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Apple Explains Why It Won’t Make iPhones With Replaceable Batteries
(www.inverse.com)
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this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
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It’s always amusing when people who aren’t engineers assume something must be simple to make. Please show me a Nokia phone that was as thin as a current iPhone, with auto focusing video cameras (aka moving parts), and had a user-replaceable battery. I’ll wait. Samsung’s galaxy phones caught fire because they tried to make it just as thin ~~with a user-replaceable battery~~ (leading to short circuits), so that’s yet another thing you have to prevent in your hypothetical “it’s easy!” phone. Oh and it has to be rugged enough to withstand multiple drops like current phones AND not lose any of that thinness.
Edit: okay the galaxy battery wasn’t replaceable but you still need to make higher tolerances in a user-replaceable item to prevent that, meaning it cannot be too thin for safety reasons.
The Samsung note 7 that had the exploding battery issues wasn't a removable /swappable battery, so you're wrong. That whole phone was as glued together as iPhones of the time.
Such a weird take.
Good point, but that still supports my overall point; you’ll need higher tolerances to prevent shorts and fires which means you need thicker casings. A user-replaceable battery has thicker battery cases and connectors compared to devices where the battery isn’t accessible.
Look at laptops for a similar story; making batteries user-inaccessible allowed them to shed thicker casings and instead fill more space when they weren’t constrained by a user compartment and casing and need for easy-detachable connector. Going back to a user-removable design in the exact same size case means slightly lower capacity batteries, which customers don’t want as a trade off.
By your standard then, Apple already has user-replaceable batteries.
Now you’re moving the goalposts. Apple gives users the same tools to open the case and swap the battery that they give to their own stores, and predictably people still complain regardless.
Dude, Apple uses pull-tabs; their batteries aren’t practically fused to the phone’s chassis like Samsung’s.
This isn’t Reddit, we are actually nice to one another here rather than make stupid taunts.
Sigh, again it’s amazing how non-engineers assume this must be so easy and they’re condescending to boot. The iPhone 14 pro has a much bigger battery than the Samsung Galaxy S5, which was a benefit of miniaturizing other hardware and removing other circuits. Apple could make a phone with removable battery but then you’re talking about going back to a 2014 sized battery with hours shorter battery life. Basically erasing all the gains of the last 9 years. You think Apple should go and build a removable battery anyway and give up their lead and stay behind Samsung, who isn’t making battery swappable phones?
I know you think Apple is being intentionally sadistic and making phones of this design just to piss you off, but surveys show almost nobody swapped their phone batteries. Apple found an engineering advantage. And since you’re being a jerk on Lemmy, blocked.
I don’t even get why a removable backplate is necessary when the battery is a ‘once every 2 years’ replacement. Why would I want my phone’s entire design to be compromised for a replacement that my phone will probably only see twice, maybe thrice?
Plus, hot-swappable batteries would carry the risk of people replacing batteries and just tossing away the spare like garbage. At least now, the procedure is restricted to businesses and people who probably have enough sense to recycle the battery.
Lol want a picture of my electronics system engineering degree?
Want my CV that includes 7 years working for an electric motor engineering and automation company/firm and 6 years experience with professional electronics repair?
Need a reference to my last employer, who i setup/managed to be the first authorised Apple repair partner in province?
Although outdated would you like my previous certifications from Samsung, HTC, and LG for electronics repair?
I'll provide my engineering credentials as soon as you do as well. Seeing thats your major claim here little man.
Keep sighing and shilling for a multi-billion dollar compnay that employs top level engineers and designers, who rather cut cost in manufactoring to skirt laws and consumer ease of repairability?
And just to add, i think all manufacturers should have easily swapable batteries in their mobile devices.
Fuck outta here with your bullshit assumptions.
Which Samsung phones with replacable batteries caught fire? Picture unrelated.
No, it can't be done. The iPhone is as thin as it is because the battery cover is glued to the battery. Take away the glue and it just can't be that thin (or at least, if it was that thin it would be too weak - you'd probably snap the logic board by just putting it in a pocket - sometimes phones get pressed against your leg and legs are round).
Being "good at engineering" doesn't change the laws of physics.
Those Nokia phones were not waterproof. Also, I'm pretty sure they were thicker.
An o-ring only works if the battery cover is rigid enough that it will not flex at all even if, for example, you drop the phone in cold water rapidly cooling the battery cover while the internals stay warm for a minute or two.
The battery cover will change size slightly with the temperature change and no screw can be strong enough to stop that. Covering the entire battery cover in glue and attaching it to the battery though.. that will eliminate the movement.
Perhaps Apple can find a water proof battery. But there's no way they can keep water out of the battery compartment while being user serviceable.