iFixit Drops iPhone Repairability Score to 4/10: “Atrocious Limitations”

Tsing

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iFixit has announced that it is retroactively dropping its repairability score for the iPhone 14, changing the score from a welcome 7 ("recommend") to a much lesser 4 ("do-not-recommend"). According to a news post that the repair parts seller and how-to site shared yesterday, iFixit is doing this because of Apple's move to systematic parts pairing, something that has led to what the company describes as "atrocious limitations" for individuals and independent shops who wish to make their own repairs. Aftermarket parts are said to be unusable thanks to a quietly introduced software handshake, which only passes with Apple-authorized parts.

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I have replaced batteries on phones in the past. To be honest, in my mind it is more about prolonging use of a device for enviromental issues, not some love of older devices.
Last phone I changed the battery on I had to destroy the glued glass back, changed it for a plastic back. Things are only getting worse. Forget it, I ain't even trying anymore, recent phone change I did trade in ( all glass, no substitute back I found btw, battery life was meager), hopefully it wont be in a landfill. Not everything can be trade in, so whatever. From now on out of warranty, whatever happens, shiny new phone it is, I hope for 2 plus years, but I will help with the growing landfills no problem.
Repair ability needs to be a government mandated issue at this point. It will never be a ' free market' solution, because it makes no sense profit wise to do so.
 
Peter_Brosdahl said:
Well, it's a ways off but there is this:

www.thefpsreview.com

EU Passes New Legislation That Will Require Mobile Device Manufacturers to Have User-Replaceable Batteries by 2027

As the EU passes this new legislation it is expected that some manufacturers will apply for extensions as the deadline nears.
www.thefpsreview.com www.thefpsreview.com
Click to expand...
F*cking awesome!!!!

Peter_Brosdahl said:
The EU did manage to play a factor in getting Apple to begin switching over to USB Type C so the above has a chance and it'll include all manufacturers.
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Indeeeeeed. And yeah it's fantastic that Apple was forced to switch to USB-C.
 
Pretty sure Apple's approach on the first "non flagship phone" was just a bandaid as the speeds on the USB-C port on the phone isn't any faster than the Lightning port it replaced. Not that the speed was a selling point on forcing Apple to use USB-C in the first place.

Just more or less pointing out that they did what they could to make the USB-C port on the phone.

As for reparability. I hate this whole new (well it's been like this for a while now) replace it when it breaks B.S. on nearly everything we buy these days. Gone were the days of stuff lasting a long time. Gone were the days of DIY repairing/fixing things so it lasted nearly forever from your perspective.

I hate replacing a phone. I only replaced my Pixel 3 XL because the screen finally cracked and the battery was already showing signs of not lasting as long as it used to. I had to charge it mid-day if I used it. So the phone can probably still be fixed relatively easily, which I will probably bring it to a place here soon to have them replace the screen and see what they can do about the battery just so I have a good, backup phone.
 
DrezKill said:
Indeeeeeed. And yeah it's fantastic that Apple was forced to switch to USB-C.
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They are pretty **** close to just going totally wireless anyway. Not sure this is such a big win really. As Leroy points out - they put in the absolute minimum effort to meet the requirement.

That said, if the phones weren't a thousand freakin' dollars, I wouldn't mind them being more or less disposable every 2-3 years. But that's too much money to have to replace something that often and me have a clear conscious about it.

At least a computer, or a car, or something else - it has good resale value, and age doesn't significantly affect it's use or performance. But with the glued in battery on a phone ... yeah, after that battery starts to go...

Now, granted, there is a "repair program" to just replace the battery. But there's also all the wear and tear of a glass object that mainly lives in your pockets all day to consider too. And sure, there's a "repair program" for the glass too... but by the time you do glass and a battery, your almost in it for a new phone.

Kinda like they planned it that way.
 
It'll be ironic though if Apple does go wireless, and I agree that it probably will, makes perfect sense, but still has to adhere to regulations allowing user-replaceable batteries.
 
Peter_Brosdahl said:
It'll be ironic though if Apple does go wireless, and I agree that it probably will, makes perfect sense, but still has to adhere to regulations allowing user-replaceable batteries.
Click to expand...
The only thing they need is the "courage" to drop the port. Apart from some of the odd dongle things out there (like IR cameras), there is nothing any longer that absolutely requires a physical connection. And even those dongle things could probably get upgraded to wireless if Apple wanted to take a notion to do it.
 
I think regularions cover the ability to charge and nothing else. Apple chose to make the port's capabilities a differentiation point between phones by castrating it.
So be it.

As far as wireless data connections well that could be nice if theres no latency issues of course.
There might be a day when between your phone and connected computer services, you'd eliminate all devices, and just work with different size screens and connected wirelessly would be preferred for convenience.
Not that Im in love with the as a service aspect they are going to shove us with but whatever.
 
I imagine apple making a user replaceable battery that has integrated wireless charging and no charge port. Making the batteries like 500 bucks to replace just because they can.

Or something equally slimy as integrating more logic to where the battery is everything other than the display and external chassis. Then you can charge whatever you want for a new battery. Make it a few hundred less than a new phone, and call it job done.

Battery old and slow... for just 800 dollars you can get a new battery with the new M2 processor for mobile!
 
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