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Have you ever run 22 miles in a downpour with your phone in a pocket or belt pouch? I have. That's not 30 minutes submerged, but it is 2+ hours exposed to water.

I don't usually carry my phone on short runs--that's why I have an Apple Watch and AirPods--but on a long run in questionable weather, I am absolutely carrying my phone. Before waterproofing came to the iPhone, I had to bundle the phone in a Ziploc bag and hope it didn't come open.
How did we ever manage doing these same activities in pre-cell phone days? This obsession to be "always reachable" is part of the problem. Obviously others will have other views.
 
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yes yes yes.......

So many phone of so many brands can get slower due to battery problems.
I remember when you could pop the back off and simply fit a new battery.
I'd love to have that ability to return for all users to easily do.
 
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How did we ever manage doing these same activities in pre-cell phone days? This obsession to be "always reachable" is part of the problem. Obviously others will have other views.

Don't assume a long distance runner carries a phone to be reachable by others.

There are various other reasons to carry the phone -- music, data-recording, and even as simple as calling for help in the event of an injury miles from home.
 
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Thank god we left the EU, this is nonsense.

Never had a problem with my battery but goodbye water resistance if Apple is forced to do this.
 
reducing ewaste? how so...when there will be more manufactures creating batteries sitting on shelves and when a new phone model comes out those extra components will be pretty useless.
People tend to buy a new phone when they need a new battery. If a battery costs $79, and a new iPhone 11 costs $20 (per month), it's a really easy upsell for the genius bar associate.

At a car dealership, if you can get someone willing to sit down, negotiate, and want to replace their car, there's an 80% chance the person will buy a new car today, even if they walked in with the intent of not buying.

I don't know what the exact metrics Apple has, but if you compare the genius bar to a car dealership a battery replacement has the capability to drive a lot of sales, and in turn e-waste.
 
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Is this really necessary? Smartphone batteries have such long lives these days that swapping your battery isn't something people typically have to do very often. I had my iPhone 7 Plus for three years and the battery was still excellent; my girlfriend is using it now for about six months more and she still gets awesome battery life.

I'm normally all for user serviceability but smartphone battery tech has gotten really good and I'm not sure I want the compromises from a battery swappable design anymore.

In my experience iPhone batteries do not last particularly long. My iPhone SE batteries lasted about 12-18 months before noticable degradation (about 60% of original), with replacement performed by Apple Auth service centre for a fee.
I don't game with them, or watch movies. Don't deep discharge. Live in a cold climate and as a HW engineer I'm quite aware of LiIon chemistry and charge recommendations.

Almost everyone I know has been less than impressed with iPhone battery lifecycle life.

This is clearly something that the industry would prefer to not happen as they really want to sell consumers the latest phone every 18 months if possible.
 
If such a law were to come to pass, which I highly doubt would happen, it's far more likely Apple and Samsung and other phone makers would create separate EU-specific models. Perhaps sharing the same innards, but with a different housing -- and most likely a higher price to account for the additional production line equipment.

And a higher price for the extra added materials costs for the extra latching, connectors, waterproofing and safety required for a user accessible battery compartment. Apple will probably have to make EU customers pay £200 more for a thicker heavier device with less battery life. Enjoy your bureaucratic rules.
 
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The EU overreaching again :rolleyes: Yes, I'm sure it's well intentioned, but they do say the road to hell is paved with those :confused: At any rate I don't expect this to affect the rest of us, if it comes to it, Apple (and Samsung, Sony, Nokia, Google, Motorola...) is more likely to continue developing the iPhone to their own vision for most of the world and put out a specific chunkier USB C/ removable battery XR/11 model for continental Europe!
 
I mean, i get it that some have concerns about the waterproofing, but everything else? Would you even notice this change? I mean, iPhones look gorgeous, but as soon as you buy them, you put them in a case and never look at the back of that thing again. So what exactly would change? And please dont tell me, you dont use a case, cause they are made out of glass, and are slippery as hell.
 
Does user replaceable actually mean you can pop a battery in and out without and tools or does it just mean you can disassemble the case and replace a battery without voiding the warranty.
 
Does user replaceable actually mean you can pop a battery in and out without and tools or does it just mean you can disassemble the case and replace a battery without voiding the warranty.
Generally it means the ability to change batteries without any tools.

It is unclear however if that is what was meant in the draft document, or if they meant something akin to what you suggest.
 
Don't assume a long distance runner carries a phone to be reachable by others.

There are various other reasons to carry the phone -- music, data-recording, and even as simple as calling for help in the event of an injury miles from home.
Indeed. My phone--when I carry it--is in DND mode when I'm running or cycling. I only carry it for emergencies. I've had to call my wife three times in the last 15 years for a rescue: once running when I sprained an ankle and twice cycling when I crashed--once avoiding a deer and once avoiding a car.

Whatever the reason, people ran these same distances before cell phones and managed just fine.
Just because I could manage fine, doesn't mean that there is no utility in a waterproof phone. As I said, I used to carry a phone in a Ziploc bag on long runs or rides.
 
Is this really necessary? Smartphone batteries have such long lives these days that swapping your battery isn't something people typically have to do very often. I had my iPhone 7 Plus for three years and the battery was still excellent; my girlfriend is using it now for about six months more and she still gets awesome battery life.

I'm normally all for user serviceability but smartphone battery tech has gotten really good and I'm not sure I want the compromises from a battery swappable design anymore.
I have the same phone too. No issues so far the battery is just fine. Also, change battery nowadays is not a huge deal. Usually cost less than $50 for older phones and you have someone else (hopefully knowing what they are doing) doing the replacement for you.
 
I remember when smartphones were plastic, could be dropped without the back shattering, and you could swap batteries. Oh, that was 4 years ago. Glass-back phones are nice to look at and that's where it ends. Give me high quality plastics and a replaceable battery, please.
There must be phones for sale that meet your criteria.
If you think that Apple can't provide those features in a phone that is still durable and waterproof, you think a lot less of their engineers than I do.
Plastics aren’t where Apple is at. They want to sell premium phones. The same way Ferrari isn't going to downscale their cars and sell them for $50k.
 
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