[jader201]

I think this is the root issue many people have been complaining about for years: Apple’s obsession with “smaller”.

Many people would be happy with a larger phone, if it meant you could access it a little easier to repair it — or replace the battery, which most people wouldn’t consider a “repair” — yourself.

[windowsrookie]

Apple has made every new iphone and MacBook pro larger than the last generation to fit larger batteries.

"Many people would be happy with a larger phone, if it meant you could access it a little easier to repair it — or replace the battery, which most people wouldn’t consider a “repair” — yourself."

Apple did just that, and you're still not happy. They made the new iphones larger with a bigger battery. They now sell you the parts directly so you can repair it yourself.

They have made it as easy as they can to repair, while still having the device sealed and waterproof.

They literally have done what you are complaining about right now.

[mynameisvlad]

Would many people?

The HN crowd, sure, but the general population?

I don't think they consider repairability and battery replacement, let alone put it above the device "looking good".

[thebigman433]

> Many people would be happy with a larger phone, if it meant you could access it a little easier to repair it — or replace the battery, which most people wouldn’t consider a “repair” — yourself.

I am pretty curious to know if this is true or not. The general HN or r/hardware crowds would be for sure, but I dont actually think the general public would find it a compelling "feature". Most people would probably buy the replacement battery directly from Apple anyway, and if theyre going to do that, I imagine most will just have them replace it too. Plus degradation is fairly minimal now imo, especially within the ~3 year span the average person keeps their phone. I think most people would just prefer to upgrade at that point.

Not to say I dont support user replaceable batteries (I think all phones should have them), I just dont think it actually matters at all to the average user.

[KerrAvon]

You’re conflating MacBooks and phones. Size matters for things you put in your pocket and purse, less so for something like a serious pro laptop.

[suetoniusp91]

Why are you stumping for less control over things you "own". Do you truly believe that the inability to access the phones battery is related to phone size?

Would it have to become a foot long clown phone to have a removable battery?

[halostatue]

It is completely related to being watertight, and that matters to me far more than user replaceable.

[munk-a]

Having an unreplaceable battery is not a requirement for watertightness - it certainly makes design easier but you can do both.

[throwaway48375]

My old phones with removable batteries fit in my pocket just fine.

[windowsrookie]

Your old phone doesn't get nearly the battery life of a new one. The iPhone 13 Pro Max will stream video for 25 hours on battery.

https://www.apple.com/iphone-13-pro/specs/

Also the new iphones are waterproof, your old phone was not.

[munk-a]

My old flip phone actually survived three trips through the wash before giving up the ghost - each time with minimal damage.

There are ways to protect devices from water without making the whole things unserviceable.

[windowsrookie]

That is the entire point here. iPhones are no longer "unserviceable". They are selling the parts so you can service it yourself.

What exactly is your complaint? That they are not as easy to service as your old flip phone? The modern iPhone has more computational power and technology packed into it than a full size desktop computer from 3 years ago. Modern phones are so much more than just a phone and will never be as easy to service as your old flip phone. No tech company will ever satisfy your complaint if that is what you truly desire.

[throwaway48375]

I don't see why battery life is relevant to phone size. My point was just that I don't mind a bigger phone. It doesn't matter to me. We got to the point that they were thin enough long ago. If they could add a few millimeters of thickness and have a phone with a battery that lasted 30 or 40 hours that would be preferable to me. Instead manufactures are obsessed with making thinner and thinner phones.

As for waterproofing I have never in my entire life ruined a phone by dropping it into water. I would still prefer removable batteries. It is a good trade-off in my opinion.

I am willing to concede that my opinions might not reflect those of the general public.

[tinus_hn]

Clearly not so many that it’s profitable to build that kind of phone. The reality is that a phone like the Fairphone, which is a fine phone, does show that down that road you end up with a pretty expensive phone that looks bulky, is not waterproof (even though it’s a great achievement it is water resistant) and uses suboptimal components.