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> Well, let's wait until we're out of (cheaply mined) resources... At that point I think we'll be mining landfills. But yes, the disposable, replace everything

> Well, let's wait until we're out of (cheaply mined) resources... At that point I think we'll be mining landfills. But yes, the disposable, replace everything, super short refresh cycle has to end. My wife just got rid of her Nexus 4 from 2012 - a five year run. Is that good enough or can we get them to go longer?

ioquatix 9y ago
I think it's going to be up to companies who produce such devices to invest in longevity. As long as they produce software updates which require new hardware, people are going to eventually need to update the hardware. Unfortunately, right now, it doesn't seem like it's in the best interest of companies to make a device that lasts for 10 years which they continue to support through software updates. Sometimes I do a mental juggle: In my life, provided my phones last for ~3 years, I'll probably end up buying between 10-20 phones. Multiply that out by (in theory) the population of earth, * the exponential growth factor, and you suddenly realise how impossible that would be. So, somethings got to change - people have to optimise for what they've got, not what can be sold to them.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  Per Apple, a new iPhone results in emissions roughly equivalent to burning 3 gallons of gasoline. https://images.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPhone_8_PER_sept2017.pdf https://images.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPh... The CO2 emissions of course aren't a perfect proxy for the environmental impact (and Apple is likely a leader in reducing the amount so other phones will be higher), but it at least gets us in the ball park. Looking at the numbers I don't think phones are the first thing to worry about.
kbutler 9y ago
I'd love to have my phones go 5 years, but our two nexus 4s made it just half that. Others have been less. I think part of the problem is the rate of change: a smart phone from 10 years ago is dramatically different from one 5 years ago. That rate of change is slowing, though, just like it did in desktop and laptop computers about 5 years ago. When they increase flash and RAM a bit more, I think it will make sense to make (and buy) more durable phone hardware.
- KozmoNau7 9y ago
  I used to lust after the latest flagship phones, and while the Galaxy S8 my work has just equipped me with is extremely nice, it doesn't really do anything new that I actually need. VoLTE and WiFi Calling are nice, but hardly something that would make me swap out a perfectly functioning phone. My 2 year old Moto X Play does everything I need (Firefox, Messenger and Spotify, 90% of the time), and I only bought it because my old phone broke and the X Play had the longest battery life of any reasonably priced smartphone at the time. When it eventually breaks, I'm just going to get a budget model. If I could get a dumbphone/featurephone with a week-long battery life, that could do Firefox, Messenger and Spotify in any reasonable fashion, I would jump on it instantly.
  - dragonwriter 9y ago
    > I used to lust after the latest flagship phones, and while the Galaxy S8 my work has just equipped me with is extremely nice, it doesn't really do anything new that I actually need. VoLTE and WiFi Calling are nice, but hardly something that would make me swap out a perfectly functioning phone. Also, not even remotely new with the S8; it was supported at least back to the Note 5 / S6 generation, possibly earlier.
    - KozmoNau7 9y ago
      S6 had it, my previous work phone was an S5, which is why I needed an upgrade, my department is handling the VoLTE rollout to our customers. I would have been fine with an S6 or S7, but my company has standardized on the S8/S8+ (and iPhone X for some managers, because of course).

ioquatix 9y ago

I think it's going to be up to companies who produce such devices to invest in longevity. As long as they produce software updates which require new hardware, people are going to eventually need to update the hardware. Unfortunately, right now, it doesn't seem like it's in the best interest of companies to make a device that lasts for 10 years which they continue to support through software updates. Sometimes I do a mental juggle: In my life, provided my phones last for ~3 years, I'll probably end up buying between 10-20 phones. Multiply that out by (in theory) the population of earth, * the exponential growth factor, and you suddenly realise how impossible that would be. So, somethings got to change - people have to optimise for what they've got, not what can be sold to them.

maxerickson 9y ago
Per Apple, a new iPhone results in emissions roughly equivalent to burning 3 gallons of gasoline. https://images.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPhone_8_PER_sept2017.pdf https://images.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPh... The CO2 emissions of course aren't a perfect proxy for the environmental impact (and Apple is likely a leader in reducing the amount so other phones will be higher), but it at least gets us in the ball park. Looking at the numbers I don't think phones are the first thing to worry about.

kbutler 9y ago

I'd love to have my phones go 5 years, but our two nexus 4s made it just half that. Others have been less. I think part of the problem is the rate of change: a smart phone from 10 years ago is dramatically different from one 5 years ago. That rate of change is slowing, though, just like it did in desktop and laptop computers about 5 years ago. When they increase flash and RAM a bit more, I think it will make sense to make (and buy) more durable phone hardware.

KozmoNau7 9y ago
I used to lust after the latest flagship phones, and while the Galaxy S8 my work has just equipped me with is extremely nice, it doesn't really do anything new that I actually need. VoLTE and WiFi Calling are nice, but hardly something that would make me swap out a perfectly functioning phone. My 2 year old Moto X Play does everything I need (Firefox, Messenger and Spotify, 90% of the time), and I only bought it because my old phone broke and the X Play had the longest battery life of any reasonably priced smartphone at the time. When it eventually breaks, I'm just going to get a budget model. If I could get a dumbphone/featurephone with a week-long battery life, that could do Firefox, Messenger and Spotify in any reasonable fashion, I would jump on it instantly.
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  > I used to lust after the latest flagship phones, and while the Galaxy S8 my work has just equipped me with is extremely nice, it doesn't really do anything new that I actually need. VoLTE and WiFi Calling are nice, but hardly something that would make me swap out a perfectly functioning phone. Also, not even remotely new with the S8; it was supported at least back to the Note 5 / S6 generation, possibly earlier.
  - KozmoNau7 9y ago
    S6 had it, my previous work phone was an S5, which is why I needed an upgrade, my department is handling the VoLTE rollout to our customers. I would have been fine with an S6 or S7, but my company has standardized on the S8/S8+ (and iPhone X for some managers, because of course).