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How would this resolve any issues?

Slackwise 10y ago
Well it would have likely solved the Note 7 recall, and any futures battery recalls. It would also allow a user to remove an unsafe battery so that it's not in use while waiting for a replacement.
- johncolanduoni 10y ago
  Didn't the phones with replacement batteries also catch fire?
- simplexion 10y ago
  Less than .01% of the phones caught fire. The recall is crazy.
  - nradov 10y ago
    If the Note 7 hadn't been recalled then eventually many more would have probably caught fire. We'll never know what the cumulative failure rate would have been if the devices had been left in the field for years. Eventually people would have been killed.
  - greglindahl 10y ago
    The fraction of phones that caught on fire was similar to the fraction of hoverboards that caught on fire. Normal products with similar batteries have a much lower failure rate.
  - MBCook 10y ago
    Do you have a source for that number?
  - jschwartzi 10y ago
    When you decide whether a risk is unacceptable, there are two parts to consider: the likelihood of the event, and the potential worst-case scenario should the event come to pass. .01% is a very low likelihood, but the worst case scenario that one of these phones maims the user is an extremely bad outcome. In this framework the recall is the most sensible thing to do.
  - wlesieutre 10y ago
    .10% within a few weeks of release. Without a recall, that number keeps on climbing and nobody has any idea where it stops. 1% of phones exploded? 10%? You obviously can't unexplode the ones that exploded already, but a recall is about the ones that haven't exploded yet.
- vitus 10y ago
  I thought the problem with the note 7 was with the power controller, and not the batteries -- didn't phones continue catching fire after the first recall?
  - greglindahl 10y ago
    There is still no root cause for the Note 7 issue, apparently.
ScottBurson 10y ago
It would have saved Samsung billions of dollars if they could have just replaced the batteries and not had to buy back 2.5M phones.
- CamperBob2 10y ago
  No, it would ultimately have caused more fires with no way to blame them on anyone in particular. If we're going to treat batteries as safety-critical components, then it's counterproductive to encourage end users to replace them with the cheapest ones they can find. Mobile phones with replaceable batteries aren't coming back, and good riddance.
  - Vendan 10y ago
    So your solution is to say "no, only large companies are allowed to pick batteries". Well, the Note 7 seems to show how good an idea that is. Plenty of devices have replaceable batteries without them exploding, and if anything, a replaceable battery would let you say "hey, this battery is getting old, let's replace it" rather then continuing to use a device with an old, possibly failing battery.
    - CamperBob2 10y ago
      Well, the Note 7 seems to show how good an idea that is. Yes, as a matter of fact, that's exactly what the Note 7 debacle demonstrated. There was a quality problem that could cause fires. There was a single party who could be expected to take responsibility. Finally, there was a coordinated worldwide recall. Problem solved, system working as intended. Sucks to be Samsung, of course, but the end result will be safer batteries for everyone. Plenty of devices have replaceable batteries without them exploding, and if anything, a replaceable battery would let you say "hey, this battery is getting old, let's replace it" rather then continuing to use a device with an old, possibly failing battery. Sorry, that's not going to happen. Get used to disappointment.
      - Vendan 10y ago

Well it would have likely solved the Note 7 recall, and any futures battery recalls. It would also allow a user to remove an unsafe battery so that it's not in use while waiting for a replacement.

johncolanduoni 10y ago
Didn't the phones with replacement batteries also catch fire?
simplexion 10y ago
Less than .01% of the phones caught fire. The recall is crazy.
- nradov 10y ago
  If the Note 7 hadn't been recalled then eventually many more would have probably caught fire. We'll never know what the cumulative failure rate would have been if the devices had been left in the field for years. Eventually people would have been killed.
- greglindahl 10y ago
  The fraction of phones that caught on fire was similar to the fraction of hoverboards that caught on fire. Normal products with similar batteries have a much lower failure rate.
- MBCook 10y ago
  Do you have a source for that number?
- jschwartzi 10y ago
  When you decide whether a risk is unacceptable, there are two parts to consider: the likelihood of the event, and the potential worst-case scenario should the event come to pass. .01% is a very low likelihood, but the worst case scenario that one of these phones maims the user is an extremely bad outcome. In this framework the recall is the most sensible thing to do.
- wlesieutre 10y ago
  .10% within a few weeks of release. Without a recall, that number keeps on climbing and nobody has any idea where it stops. 1% of phones exploded? 10%? You obviously can't unexplode the ones that exploded already, but a recall is about the ones that haven't exploded yet.
vitus 10y ago
I thought the problem with the note 7 was with the power controller, and not the batteries -- didn't phones continue catching fire after the first recall?
- greglindahl 10y ago
  There is still no root cause for the Note 7 issue, apparently.

ScottBurson 10y ago

It would have saved Samsung billions of dollars if they could have just replaced the batteries and not had to buy back 2.5M phones.

CamperBob2 10y ago
No, it would ultimately have caused more fires with no way to blame them on anyone in particular. If we're going to treat batteries as safety-critical components, then it's counterproductive to encourage end users to replace them with the cheapest ones they can find. Mobile phones with replaceable batteries aren't coming back, and good riddance.
- Vendan 10y ago
  So your solution is to say "no, only large companies are allowed to pick batteries". Well, the Note 7 seems to show how good an idea that is. Plenty of devices have replaceable batteries without them exploding, and if anything, a replaceable battery would let you say "hey, this battery is getting old, let's replace it" rather then continuing to use a device with an old, possibly failing battery.
  - CamperBob2 10y ago
    Well, the Note 7 seems to show how good an idea that is. Yes, as a matter of fact, that's exactly what the Note 7 debacle demonstrated. There was a quality problem that could cause fires. There was a single party who could be expected to take responsibility. Finally, there was a coordinated worldwide recall. Problem solved, system working as intended. Sucks to be Samsung, of course, but the end result will be safer batteries for everyone. Plenty of devices have replaceable batteries without them exploding, and if anything, a replaceable battery would let you say "hey, this battery is getting old, let's replace it" rather then continuing to use a device with an old, possibly failing battery. Sorry, that's not going to happen. Get used to disappointment.
    - Vendan 10y ago