I would think that as long as a battery is replaceable, it should suffice to meet environmental requirements.
Specifically regarding the iPhone, with the current battery replacement cost being under $100, I find it difficult to understand this being such an issue where an entire continent needs to make a rule against the design.
But I understand some people just want the ability to fix their own shit without having to bring it in for service. And I know this isn’t just about phones but nearly everything that has a battery.
So glad to see the Apple fans here aren’t a bunch of blind yesmen. With an R&D budget the size of Apple’s I am sure theres a way to figure somwthing out.
Especially since waterproof phones with replaceable batteries already existed. They aren’t exactly working from nothing.
They exist but not at this thinness. That’s an important difference.
I don’t think anybody really cares about an extra half millimetre of thickness, especially if it means that you can save hundreds in replacement costs and extend its life by a few years. Nobody’s buying an iPhone and busting out the calipers to compare it to their previous phone.
I care. This thing’s already thick and heavy enough, and I don’t particularly care about popping the back off my phone to replace a battery. It’s like…once every two years that I have to replace it.
You also start running into usability issues. There’s only so thin a phone can be before it’s less of a phone, and more of a blade that’ll bend if you sneeze at it wrong.
Happened with the iPhone 6
