In a recently uploaded video by Dagogo from the renowned ColdFusion YouTube channel, the spotlight is cast on groundbreaking EU legislation that could reshape the contours of the smartphone industry.
The new law, in essence, mandates all smartphone manufacturers to design devices with batteries that can be effortlessly removed by the average user — no tools, no intricate processes. It's a seeming nod to earlier times, when swapping out a phone battery was as breezy as changing a bulb.
While the catalyst for this legislation stems from the EU's staunch commitment to curbing e-waste and championing environmental causes, it’s not all green and global. At a consumer level, it addresses an ongoing tussle many users have faced. Brands, in the race to integrate and innovate, have often engineered their devices in ways that sideline easy repairability. For consumers, this has translated to two options: a pricey trip to official repair centers or simply replacing the device.
But with this new legislation, there’s a promise of change in the air. Devices might see longer lifespans, thanks to easy battery replacements. For consumers, this also means potentially reduced costs in the long run, and for our planet, fewer discarded devices heading to the landfills.
For those intrigued by the nuances of this directive and what it means for the future of smartphones, the video linked above offers a wealth of insights.
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Most likely they would suddenly have a bigger failing rate, by design. But, yes we should be able to replace batteries. Right now we don't really own the devices we pay for because they are 100% designed for replacement as soon as one thing fail.
Phone makers will likely sue since the battery is one of the easiest way to implement planned obsolescence. One of the most common reasons why people replace their smartphone, is when it no longer holds a proper charge, and the company wants to charge $150-$200 to replace a $8 battery, the user is more likely to just buy a new one.
As for laptops, outside of apple products, the process of replacing a battery is simple for many other laptops. While it is not as good as the old days where you could just slide out the battery, thus you can even have a spare in your laptop bag. With modern non-apple laptops, you simply remove the bottom unplug the battery power connector, and unscrew a 2-4 screws holding the battery in place, then you can install a new one.
The problem is that many laptop makers are unwilling to sell replacements, thus you are stuck hoping that a Shenzhen market manufacturer will make a knockoff for your laptop.
Apple is the worst offender overall, because they are the tip of the spear of screwing customers, for example, Apple lead the charge for preventing user replacement of batteries, and when they got away with it, other companies followed. The latest trend is serializing parts and intentionally making them not work, or making them misbehave if you replace the part that has the wrong serial number. While some sycophants will use the calibration excuse; it is not the case as not only do they prevent any kind of user calibration, they also make them misbehave in the exact same way. For example, the distortion in their displays when you swap them between 2 mac devices is exactly the same.
Compare this to devices that legitimately need calibration such as replacing oven controlled crystal oscillator in an oscilloscope. After the repair, readings will be inaccurate, until you calibrate, which you can do your self using a frequency standard. The device maker doesn't go out of their way to make it inaccurate by the exact same amount when you replace a part.
When a replacement is done through the apple repair service where you pay a steep service cost, they remote into the system, and remotely run some software that causes the part to immediately work properly after being replaced. That is not how calibration works, that is simply adding a new serial to a white list and telling the device to stop intentionally misbehaving.
Anyway, mandating user replaceable batteries will be a great step forward in reducing waste and taking away one of of the planned obsolescence methods used by device makers.