[pavlov]

Non-replaceable batteries is one of Apple’s saddest legacies. They invented this design for the iPod, and carried it over to the iPhone. Eventually it was copied across the industry.

Before June 2007 every mobile phone had an easily replaceable battery, except some extremely niche “design phones” like the Nokia 7280 [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_7280

[epistasis]

This is weird framing, because I have replaced about four batteries on iDevices. Two on my own, and two at a corner-store repair shop.

I'll gladly take the daily convenience of sturdier, more durable devices over the once-every-two-years convenience of a battery replacement with less labor. It's an excellent design trade off, IMHO.

[pantalaimon]

I never had durability issues with the phones that had replaceable batteries. It was only with those devices where the battery wasn’t meant to be replaced where they would not go together as nicely as they did before the battery change.

[epistasis]

I guess my point is that at least for iDevices, the batteries actually are replaceable. You just need to have a few extremely cheap tools, and a small amount of skill. Or just pay somebody else the $10 who already has the skills.

Calling them non-replaceable makes people think these devices are far less repairable than they actually are. And with the prevalence of phone repair shops, we really need to stop calling them "non-replaceable."

Certainly they can't be swapped out on a daily basis. But that's a very very different use case.

[samatman]

Cool, as long as we're doing anecdotes, I would constantly drop my flip phones and have the battery spring loose.

On one of those drops, the tiny plastic hinge holding the door on broke, and that was the end of that flip phone. It wasn't a popular enough model that I could find a replacement door online.

[asutekku]

You did not answer the question, but started an Apple rant.

[pbhjpbhj]

I think it's allowed to respond to someone else's post without answering their questions.

[asutekku]

Yes, but it should somehow relate to the original post.