropped my 4S once and i was lucky it firts landed on my sports bag and then slided on tile floor. No harm done, but if there was i'd only blame myself.

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Yes because people intentional drop their iPhones

Accidents happen. I'm a real caution person. Borderline OCD with my gadgets. But I do on occasion drop my phone.

acorntoy said:

And HTC users, and LG users and SONY users and motorola users.You completely missed the point of my post, manufactures no longer care about removable batteries, nor does the average consumer.

+ if the battery doesn't SUCK you shouldn't need an extra battery to get through a day of use. If you do just buy an external battery pack. Same exact thing, just more universal. It isn't that hard.

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Simply introducing a little humor.

I have no idea why you seem to think you can speak for all users and the corporations that build the phones. Replaceable batteries have been a big asset for years. Back to the heyday of Blackberries, all of us that travel extensively would carry a second battery.

Fact is, I travel internationally and during a 13 hour flight it's really handy to have a second battery. Plus it's far smaller and lighter to carry than an external battery solution.

It's all about how much one uses their phone.

Putting your phone into airplane mode should be enough to last a 13 hour flight

maxosx said:

Simply introducing a little humor.

I have no idea why you seem to think you can speak for all users and the corporations that build the phones. Replaceable batteries have been a big asset for years. Back to the heyday of Blackberries, all of us that travel extensively would carry a second battery.

Fact is, I travel internationally and during a 13 hour flight it's really handy to have a second battery. Plus it's far smaller and lighter to carry than an external battery solution.

It's all about how much one uses their phone.

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Hey they sell sync cables now.. you should use that to charge your battery during the day.. just to top it up. If you are in the field (literally) and not in front of the computer or near a car or any electrical outlet you can buy aftermarket battery backs. Why is this even a reason to whine? As for repair costs, how much is a Galaxy S4 screen? I saw it for $350..yikes. How are the prices on competing phones? Oh wait never mind the depreciation on the phone would be too much for me to handle. Surprise no one is whining about how awesome Apple products retain their value.

rjohnstone said:

£55 is highway robbery considering a new battery costs $23.
Apple charges a premium for "labor" to swap out something that takes 5 minutes to replace (iPhone 4/4S).
I had to replace the battery in my wife's iPhone 4 before I gave it to my daughter as it would be dead by lunch time under normal use.

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It will always be cheaper to repair it yourself then getting someone else to do it for you. Same thing here. Another reason why its much cheaper to build your own computer then an OEM. But what your paying extra for is support & warranty. All parts and labour is guaranteed. Is that vendor going to make things right if the battery does not work or catches fire and destroys your phone?

alent1234 said:

Putting your phone into airplane mode should be enough to last a 13 hour flight

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Turning your phone off will last even longer. Turn it on only when you need to make a call.

gnasher729 said:

Well, even better then. You see, there are people complaining that this battery cannot be replaced, when you just told us that you can buy one for $23 and replace it in five minutes

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It's easy if you have the right tools.
Apple replaced the normal Phillips head screws with the pentalobe screws.
Not something you can go to your local hardware store an pick up.

Also not as easy as replacing a battery in a phone designed with that purpose in mind though and not something you can do when out and about.
There is a risk of damage to the back cover or the internal board if you're not careful.

linuxcooldude said:

It will always be cheaper to repair it yourself then getting someone else to do it for you. Same thing here. Another reason why its much cheaper to build your own computer then an OEM. But what your paying extra for is support & warranty. All parts and labour is guaranteed. Is that vendor going to make things right if the battery does not work or catches fire and destroys your phone?

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The battery I purchased came with a 1 year warranty against defects or failure.

lordofthereef said:

This is one case where I really don't think I agree with you (in general I find you are on point). You walk into a retailer and want a replacement battery for your smartphone (those that DO allow battery swapping on the fly) and you are still going to pay $50-$60 for it. If you know where to look (online, of course), they can be had for much cheaper. On the same token, you could go to a repair kiosk in the mall and likely pay much less than what Apple charges you to swap a battery. It's all in how you look at it I guess.

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True.
It depends on the phone and the retailer. Most batteries are pretty inexpensive now.
An example, GS3 batteries (genuine units with the NFC antennae built in) are $25 on Amazon. The Verizon store sells them for $40.
They used to be nearly double that when the phone was released.
My wife carries a spare battery for her GS3 as she doesn't always have access to a charger. She rarely has to use it, but it does offer some piece of mind.

You saw this idea with iPods...

thekev said:

I completely understand the sentiment. With SSDs assuming adequate capacity, the driver thing may be less of an issue for some users. With ram it's annoying. ...

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When iPods came it, it didn't matter that it cost $500 - it was a disposable item that was "upgraded" by you buying a new iPod. The warrantees speak for themselves - Apple wants you to ditch your old iPhone after 2 years and your rMBP after 3 years. So they just need the RAM to last for 3 years.

I'd still like to hope that third party shops will have the capability to upgrade RAM somehow.

jdiamond said:

So they just need the RAM to last for 3 years.

I'd still like to hope that third party shops will have the capability to upgrade RAM somehow.

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I've seen Apple's RAM go bad in less than 3 years.

Yeah, upgrading that soldered in RAM will require a $30,000 BGA rework station to be done properly. Labor charges from a company would probably be $100 on that board work. Of course you can probably throw another $100 in for disassembling and reassembling the laptop.

quickmac said:

Is there any reason why Apple still clings to the "non-removable" battery concept while nearly every other phone allows user access to the battery?

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I am guessing it clashes with the design of the iphone, if a removable backplate were to be factored in.

I am pretty sure there is a profit motive somewhere as well (incentive to upgrade every 2 years?).

AaronEdwards said:

Prolonging the life of the phone? Being able to give it to your kid when you upgrade? Not having to be forced to buy a new phone because the battery is dying?

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According to Apple's Website:
"Charge Cycles
A properly maintained iPhone battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 400 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs."

That's not bad considering its estimated to be about 2-3 years for 400 full charge cycles.

Now, if your not happy with 80% and really wanted to replace it, you have 1 year in-warranty and 2 years with AppleCare. Otherwise, it's $79+$7 shipping for a new one. Under $90 for a new battery versus $200+(w/ new 2yr contract)/$400+ for a new phone. These are the facts. Not trying to justify anything but again, the pros of a non replaceable outweigh the cons.

If anyone knows how much a replacement battery from another handset manufacturer cost, please post it. I'd like to compare it to the iPhone.

AaronEdwards said:

Prolonging the life of the phone? Being able to give it to your kid when you upgrade? Not having to be forced to buy a new phone because the battery is dying?

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lol i gave my grandma my first iPhone when i got the 3g, what was that...5 to six years ago.
During my one month wait between selling my 5 and waiting to get my Gold 5S, i used that VERY SAME iPhone. My first baby. Alive and well. and while obviously living not as long as the modern phones, still held up to its original life span under a normal amount of use (in my standards)

Your kid should not have a problem

except for the part where you're giving him a 6 year old phone

prolonging the life of a phone : charging it....
and using a bigger battery