Leaked Documents Suggest Apple Could Be Forced to Build iPhones With User-Removable Batteries in Europe

[Substance90]

Can't wait to go back to the days when every time I drop my phone, it falls apart.

I’ll take falling apart over shattering any day! Yes, glass feels nicer but plastic is so much better for durability.

User replaceable batteries isn't a bad thing. What is a bad thing is who is telling the tech companies like Apple to do it.

Well they aren’t going to implement it of their own free will if it doesn’t reduce costs or increase profits. Regulations exist for a reason.

 

[katbel]

You know that Apple recycles them for free, right? if you’re throwing it away that’s on YOU.

Oh , really?!..
What I meant is that there is less depletion of raw material. We are too much used to change the whole thing instead of a small part and we are paying it a lot , not only as individuals but as a whole society.

 

[Tech198]

Almost like the law (proposed) is telling a business what to do.. We're only bring this up due to EU anyway.. where nothing has ever changed with Apple.. over the last few years with lack of repairability...

The only thing that changed now is users want it.

 

[ani4ani]

80% of UK companies dont trade with EU, so I doubt in the future they will have to follow EU rules. The remaining 20% will have to, but only for the items/services they send there.

Yep, quite possibly, the irony will be is that we will likely have the same rules nevertheless because that 20% who do trade there represent 100% of the exports there (£275 - 300B) and that will dictate the rules we will adopt and the other 80% will have to follow. If they don’t need to, it never mattered in the first place.

 

[Spendlove]

Lol at the level of gammon in this thread. 🐷 oink oink

 

[dangerly]

And this is a perfect example of why the UK decided to leave the undemocratic EU.

This, and many other good reasons to leave EU.
Other countries should follow.
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The European Union is trying to get involved in our lives on a micro level. Deciding what we buy and what companies produce. It's almost like a big communist state. Except that it's just a governmental body on top of everybody's own government and no country is a communist state on it's own. One forced thing isn't that hard, but they already decide on what kind of light we can use in our lamps and the amount of watts our vacuum cleaner are allowed to use. It may seem for the greater good, but it's all so restrictive. There is no real benefit in it.

Vote to Leave EU.

 

[LV426]

This, and many other good reasons to leave EU.
Other countries should follow.
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Vote to Leave EU.

Old Macdonald had a farm. Before Brexit, obviously.

 

[ds2000]

And this is a perfect example of why the UK decided to leave the undemocratic EU.

Yeap, damn those EU leaders making expensive equipment repairable to the masses, damn them all.

 

[ChromeCloud]

Making the battery user replaceable is a product design choice. It's up to the people who buy the phone to decide if they want a product with user replaceable battery or not. Vote with your wallet.

 

[Dinocasino]

Great news, if true. Given what we now know about the harm tech does to the environment, it's the least we can demand of the tech companies.
I'm also sure that user replacable batteries can be solved elegantly if the companies are pushed to it.

 

[recoil80]

I think this is a little over the top. The non-proprietary USB-C is a good thing, but enabling consumers to mess with highly volatile batteries is another thing. An affordable battery replacement program is a better idea.

I agree. If the EU cares about e-waste and battery it could force smartphone makers to offer repairs at a fair price and for an extended amount of time.

 

[riteshritesh]

Very Consumer-pro efforts by the EU and I hope all manufacturers follow it by changing the current design trends. If it worked in the past on the Nokia,Motorola, Samsung & Ericsson, it will work with the newer phones too. People can use a battery pack case, but have issues with a removable battery 😁.
The days of 'Battery Pull' a-la Blackberry, are near.

 

[Jim Lahey]

People can use a battery pack case, but have issues with a removable battery 😁.

The same person? The internet is not a hive mind. It's billions of people with different needs and opinions

 

[BvizioN]

How is this a bad thing?

Basically BAD, and can I also ad STUPID on every possible way you look at it.
And I am not even going to start and list all the negative reasons against it to you if they are not obvious to you. I just hope that bunch of bureaucrats called EU have their days numbered.
Electric cars that make noise?
Removable batteries (back to 90's)?
And many many other crazy regulations from these stupid lunatics.
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And this is a perfect example of why the UK decided to leave the undemocratic EU.

As someone from Europe (not EU) living in UK, I could not be any happier. EU is plain stupid!

 

[bigchrisfgb]

You guys do realise that this is a proposal, not something that has been discussed, debated, and voted on, and enacted, right?

It might be proposed, but I can’t see the EU going for it.

 

[FlyingDutch]

user replaceable batteries would be an idiotic decision.
I'm ok with the decision to improve repairability on electronic devices (Tim Cook should be fired for soldered SSDs and RAM on Mac), but an user replaceable battery would means a poorly designed smartphone.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

And this is a perfect example of why the UK decided to leave the undemocratic EU.

Erm, this is a proposal. It hasn’t yet been discussed, hasn’t yet been voted on, and hasn’t been voted for or against.
Also the people doing all of that, are actually elected MEP’s.
So out of all of that, how is it undemocratic?

 

[FlyingDutch]

Strange, my camera is fully waterproof and still has a replaceable battery and has USB ports...

comparing a camera to a smartphone... what a smart thing to do 🤦🏻‍♂️

 

[Smartass]

I like it how everybody keeps saying how the iPhone wont be waterproof anymore because of this. It's like nobody has any clue what theyre saying

 

[FlyingDutch]

Here are some more phones which have removable batteries even in 2019. Some have MIL grade durability and some have IP68 waterproof rating too.

10 Best Android Phones with Removable Battery

Can’t give up removable batteries? Here are 5 best Android phones with removable battery that you can still buy in 2018.

joyofandroid.com

Did you actually watch that list ???
Ugly old smartphones like Galaxy S5 or LG G5... 🤦🏻‍♂️

No thanks.

 

[grad]

I couldn't care less about those "thin" ugly smartphones. I want to change the battery myself, I want to have extra battery if I want to, I want to remove the battery whenever I want to, I want to keep my data to myself when my phone is being maintained or fixed. Let the governments, agencies, TSA, etc bully those who love to be bullied.

 

[Janne Boman]

Smartphone batteries have such long lives these days

You must be joking. 1,5 years or so and capacity drops dramatically.
My cycle count and cold weather up here wreaks havoc for batteries.

 

[deeddawg]

What I meant is that there is less depletion of raw material.

How so? If the battery fails, you can get it replaced.

Apple offers the service. Third party companies offer the service. It isn't terribly expensive.

Again, if someone is throwing out (or recycling) a phone simply due to a faulty battery, that's on THEM.
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Strange, my camera is fully waterproof and still has a replaceable battery and has USB ports...

Which of your jeans pockets does it comfortably fit in?

 

[Steve63]

Price to have Apple replace battery on an iphone7 is $49.



Yet you can go to Apple and have the iphone 11 battery replaced for $69 if it is out of warranty.

Compare to the $80 cost of a replacement iphone 11 battery from ifixit and I'm not sure why you'd DIY unless you simply couldn't get to an Apple store -- in which case it's still likely you can find some other shop to do the work.

Yes, of course. Given these prices , I would bring the phone to the next authorized reseller or Apple. But the cost of a replacement battery can be lower and the point is, that is is not really necessary to have the battery replaced by a third person if just the design would allow to replace the batteries easier.
As I said: if you just open the phone, loosen some screws and be able to remove the batterie yourself, all the overhead would be eliminated. Because the service technician has to do all these steps as well... they’re just more experienced and you will get a new phone if they mess it up ....

 

[Manzanito]

So much for being waterproof and dustproof. The manufacturers are struggling to get to the highest IP rating they can and this would throw it all out the window. Size will go out the window, to have a removable battery, the device (phone) would have to have a socket/compartment for the battery to fit into. Even as thin as the plastic might be, it does take up space. Now the battery cells now need to be encased into a sealed/safe enclosure that fits into the above socket. some form of water proofing/dust proofing will take some space. So......either the phone becomes bigger (might not be so pocket sized anymore) or the battery cells get smaller (reduced electrical capacity) and will require the user to carry extra batteries.

You know what else is being thrown out the window? Our planet. And it’s not replaceable, either by users nor by apple.

If the EU is taking steps to alleviate the catastrophe we’re already whitnessing, I won’t complain if my phone is a bit thicker or if it’s not ready for scuba diving out of the box.