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Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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Unpopular opinion for this probably, but the majority of people don’t care or want to repair their own phones. On this forum, yeah, probably, but majority of people would rather just go sign another contract and get a new one or have insurance on it.
You're correct, of course, but these types of communities tend to be occupied by people outside of the mainstream who care more about these issues. Also, I think it's important people have the freedom to repair the technology they own even if the majority of people will choose not to, having the ability is still important.
Also keep in mind that when phones are designed for repairability, there's less chance of a slip-up when it is being repaired, even by a professional, and the process can also be much faster, which I think everyone is probably happy with.
Indeed. It also reduces the cost to do the repairs, which is good for everyone.
I agree with you but I think the reason these things aren’t more popular is because the majority of people don’t care. Companies want to make money so usually they’ll make products for the larger group of potential customers.
Just because the majority don't, it doesn't mean we shouldn't
All I’m saying is it takes money to make stuff. A small, niche product is harder to justify unless it’s a hobby.
For the companies, it's usually a case of weighing how much adding the feature will cost vs. how much they'll expand their market by adding it. For Fairphone, their whole schtick is that their phones are repairable and upgradeable, so in this case it's that they've determined that there's enough demand in the U.S. market to justify the cost of entry, as they've already added the features. In this case, the majority of people will probably not purchase a Fairphone, but that's not their goal, they occupy a market niche.
... I dunno. Screen replaceable with 8 screws? it's always the easiest thing to damage. Same with the USB C port. That was the only reason I swapped out from my original pixel last year.
Also depending on how easy that battery is to remove... that's an audience right there. Throw in an external charger, now you have swappable batteries. That's been a feature many have missed.
A repairable phone doesn't mean you have to repair it yourself. It also means you can get it repaired quickly and cheaply by a local tech compared to other phones, and especially compared to buying a whole new phone.
I feel like the majority of the people care about price/performance more than anything. Paying more for a lower spec phone isn't appealing. Replaceable batteries are nice but it doesn't matter if the battery has 80% of the capacity in the first place.
EU says: You can have both! Great capacity and replaceable batteries. Brussels effect says: Anywhere in the world!