Rychiar
macrumors 601
standard watches barely take any power and use basic coin cell batteries... an Apple Watch could never function on something like that. its a mini computer.
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EU Drops Battery Removal Requirement for Apple Watch and AirPods
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turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
iPads really need the "Neo" treatment on the design side.
Not to be the Devil's Advocate for Apple, but it is worth noting that parts are reasonably easily replaceable for the Airpods, only the parts are 'bulk parts'. Replace a whole earpiece, for example.
Sure, is not the same as cracking open and replacing the raw battery cell inside. But you never had to "throw out the whole device" or anything. Apple sells a replacement bud.
I don't think it is an ideal product design, but it is acceptable, I don't think the battery regulation is really justified here.
Sure, is not the same as cracking open and replacing the raw battery cell inside. But you never had to "throw out the whole device" or anything. Apple sells a replacement bud.
I don't think it is an ideal product design, but it is acceptable, I don't think the battery regulation is really justified here.
QuarterSwede
macrumors G4
Have you seen the size of an Apple Watch battery? Compare it to a dive watch battery. It’s possible. They just choose not do it.
When my car runs out of gas, I also just replace the entire engine block. I mean, at least I didn't throw away the whole car, right?
MacBook Pro officially doesn't have separate replaceable batteries. The service involves replacing the entire top case which contains the keyboard and battery.
thejadedmonkey
macrumors G3
They were removed from the device and a new battery was put in. The device was sealed back up and remained waterproof. Possibly the battery was recycled, but probably not.
Why? What difference does it make if the battery is rechargeable?
jarman92
macrumors 68020
Wrong—Apple has been doing battery replacements on the Pros since 2022ish, and now sells just the battery for self-service repair (I believe starting with the M5 models).
uacd
macrumors 68000
EU caved in. I knew they are all for lobbying and not for interests of European customers!
AirPods - ok, understandable. They are garbage single-use items. But I am more than sure Apple would have had to come up with design that uses rechargeable CR3032 or similar style battery.
On paper EU is all for green and eco stuff but they forget that Lithium is hard to recycle in these devices and is very toxic for environment. It is sad to think what world we will end up in by 2040 if current consumption rate continues to rise. Lithium batteries must be standardized, recycled, collected and revived. And iPhones being exempt from this because of some silly waterproof rating is laughable - they AREN’T waterproof and Apple clearly brags about it on their website. They are water-resistant and that’s a huge deal, there is still a chance occasional random device will drown, not even talking about the fact that water resistance only relates to clean water, not to salt water or other types of liquid - in other cases waterproofing isn’t guaranteed.
And their “battery cycles” are laughable too - with modern 20-30w charging bricks those iPhone batteries will be at 70% in less than 3 years
AirPods - ok, understandable. They are garbage single-use items. But I am more than sure Apple would have had to come up with design that uses rechargeable CR3032 or similar style battery.
On paper EU is all for green and eco stuff but they forget that Lithium is hard to recycle in these devices and is very toxic for environment. It is sad to think what world we will end up in by 2040 if current consumption rate continues to rise. Lithium batteries must be standardized, recycled, collected and revived. And iPhones being exempt from this because of some silly waterproof rating is laughable - they AREN’T waterproof and Apple clearly brags about it on their website. They are water-resistant and that’s a huge deal, there is still a chance occasional random device will drown, not even talking about the fact that water resistance only relates to clean water, not to salt water or other types of liquid - in other cases waterproofing isn’t guaranteed.
And their “battery cycles” are laughable too - with modern 20-30w charging bricks those iPhone batteries will be at 70% in less than 3 years
uacd
macrumors 68000
Adhesive pull strips must be outward banned, such a bad design. Actually this EU legislation is supposed to ban them, but I guess they will also cave in.
Thin devices should not mean single-use items. Battery replacement is a duty, not luxury reserved to some service providers. I am sure it is possible to create both easy to fix devices and ones that have batteries available for detachment at any minute
I haven't checked the M5 Pros yet, but I would like you to go and try order a battery from the self service page for the M4 and lower models.
and the thing is, Apple used to screw the batteries to the chassis before the retina models! It's not impossible to design it that way.
jarman92
macrumors 68020
Why would I do that when I very explicitly said that I believe it’s for M5 and newer?
Such a ridiculous analogy and you know it. Nobody in their right mind is doing small parts repair on a micro-electronic. Replacing bulk parts is totally reasonable when they're the size of an earpiece.
Of course I know it. I was trying to put a funny spin on your obviously incorrect definition of the term "parts".
You defined the AirPods as consisting of three parts: Left bud, right bud, case. Which is obviously a huge oversimplification of reality. (You called them "bulk parts", but that does not change anything.)
What everyone else (and the EU law) mean, when they talk about "parts" are the components inside the earbuds: The logic board, battery, acoustic driver, microphone, antenna, sensors, and magnets. These parts consist of even tinier parts: Circuits, wafers, flash memory, audio amplifiers, insulators, cathodes, ir light emitters, and many, many more.
That was not the issue and you know it.
Here is your quote again:
This quote is true ONLY if one considers it from the perspective of your incorrect definition of the term "parts."
If you consider it from the perspective of everyone else (including the EU law), it is simply wrong. I used sarcasm to point that out. Some fellow forum members obviously understood that.
CarlJ
Contributor
Cool, looking forward to seeing the first prototypes of your designs.
If you start putting battery doors and quick disconnects (plugs or spring clips or whatever) in devices, they will necessarily either (A) get more bulky or (B) lose battery capacity - the space needed for those things has to go somewhere. Reliability and water resistance will likely also go down.
But it appears you know how to solve this mechanical design problem. I'm sure 5e industry would love to hear it.
uacd
macrumors 68000
Bulky? How more bulky can iPhone 17 Pro get?🤣 it is 206 grams and 8.75mm thick🤣 This is beyond acceptable for me and I guess Apple stopped caring for thickness long ago. And you know what the most ironic thing is? It will get even thicker with iPhone 18 Pro. I can barely hold the phone in one hand, and they wanna make it even thicker… It is horrible to use in case, the heating situation is also bad despite vapor chamber, I mean I am not an engineer and can’t really design things, but I am more than sure they can do better.
I accept non-removable batteries only if device is ultra thin, unbelievably thin, such as iPhone Air, or maybe next-gen iPhone Fold that is supposed to come out, some iPads (which CAN and SHOULD be bulkier though, they bend like crazy and chassis is super unstable). Back in the days it was no issue with old iPhones because they were relatively thin and light (4, 5, 6, 7), but ever since they started increasing bulk it started to become weird.
If they cared to make certain design compromises (different camera designs, or even smaller sensors/less camera sensors/huge 1 inch sensor but no telephoto and ultrawide) they would have been able to accommodate more stuff inside, including small doors, hatches, proper sealings for water-resistance etc.
Maybe it is not a proper comparison but all GoPros are waterproof up to 20 meters and yet I can remove storage and battery at any time. They are bulky but incredibly small devices that pack a punch. The door design is pretty smart - it slides in, has a quality silicone sealing. I think it is not a rocket science to bring something like that to smartphone world but the wireless charging will probably go away.
Despite all the advantages, wireless charging area which is made from glass and features the huge induction element, makes heat dissipation a much worse task. In theory removing this layer would both make phones thinner and cooler if the glass area is replaced by aluminum
Parowdy
Suspended
It would already go a long way if Apple gave more for older and damaged devices than a handshake and slight nod. Just because something is used and old doesn’t mean it should be “traded” in for 0 bucks.
Apple trade-in has always been play-pretend anyway, but offering zero for hardware where scratches on the screen or the age don’t matter anymore anyway shouldn’t be the way to go for a company like Apple.
Apple trade-in has always been play-pretend anyway, but offering zero for hardware where scratches on the screen or the age don’t matter anymore anyway shouldn’t be the way to go for a company like Apple.
absolute BS. They had behind "dust and water protection" and use it as an excuse.
I don't need waterproof ****ing AirPods or iPhones. I need a battery I can replace on my own.
Besides, if I could open it up to replace the battery, I could clean out the dust!
I don't need waterproof ****ing AirPods or iPhones. I need a battery I can replace on my own.
Besides, if I could open it up to replace the battery, I could clean out the dust!
I7guy
macrumors Westmere
It seems to be universal that trading in damaged goods always fetches less money than goods in better condition.
CarlJ
Contributor
So what you're saying is your feelings outweigh physics, so physics should change. Nothing more to do here then.
Parowdy
Suspended
Thanks for that revelation.
So hardware that’s discontinued anyway and won’t be sold anymore should be worth nothing if it’s in a worse condition than average? Makes total sense.
I did not comment on different pricing, I commented on Apple gladly taking your old resources but providing nothing in return.
I7guy
macrumors Westmere
I don't know, the flip side is why should a manufacturer give you anything for old discontinued hardware. For example, if you have a 15 year old Samsung TV, what are your options? Throw it out, or get a credit from Samsung? At least Apple will allow one to recycle their own electronics.
Parowdy
Suspended
Who is talking about a more than a decade old TV? Why can you trade in old hardware that’s discontinued but not if it’s broken? No one is going to use and care for an iPhone 12 with broken glass and a scuffed screen, but Apple cares about its materials.
Of course there should be differences in how valuable any used product is to the manufacturer, but Apples cut off points, even between prices, is very harsh. Taking back an old iPhone for at least 10 bucks App Store credit would already be incentive enough for many people to sort out their e-waste and hand it to someone who seemingly cares to recycle it.