My point has always been that Apple (and any others guilty of it) should stop making devices that are deliberately difficult to repair. I know that's not something that can easily be policed. I get it. But - we are not living in a world of unlimited resources. We are going to run out. Making devices last longer is a necessity.
What
is the typical lifespan of a device, and what proportion actually get thrown away because of a potentially repairable fault - as opposed to the owner getting an irresistible urge for that "new phone smell"? Even that's hard to measure, because how many people think "well I
could get the battery/glass/display replaced, but the iPhone 16XE++ has just come out and I wants one..."? That's a rhetorical question unless someone actually - it can't be answered by anecdotal "my battery failed after 18 months" - my guess is that the majority of devices get replaced long before they're worn out.
(My anecdote would be that I've had several phones with
easily replaceable batteries which I've kept for years until they were thoroughly outdated but have never needed to replace the battery... but then I don't walk around with my phone welded into my hand lest I fail to respond to an instagram within the statutory 10 seconds. I have cupboards full of gadgets that were rendered obsolete after a few years even though they're held together with regular crosshead screws and full of replaceable batteries, socketed chips... Most often they still work perfectly).
...and what is "difficult to repair"? This self-repair program proves that a whole range of basic repairs to the iPhone are perfectly possible - you just need some specialist tools which aren't economical to buy for a one-off job, which is equally true for a whole range of DIY tasks, including most car repairs. They're perfectly affordable for a repair business (esp. since some of the stuff is generic and probably available elsewhere for less - $1300 is the "fine" for not returning the rental kit so it probably exceeds the actual price of the tools).
If you're really worried about wasting resources you have to watch out for unintended consequences - make the battery easily removable? Fine - that means extra screws/clips/hinges for the backplate, probably a more substantial rubber seal for waterproofing (rather than the glue doing the job), then you have to put the battery in its own rigid case, and add protection against electrical shorts so it doesn't get damaged and explode when someone chucks it into a bag or drawer without protection. All that uses more material, reduces the space for the actual battery cell and the end result is thicker and heavier than otherwise - so the masses will rush to the competing model that is thinner with glue. Then, of course, people will just throw the old battery in the trash, whereas a repair shop is more likely to recycle it properly so materials can be reclaimed (note the repair program includes a hefty cash-back for returning the old parts).
The best solution to the resources problem is simply to keep your device for longer... maybe put up with slightly reduced battery life in its autumn years and make a bit of an effort
not to drop it and smash the display - and, indeed, that may even involve forking out a bit of cash for maintenance & repair. Not all devices will make it, but I suspect that more devices are abandoned, working, because their owners want something new and shiny than actually wear out.
