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Which, while poorly phrased, at least does raise a valid point that the story is complex. There are some things Apple does very well (e.g. supporting newer ver

Which, while poorly phrased, at least does raise a valid point that the story is complex. There are some things Apple does very well (e.g. supporting newer versions of iOS on older gear, ensuring it continues to have a life), and some things they do very badly (no replaceable batteries). Other vendors have the exact opposite problem (my LG G5 has a replaceable battery, but I have no idea how long it'll continue to receive OS updates from my carrier).

rubatuga 9y ago
The Samsung Galaxy A5 I bought in 2015 stopped getting security updates after the summer of 2016. If that isn’t pure planned obsolescence, I don’t know what is. On the contrary, my dad’s iPhone 5 from 2012 got five years of updates. I foresee that since the iPhone 5S is a 64 bit processor, it will see at least six iOS revisions before being EOL’d
alkonaut 9y ago
Every iPhone I had has had a "replaceable battery". Sure - it's a fiddly job usually done by a technician, but I think that is a small drawback these days. In 5-ish smartphones I have replaced at least one screen each, and only 1 battery. So if something should be user replaceable why focus on battery? Ability to expand storage (even only internally) would have been a useful iPhone feature.
- zzalpha 9y ago
  If we define "user replaceable" as "requires specialized tools and skills, while voiding the warranty in the process", can we agree we've stretched the term beyond usefulness?
  - alkonaut 9y ago
    Yes definitely agree, however 1) if the battery needs replacing within warranty doesn't that mean the user shouldn't have to? There is of course a case where the user thinks the battery life is bad but apple doesn't agree so the warranty doesn't help. 2) there is a difference between replaceable and user replaceable and my point was that "replacable" is usually enough since batteries are so rarely replaced compared to e.g screens. I have no stats but my personal guess would be that an average iPhone has at least one screen replacement.
  - sbuk 9y ago
    Semantics, but you said "replaceable battery" not "user replaceable battery.

rubatuga 9y ago

The Samsung Galaxy A5 I bought in 2015 stopped getting security updates after the summer of 2016. If that isn’t pure planned obsolescence, I don’t know what is. On the contrary, my dad’s iPhone 5 from 2012 got five years of updates. I foresee that since the iPhone 5S is a 64 bit processor, it will see at least six iOS revisions before being EOL’d

alkonaut 9y ago

Every iPhone I had has had a "replaceable battery". Sure - it's a fiddly job usually done by a technician, but I think that is a small drawback these days. In 5-ish smartphones I have replaced at least one screen each, and only 1 battery. So if something should be user replaceable why focus on battery? Ability to expand storage (even only internally) would have been a useful iPhone feature.

zzalpha 9y ago
If we define "user replaceable" as "requires specialized tools and skills, while voiding the warranty in the process", can we agree we've stretched the term beyond usefulness?
- alkonaut 9y ago
  Yes definitely agree, however 1) if the battery needs replacing within warranty doesn't that mean the user shouldn't have to? There is of course a case where the user thinks the battery life is bad but apple doesn't agree so the warranty doesn't help. 2) there is a difference between replaceable and user replaceable and my point was that "replacable" is usually enough since batteries are so rarely replaced compared to e.g screens. I have no stats but my personal guess would be that an average iPhone has at least one screen replacement.
- sbuk 9y ago
  Semantics, but you said "replaceable battery" not "user replaceable battery.