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Apple Makes iPhone 16 Batteries Easier to Replace to Comply With EU Law
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Oh wow - this is one of the spiciest takes I've ever read. Did you forget the /s?
Glad Apple shared their cost to develop and deploy this with you, random internet MacRumors poster. Apple has a market cap of 3.404 trillion as of this writing. If they got bamboozled by a law limiting waste, then the joke is on them.
you don't just add a more expensive part and assume the hardware costs the same because the price tag is the same.
I don't see it as ethical or simple. I see it as weird to be forced to change product design for something that really isn't that useful. The normal life cycle for a new iPhone with a new battery is longer than most people keep their phones, and these phones go into the refurbished market and beyond. Replacing batteries is not a high priority for users, and is already completely feasible for authorized service providers. None of this sounds like anything that needs interference from a government entity. Quite the contrary, it sounds like something where government interference could add unjustified constraints on design and engineering. I don't want Apple restricted in what it can do with design, as long as things are reasonable. They are already reasonable.
and how does adding a more expensive battery while keeping the price tag the same make them more money?
*by* *subtracting*.
But Apple loves to brag about being green and good for the planet. Remember the Mother Nature video from last year's iPhone 15 launch?
And then they make the phone easier to repair and keep longer, but don't talk about it. Any guesses why?
sure, see the many pages of complaints from the MR article titled "Apple Intelligence Features Not Coming to European Union at Launch Due to DMA"
EU regulators could certainly use it.
See the many hundred of pages of complaints about Apple making batteries hard to service.
See the hundreds of complaints about AI being garbage.
See your point not being as good as you thought it was.
Luckily, these rules apply to all consumer electronics and appliances.
If production costs are higher due to this change, production costs will be more than offset by producing iPhone 16's in India
iPhone 16 Pro Models to Be Assembled in India for the First Time
Apple is making the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in India for the first time this year as it looks to diversify production beyond China,...
www.macrumors.com
where labor and production costs are much lower than in China
Chinese wages were US $1,197.32 per month in 2019 while India’s were US $115.31 per month as of 2014, according to Take-profit. More specifically, the average cost of manufacturing labor per hour was $0.92 in India and $3.52 in China for 2014
These Countries Have Cheap Manufacturing Costs
Having cheap manufacturing costs is a marker of these countries.
I would be interested to know if the phone can retain the same level of water resistance capability after going through a non-professional battery replacement. I’m guessing not. I would personally rather have it done by a professional if it ensures that the device stays equally water resistant after as it was before.
Did you forget that you just wrote: "I can't imagine being excited to beta test a small fraction"?
Yes. Yes you did.
Except ChatGPT has hundreds of millions of active monthly users so...
See your point not being as good as you thought it was.
The EU is forcing Apple to innovate 😊
If production costs are higher due to this change, production costs will be more than offset by producing iPhone 16's in India
iPhone 16 Pro Models to Be Assembled in India for the First Time
Apple is making the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in India for the first time this year as it looks to diversify production beyond China,...
Pro models.
non-pro models are higher volume. MR article specifically says "Apple's mention of an easier to service battery is only in the iPhone 16 press release, and not in the press release for the iPhone 16 Pro, so it is not clear if all models have the same battery-related changes. Apple did, however, change the thermal design in both models, with the changes described during the keynote event."
Can't wait to hear from Gruber why "this is bad"
His blog may as well be an Apple exec Alt account at this point
His blog may as well be an Apple exec Alt account at this point
I wish EU would have required easily removable battery replacement. Just slide the back cover off and swap out the battery like ten years ago with the Android phones.
This isn't innovation.
Innovation requires two things:
1) Take something existing and find new uses or combine existing things into something new
2) (Economic) success from the above changes
Easily replaceable batteries isn't a new use case and it certainly won't bring economic success to Apple.
Nope, I didn't forget, but what you said doesn't really address that. People can be upset that Apple is being punitive. EU users are still coming out ahead here.
Again, not a rebuttal to anything I said. Plenty of things can have a ton of users and still be utter trash. See Facebook.
Nope, still seems pretty good to me.
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Yes, but customers should have this kind of freedom if the manufacture doesn't want it.
The regulations are stupid. No government should be able to force these things which don't have to do with safety.
Good to see the EU actually doing something good for the consumers. Can't wait to see how apple gets slapped for their "compliance" with DMA on app store/payments, etc. Good to see the DOJ stepping int too, and we'll likely see similar cases in other jurisdictions as well.