4 ms·

You missed the user bit of what you're replying to. There are android phones that have this ability, I have one. New batteries are ~20 bucks, and they take abo

You missed the user bit of what you're replying to. There are android phones that have this ability, I have one. New batteries are ~20 bucks, and they take about 5 minutes to swap, most of which is shutdown/boot time. I can take my phone out innawoods and use offline GPS all day, and as a flashlight at night, by just bringing a pocketfull of batteries. When a battery goes bad, I toss it in the recycle bucket, and buy a new one. I currently have 10 of them and they're on rotation. What that means is, I get a new phone when apps stop working, and I use very few apps, so, that's been 5+ years since I adopted this model. It'd certainly be better for the environment and better for the consumer if manufacturers were on-board with this idea, but, it'd be far worse for their margins, so, these devices only exist on the periphery. That said, I do think that Apple could make this work for the masses. Simply pair the batteries with the phone, keep everyone in the walled garden, don't allow 3rd parties in willy nilly, and then charge more for new batteries. That that system and spin the hell out of it, make android/google/et al look like evil megacorps filling the earth with chemicals leached from 1-time use android phones, and call it a day.

Terretta 2y ago
> the user* bit* "The masses" do not want to carry a bag of spare batteries. The masses don't want to have to think about it. The latest generation devices are mostly "don't have to think about it" on batteries. > New batteries are ~20 bucks Gotta love those after-market or counterfeit high density inflammable energy packs crammed against your body or the bagful of 9 spares left in your car... https://www.motleyrice.com/news/lithium-ion-batteries-explosion-risks-2 https://www.motleyrice.com/news/lithium-ion-batteries-explos... Getting worse, not better: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/09/tech/lithium-ion-battery-fires/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/09/tech/lithium-ion-battery-fire... I want real ones from a real company spending real money on R&D, that I "know where they live" if it's a problem. Speaking of quality, I can use current iPhone off grid with offline GPS all day, and use it again the next day — without taking any battery packs. The new "max" devices clock effectively two day battery life if you are conscious of what you're using it for (say, camping out off grid instead of doomscrolling Insta, for instance). I find even 3 or 4 sometimes if you're not picking it up and are in low energy and low data mode. Definitely 3 - 4 if you shut it off while asleep. It's nuts.
- ClumsyPilot 2y ago
  > Gotta love those after-market or counterfeit high density inflammable energy packs crammed against your body or the bagful of 9 spares left in your car. You see sir, when manufacturers compete on price we call that free market, and when you try to stop that we call that overregulation or protectionism. But when talking about apple we suddenly call it ‘counterfeit’ Regardless of safety/counterfeit, you do realise that the OP has like 2 weeks supply of batteries for camping or apocalypse, and if ‘off grid living’ is your use case, it’s a slam-dunk?
  - evilduck 2y ago
    For camping and off grid living, recharging spare LiPo batteries via a ribbon cable or contact pins sounds like a massive pain in the ass. Give me a standard USB C based power bank, the thing that Solar Generators and many panels have supplied connections for, and can be used for any USB C device. Plus the phone never has to be opened and be vulnerable to ingress of moisture or debris. And for apocalyptic scenarios your LiPos will naturally degrade collectively together in a few years even if they sit unused. An external battery with a more stable long term chemistry would be better.
    - jtriangle 2y ago
      I have little battery dock things, really dumb devices, but, USBC goes in, battery docks in, and it slow charges in about 8 hours. I've got 3 of them. Also if you're talking about the world being dark for 3 years, not sure batteries are the thing to stock up on friend. We'd be well into mad-max mode after a few months I'd think, and after a year or so of that, well, nothing's going to come back for a good long time. I'm much more concerned with making it, say, a week without being able to charge, which, I can easily do without thinking too much.
      - Terretta 2y ago
        > if you're talking about the world being dark for 3 years, not sure batteries are the thing to stock up on friend Friends don't let friends go camping with a bag full of replaceable phone batteries.* A couple alternatives I like... This costs considerably less per milliwatt-hour than even ~$20 replaceable phone batteries, and is rather more useful camping: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Retractable-Emergency/dp/B0BV23LTXZ/ https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Retractable-... If one needs more oomph, this is 6 lbs, so I wouldn't take it for a walk. Depends on the type of camping: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Generator-Traveling-Emergencies/dp/B0D62PMB3R https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Generator-Traveling-Em... For the little bank, something like Anker Solix PS30 Solar Panel charges like a wall wart with just a couple hours' midday sun in northern U.S. or southern E.U.: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Foldable-Resistance-Ultra-Fast-Activities/dp/B0BX9FCSQQ/ https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Foldable-Resistance-Ultra-Fast-... North of 40th, combo can get us through strings of rainy days off grid while not thinking about it. To cost less, on Alibaba you can match case style, plug placements, and feature/functions to find the same OEM models as well-known portable power and solar brands for a fraction of price if one doesn't mind ship time. * That said, this is all one's power eggs in one power basket. To your point, a bag full of batteries means one can fry half a dozen and still have a few juicy eggs to suck dry, but don't lose tools or phone bits and bobs on field replacements and one will still want a panel or two to top them off!
paulmd 2y ago
> When a battery goes bad, I toss it in the recycle bucket, and buy a new one. I currently have 10 of them and they're on rotation. not to pick on you but it’s baffling the way some people clothe themselves in right to repair and then bust out some shit like this. this is absolutely insane from an e-waste and frankly just regular-waste perspective. I’m sure it’s very convenient and granted everyone needs batteries, but still, “they fail and I throw them away and buy new ones, I currently have 10” is objectively insane and I have to think that buying shitty non-oem batteries is a major part of why you churn batteries so much. “I said it sounds like he’s just feeding e-waste to landfills and hackernews started crying” maybe think about buying some 18650 batteries and a power bank or something, idk. You can get cold-weather 18650 cells which improve outdoors performance a lot, and good quality 18650s last a half decade or more. Really disappointing how right to repair just turned out to be a fashion accessory for most people, and the actual boots-on-the-ground aspects like oem parts availability and not using disposable junk batteries didn’t sink in, people are literally happy to have a backpack full of 10 Amazon batteries they change out every 6 months if it means they get to bash apple and feel smug about it. The discussion around usb-c vs lightning went much the same way - people were exuberant at the prospect of filling the landfills full of discarded cables (on a port that's been around for a decade), as long as they were the right cables. People bashed the self-service/OEM parts availability for being some kind of plot or conspiracy. People bashed it because the OEM factory repair tools apple will rent or sell you are too big and clunky. There really, really ought to be a real attempt to account and attribute some of these total lifecycles, independently of some of the fandom and some of the actors involved with R2R with their own personal foibles and financial interests. Specifically thinking of component-level repair as not being in the interest of certain major backers of R2R, for example. There should be an accounting of what the actual cost is for that decision, vs the aspects of R2R increasing the churn on these essentially-disposable amazon batteries and other junk and so on. Those things need to be attributed in the total lifecycle cost too, if bunches of people keep doing the same thing you are that's a real social problem. Ten batteries, and I just swap them out when they fail and buy new ones to throw away. One of the most polluting and dangerous and toxic parts of the phone. Good lord. I hope you are at least sending them for proper disposal, but even that is not currently even close to full recycling efficiency iirc.
- 2y ago

Terretta 2y ago

> the user* bit* "The masses" do not want to carry a bag of spare batteries. The masses don't want to have to think about it. The latest generation devices are mostly "don't have to think about it" on batteries. > New batteries are ~20 bucks Gotta love those after-market or counterfeit high density inflammable energy packs crammed against your body or the bagful of 9 spares left in your car... https://www.motleyrice.com/news/lithium-ion-batteries-explosion-risks-2 https://www.motleyrice.com/news/lithium-ion-batteries-explos... Getting worse, not better: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/09/tech/lithium-ion-battery-fires/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/09/tech/lithium-ion-battery-fire... I want real ones from a real company spending real money on R&D, that I "know where they live" if it's a problem. Speaking of quality, I can use current iPhone off grid with offline GPS all day, and use it again the next day — without taking any battery packs. The new "max" devices clock effectively two day battery life if you are conscious of what you're using it for (say, camping out off grid instead of doomscrolling Insta, for instance). I find even 3 or 4 sometimes if you're not picking it up and are in low energy and low data mode. Definitely 3 - 4 if you shut it off while asleep. It's nuts.

ClumsyPilot 2y ago
> Gotta love those after-market or counterfeit high density inflammable energy packs crammed against your body or the bagful of 9 spares left in your car. You see sir, when manufacturers compete on price we call that free market, and when you try to stop that we call that overregulation or protectionism. But when talking about apple we suddenly call it ‘counterfeit’ Regardless of safety/counterfeit, you do realise that the OP has like 2 weeks supply of batteries for camping or apocalypse, and if ‘off grid living’ is your use case, it’s a slam-dunk?
- evilduck 2y ago
  For camping and off grid living, recharging spare LiPo batteries via a ribbon cable or contact pins sounds like a massive pain in the ass. Give me a standard USB C based power bank, the thing that Solar Generators and many panels have supplied connections for, and can be used for any USB C device. Plus the phone never has to be opened and be vulnerable to ingress of moisture or debris. And for apocalyptic scenarios your LiPos will naturally degrade collectively together in a few years even if they sit unused. An external battery with a more stable long term chemistry would be better.
  - jtriangle 2y ago
    I have little battery dock things, really dumb devices, but, USBC goes in, battery docks in, and it slow charges in about 8 hours. I've got 3 of them. Also if you're talking about the world being dark for 3 years, not sure batteries are the thing to stock up on friend. We'd be well into mad-max mode after a few months I'd think, and after a year or so of that, well, nothing's going to come back for a good long time. I'm much more concerned with making it, say, a week without being able to charge, which, I can easily do without thinking too much.
    - Terretta 2y ago
      > if you're talking about the world being dark for 3 years, not sure batteries are the thing to stock up on friend Friends don't let friends go camping with a bag full of replaceable phone batteries.* A couple alternatives I like... This costs considerably less per milliwatt-hour than even ~$20 replaceable phone batteries, and is rather more useful camping: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Retractable-Emergency/dp/B0BV23LTXZ/ https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Retractable-... If one needs more oomph, this is 6 lbs, so I wouldn't take it for a walk. Depends on the type of camping: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Generator-Traveling-Emergencies/dp/B0D62PMB3R https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Generator-Traveling-Em... For the little bank, something like Anker Solix PS30 Solar Panel charges like a wall wart with just a couple hours' midday sun in northern U.S. or southern E.U.: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Foldable-Resistance-Ultra-Fast-Activities/dp/B0BX9FCSQQ/ https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Foldable-Resistance-Ultra-Fast-... North of 40th, combo can get us through strings of rainy days off grid while not thinking about it. To cost less, on Alibaba you can match case style, plug placements, and feature/functions to find the same OEM models as well-known portable power and solar brands for a fraction of price if one doesn't mind ship time. * That said, this is all one's power eggs in one power basket. To your point, a bag full of batteries means one can fry half a dozen and still have a few juicy eggs to suck dry, but don't lose tools or phone bits and bobs on field replacements and one will still want a panel or two to top them off!

paulmd 2y ago

> When a battery goes bad, I toss it in the recycle bucket, and buy a new one. I currently have 10 of them and they're on rotation. not to pick on you but it’s baffling the way some people clothe themselves in right to repair and then bust out some shit like this. this is absolutely insane from an e-waste and frankly just regular-waste perspective. I’m sure it’s very convenient and granted everyone needs batteries, but still, “they fail and I throw them away and buy new ones, I currently have 10” is objectively insane and I have to think that buying shitty non-oem batteries is a major part of why you churn batteries so much. “I said it sounds like he’s just feeding e-waste to landfills and hackernews started crying” maybe think about buying some 18650 batteries and a power bank or something, idk. You can get cold-weather 18650 cells which improve outdoors performance a lot, and good quality 18650s last a half decade or more. Really disappointing how right to repair just turned out to be a fashion accessory for most people, and the actual boots-on-the-ground aspects like oem parts availability and not using disposable junk batteries didn’t sink in, people are literally happy to have a backpack full of 10 Amazon batteries they change out every 6 months if it means they get to bash apple and feel smug about it. The discussion around usb-c vs lightning went much the same way - people were exuberant at the prospect of filling the landfills full of discarded cables (on a port that's been around for a decade), as long as they were the right cables. People bashed the self-service/OEM parts availability for being some kind of plot or conspiracy. People bashed it because the OEM factory repair tools apple will rent or sell you are too big and clunky. There really, really ought to be a real attempt to account and attribute some of these total lifecycles, independently of some of the fandom and some of the actors involved with R2R with their own personal foibles and financial interests. Specifically thinking of component-level repair as not being in the interest of certain major backers of R2R, for example. There should be an accounting of what the actual cost is for that decision, vs the aspects of R2R increasing the churn on these essentially-disposable amazon batteries and other junk and so on. Those things need to be attributed in the total lifecycle cost too, if bunches of people keep doing the same thing you are that's a real social problem. Ten batteries, and I just swap them out when they fail and buy new ones to throw away. One of the most polluting and dangerous and toxic parts of the phone. Good lord. I hope you are at least sending them for proper disposal, but even that is not currently even close to full recycling efficiency iirc.

2y ago