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[...]Having it optional for people who want it[...] But then it doesn't exist, right? Like today, which phones do have replaceable batteries? So the free marke

by mpol 3y ago

[...]Having it optional for people who want it[...] But then it doesn't exist, right? Like today, which phones do have replaceable batteries? So the free market doesn't work and the government needs to step in. Blame the manufacturers (or the customers if you want).

ndlan 3y ago
Or maybe people don't really care about replaceable batteries?
danielbln 3y ago
In addition, the notion of "just switch from your lived-in ecosystem and flagship phone to some new ecosystem and cheap-o Android phone" just so the battery can be replaced without jumping through hoops seems like a bad take.
mypastself 3y ago
If there was truly a critical mass of users clamoring for this particular feature, surely a phone manufacturer would have already jumped at the opportunity to grab that market share?
martin8412 3y ago
Where are the phones with extendable antennas for better reception in areas with bad coverage? Government should step in and mandate that. The demand simply isn't there for replaceable batteries. I know there's a loud minority on HN and other tech focused sites, but it's simply not something most people care about. How well did extra batteries sell when they were common?
- danielbln 3y ago
  I think you mistake this for "everyone should have 2 batteries in their backpack and be able to flip them out on the fly", when in fact it is "manufacturers shouldn't be glueing in batteries in so that they can be replaced reasonably easily as the battery degrades, so that the lifespan of a phone can be increased". Considering how phones have pleateaued, I bet you'd get a lot more buy in if you frame it like that. This is about avoiding electronic waste, not being able to plop out a battery every day. People may not care about that, but some people don't care about pollution in general.
- jowea 3y ago
  I suspect the EU is trying to "enforce demand" for a few reasons. Individually I feel people have a bias towards checking the features and price of the phone they are buying right now and not so much resale value or if it will last 4+ years. But the EU thinks society will benefit from less electronic waste and more durable devices. Or at least EUropean society, which AFAIK leans towards importing smartphones rather than making or design them. And this is far from the first time governments enforce features on products that the market doesn't seem to be demanding. But is the EU thinking of something about enforcing longer software updates timelines? I suspect this law won't be so effective without it.
- Natuerich 3y ago
  [dead]
bloodyludi 3y ago
The Fairphone 4 would certainly be an option.

by mpol 3y ago

ndlan 3y ago

Or maybe people don't really care about replaceable batteries?

danielbln 3y ago

In addition, the notion of "just switch from your lived-in ecosystem and flagship phone to some new ecosystem and cheap-o Android phone" just so the battery can be replaced without jumping through hoops seems like a bad take.

mypastself 3y ago

If there was truly a critical mass of users clamoring for this particular feature, surely a phone manufacturer would have already jumped at the opportunity to grab that market share?

martin8412 3y ago

Where are the phones with extendable antennas for better reception in areas with bad coverage? Government should step in and mandate that. The demand simply isn't there for replaceable batteries. I know there's a loud minority on HN and other tech focused sites, but it's simply not something most people care about. How well did extra batteries sell when they were common?

danielbln 3y ago
I think you mistake this for "everyone should have 2 batteries in their backpack and be able to flip them out on the fly", when in fact it is "manufacturers shouldn't be glueing in batteries in so that they can be replaced reasonably easily as the battery degrades, so that the lifespan of a phone can be increased". Considering how phones have pleateaued, I bet you'd get a lot more buy in if you frame it like that. This is about avoiding electronic waste, not being able to plop out a battery every day. People may not care about that, but some people don't care about pollution in general.
jowea 3y ago
I suspect the EU is trying to "enforce demand" for a few reasons. Individually I feel people have a bias towards checking the features and price of the phone they are buying right now and not so much resale value or if it will last 4+ years. But the EU thinks society will benefit from less electronic waste and more durable devices. Or at least EUropean society, which AFAIK leans towards importing smartphones rather than making or design them. And this is far from the first time governments enforce features on products that the market doesn't seem to be demanding. But is the EU thinking of something about enforcing longer software updates timelines? I suspect this law won't be so effective without it.
Natuerich 3y ago
[dead]

bloodyludi 3y ago

The Fairphone 4 would certainly be an option.