It's not like that at all, because a restaurant which did that would rapidly go out of business, and these companies are quite profitable, because people like w

It's not like that at all, because a restaurant which did that would rapidly go out of business, and these companies are quite profitable, because people like what they're getting. Repairability is treated like a terminal good around HN, and that's understandable, but it doesn't reflect the values of the general public. Most civilians who crack their screen are going to put up with it until they can buy a new phone, because they were going to get a new phone anyway. The fact that a repair is expensive is in a feedback loop with this sort of behavior. If consumers wanted to keep phones for five years and have an affordable battery or screen swap during that time, they'd demand it, and they'd get it. There are a lot of Android phone vendors. That isn't to say that the status quo is ideal, and I do expect it to change as Moore's Law starts to level out, with smartphone design following the same curve. I would even say we're starting to see that happen. But if consumers thought Samsung was abusive and showed no regard for them, they wouldn't buy phones from Samsung. But they do buy phones from Samsung, so they don't think that.