4 ms·

* not that average Joe should be able to do it himself * From the article: "This new law states, specifically, that users should be able to replace a battery i

* not that average Joe should be able to do it himself * From the article: "This new law states, specifically, that users should be able to replace a battery in their phone without any special expertise or tools." Wouldn't that mean that Average Joe should be able to do it? I would assume that I'd be able to buy a battery and replace it at home instead of shipping it off to some factory and being without a phone - or not actually have to take it to the nearest shop if I don't want to be without a phone for a while. And from what I can find about Apple's battery replacement: They'll only do it IF you have apple care AND your battery has 80% capacity and your phone doesn't have issues such as a cracked screen. [1] This certainly doesn't sound like an easily replaceable battery. [1] https://support.apple.com/en-ie/iphone/repair/battery-replacement https://support.apple.com/en-ie/iphone/repair/battery-replac...

zelos 3y ago
They'll only do it for free under those conditions. Otherwise it's ~$100.
- WeylandYutani 3y ago
  Interesting. I for one am not interested in overengineered expensive iPhones. Spending €100 to fix a €399 Poco sounds like a very bad deal. I hope prices on budget- midrange Android phones don't go up with these new regulations.
  - BoorishBears 3y ago
    iPhones are the best value phone on the market today bar-none, people just tend to be short sighted with their understanding of "expensive". You can buy a €400 used iPhone and get updates for longer than most brand new Android phones. And by the time that used iPhone stops getting updates, you'll still be able to sell it for some non-zero value, while that budget phone will be worthless and destined to be e-waste.
    - djanogo 3y ago
      "Price is what you pay, value is what you get." Mr. Buffett
    - boring_twenties 3y ago
      My phone was $150 brand new and still works acceptably over 3.5 years later. Software updates weekly thanks to LineageOS (firmware updates are another story).
      - scarface_74 3y ago
        Yes I’m sure running LineageOS is a solution for most consumers. Not to mention without firmware updates you’re not getting security fixes
      - BoorishBears 3y ago
        Yeah, I'm probably one of the most uniquely qualified people to plug LineageOS as an engineer who's launched multiple AOSP based hardware products. Comparing LineageOS to actual first party support when the SoC manufacturer has long forgotten your device exists isn't really realistic: you're getting updates in name only. The blobs that run the most important things are frozen in time. - Not to mention, if you're willing to put up with that level of limitation, you can get a brand new iPhone SE for $150 too. It'll be locked to a carrier, but that's a lot less limiting than "literally never going to have a meaningful update again"
        tga_d 3y ago
        I'm not going to argue that "use LineageOS" is viable advice for most users (it's not), but what do you mean "The blobs that run the most important things are frozen in time"? I suppose they're "the most important things" in that they're required for a usable device, but I wouldn't call them the most important things when it comes to updates. If I'm running an outdated Android version, my threat model basically can't include any internet or cell connectivity, since an outdated media parser means a bad web page or media message and my phone is the attacker's playground. But an outdated baseband firmware means what, I have to watch out for ne'er-do-wells dodging the FCC with high powered SDRs in my neighborhood who know what model of phone I'm using? In a better world, Lineage could feasibly ship updates for every component, but as far as I can see, one of these is a lot more important than the other, and it's the one LineageOS does take care of.
- duskwuff 3y ago
  And the "no cracked screens" provision is because access to the battery on most iPhones is from the top side, by lifting the display with a suction cup. If the glass is already cracked, lifting it is likely to cause further damage, and it may not go back in afterwards.
  - Filligree 3y ago
    That sounds like a "them" problem. Perhaps they shouldn't have engineered it that way.
OJFord 3y ago
They won't replace the battery if the screen is cracked? Is there any reason for that apart from making you pay for a screen replacement too? Edit: oh, it's that they might not get it off and back on in one (or rather as few as it was) piece(s) I suppose.
nerdbert 3y ago
I recently got the battery in my 6-year-old iPhone replaced by Apple for, as I recall, €55. Just brought it in and they did it, no applecare. Made the phone as good as new, I hope to use it until OS security updates stop, which should be at least another couple years.

zelos 3y ago

They'll only do it for free under those conditions. Otherwise it's ~$100.

WeylandYutani 3y ago
Interesting. I for one am not interested in overengineered expensive iPhones. Spending €100 to fix a €399 Poco sounds like a very bad deal. I hope prices on budget- midrange Android phones don't go up with these new regulations.
- BoorishBears 3y ago
  iPhones are the best value phone on the market today bar-none, people just tend to be short sighted with their understanding of "expensive". You can buy a €400 used iPhone and get updates for longer than most brand new Android phones. And by the time that used iPhone stops getting updates, you'll still be able to sell it for some non-zero value, while that budget phone will be worthless and destined to be e-waste.
  - djanogo 3y ago
    "Price is what you pay, value is what you get." Mr. Buffett
  - boring_twenties 3y ago
    My phone was $150 brand new and still works acceptably over 3.5 years later. Software updates weekly thanks to LineageOS (firmware updates are another story).
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      Yes I’m sure running LineageOS is a solution for most consumers. Not to mention without firmware updates you’re not getting security fixes
    - BoorishBears 3y ago
      Yeah, I'm probably one of the most uniquely qualified people to plug LineageOS as an engineer who's launched multiple AOSP based hardware products. Comparing LineageOS to actual first party support when the SoC manufacturer has long forgotten your device exists isn't really realistic: you're getting updates in name only. The blobs that run the most important things are frozen in time. - Not to mention, if you're willing to put up with that level of limitation, you can get a brand new iPhone SE for $150 too. It'll be locked to a carrier, but that's a lot less limiting than "literally never going to have a meaningful update again"
      - tga_d 3y ago
        I'm not going to argue that "use LineageOS" is viable advice for most users (it's not), but what do you mean "The blobs that run the most important things are frozen in time"? I suppose they're "the most important things" in that they're required for a usable device, but I wouldn't call them the most important things when it comes to updates. If I'm running an outdated Android version, my threat model basically can't include any internet or cell connectivity, since an outdated media parser means a bad web page or media message and my phone is the attacker's playground. But an outdated baseband firmware means what, I have to watch out for ne'er-do-wells dodging the FCC with high powered SDRs in my neighborhood who know what model of phone I'm using? In a better world, Lineage could feasibly ship updates for every component, but as far as I can see, one of these is a lot more important than the other, and it's the one LineageOS does take care of.
duskwuff 3y ago
And the "no cracked screens" provision is because access to the battery on most iPhones is from the top side, by lifting the display with a suction cup. If the glass is already cracked, lifting it is likely to cause further damage, and it may not go back in afterwards.
- Filligree 3y ago
  That sounds like a "them" problem. Perhaps they shouldn't have engineered it that way.

OJFord 3y ago

They won't replace the battery if the screen is cracked? Is there any reason for that apart from making you pay for a screen replacement too? Edit: oh, it's that they might not get it off and back on in one (or rather as few as it was) piece(s) I suppose.

nerdbert 3y ago

I recently got the battery in my 6-year-old iPhone replaced by Apple for, as I recall, €55. Just brought it in and they did it, no applecare. Made the phone as good as new, I hope to use it until OS security updates stop, which should be at least another couple years.