Slashdot Mirror

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

Another option would be to build my own, with a switch. I found instructions on installing Alexa on a Raspberry Pi. It sounds like it does all the control stuff, but doesn't do the DRM audio. So I couldn't use it to play Pandora or Spotify.

https://pimylifeup.com/raspber...

Not sure why it didn't link directly to the iFixit article, but here it is:

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/208552/Where+do+I+buy+the+capacitors+for+a+MacBook+Pro+logic+board

Compare them to the Samsung ones, which use a standard coin cell and are relatively easy to replace when the time comes. They got 6/10 on iFixit, not great but better than the 0/10 that the AirPods got.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

Compare them to the Samsung ones, which use a standard coin cell and are relatively easy to replace when the time comes. They got 6/10 on iFixit, not great but better than the 0/10 that the AirPods got.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

You can buy any part you want but don't install it yourself if you want to keep the phone waterproof... that's the problem with letting the average consumer buy parts, they will on average break more than they fix (at least for something as compact and delicate as a phone).

Right to repair laws aren't mostly about people wanting to do the repairs themselves. It's about wanting to take it to your local repair shop instead of the factory authorized shop that charges 3 times as much. Just like in your own link where the top rated answer is from a local repair shop that can do the work.

I don't think you disagree with me as much as you think you do...

I probably did not make it clear enough but I do support third parties being able to get official repair equipment and parts from Apple as well. I am totally fine with that.

Where I differ is I think it should remain OK for products to possibly be difficult to service, because you are shutting out a lot of design priorities by making it easier.. in fact there is a risk you are making it MORE likely products will break down more often by having shirt sighted design choices. As it is, in Apple's case at least all of the devices are recycled anyway so who cares if they are harder to fix? I'll take that tradeoff for the devices generally lasting me 2-3x longer than any other electronics I have owned.

I can buy any part I want, and for a long time lead the way in water proof phones.

You can buy any part you want but don't install it yourself if you want to keep the phone waterproof... that's the problem with letting the average consumer buy parts, they will on average break more than they fix (at least for something as compact and delicate as a phone).

  I'd still rather err that way, but it does have downsides.

"What is it about Apple's gadgets that forbids mere mortals from looking inside?"

Nothing. Even without the law being passed, you can get the pentalobe driver, open your iphone, replace parts which 3rd party versions (if you know what you are doing), and close it up again. This law is forcing manufacturers to continue manufacturing parts for products they no longer produce, for 7 years.

Funnily enough iFixit's list of hard to repair smartphones is topped by a bunch of Android devices: https://www.ifixit.com/smartph... The Samsung s10 scored a 3, the iPhone XS scored a 6, higher score means more repairable so in iFixit's opinion the iPhone is more repairable than a shit-ton of Android devices. I suppose it is time to grab the pitchforks, light up the torches and burn iFixit HQ do to the ground for spreading heresy.

Yes, but does Google lobby against right to repair laws as Apple apparently does? I honestly don't know. Difficulty of repair due to poor design choice (intentionaly or not) isn't the same as actively lobbying the government to prevent people from repairing their own devices.

A string of Android device manufacturers like Samsung for example lobby against right to repair laws.

"What is it about Apple's gadgets that forbids mere mortals from looking inside?"

Nothing. Even without the law being passed, you can get the pentalobe driver, open your iphone, replace parts which 3rd party versions (if you know what you are doing), and close it up again. This law is forcing manufacturers to continue manufacturing parts for products they no longer produce, for 7 years.

Funnily enough iFixit's list of hard to repair smartphones is topped by a bunch of Android devices: https://www.ifixit.com/smartph... The Samsung s10 scored a 3, the iPhone XS scored a 6, higher score means more repairable so in iFixit's opinion the iPhone is more repairable than a shit-ton of Android devices. I suppose it is time to grab the pitchforks, light up the torches and burn iFixit HQ do to the ground for spreading heresy.

Yes, but does Google lobby against right to repair laws as Apple apparently does? I honestly don't know. Difficulty of repair due to poor design choice (intentionaly or not) isn't the same as actively lobbying the government to prevent people from repairing their own devices.

"What is it about Apple's gadgets that forbids mere mortals from looking inside?"

Nothing. Even without the law being passed, you can get the pentalobe driver, open your iphone, replace parts which 3rd party versions (if you know what you are doing), and close it up again. This law is forcing manufacturers to continue manufacturing parts for products they no longer produce, for 7 years.

Funnily enough iFixit's list of hard to repair smartphones is topped by a bunch of Android devices: https://www.ifixit.com/smartph... The Samsung s10 scored a 3, the iPhone XS scored a 6, higher score means more repairable so in iFixit's opinion the iPhone is more repairable than a shit-ton of Android devices. I suppose it is time to grab the pitchforks, light up the torches and burn iFixit HQ do to the ground for spreading heresy.

You don't have to pay Apple's prices to upgrade RAM, you can buy the chips yourself. The process to get to the ram slots is somewhat involved, but you can also just have Apple install the ram you bring them.

The thing is the RAM the iMac Pro uses is not cheap (2666MHz DDR4 ECC / PC4-21300), so you'll be paying a lot regardless of the path you take. For instance an iFixit RAM upgrade kit to 128GB is $2,000.00. To reach 265GB you'll need four 64GB memory chips... and probably best not to use the cheapest ones. Crucial does not even list chips that will work with the iMac Pro...

Really?

Smartphone microphones are deceptively tiny nowadays. Sometimes the only reason you know they are there is because of a small hole.

They can be surface mount, literally a mm or so, and not at all obvious as being a microphone (but if they aren't being deliberately hidden, they likely have acoustic-friendly surroundings, like plastics funnels and shields around them).

That was the mic on an iPhone 4, for instance:

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

You have now reached the point (actually a while ago) where technology is so tiny, pervasive and cheap that you don't actually have a clue what is in anything any more. You can get spy cams that you can barely tell are cameras - so tiny they rival anything that Hollywood ever featured in a tie-pin. And you can buy them for next-to-nothing from a thousand Chinese sites.

Nobody knew this thing was there because either a) nobody looked or b) nobody who looked ever saw it.

Now consider that almost everything gets teardowns, repairability ratings, reverse-engineered, etc. nowadays... it's unlikely that nobody ever looked.

2010 Macbook Pro? The battery is child's play to replace (~5 min) compared to Crapple's more recent products...

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/M...

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/i...

One of the first steps suggests heating the phone up gently to melt the adhesive on the screen.

iPhone 6S Battery Replacement in 3 minutes (Easy Method) by JerryRigEverything

None of the steps tell you to heat the phone - maybe because he doesn't want to sell you overpriced heat-your-phone equipment.

Headphone jack
Replaceable battery
Decent performance

Pick any two.

You can still have all three with the iPhone 6S and IOS12.
Replacable, but not swappable : https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/i...

Later models are a bit more challenging due to the waterproofing and thermal adhesive.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/i...

One of the first steps suggests heating the phone up gently to melt the adhesive on the screen.

This is a ludicrously complex process designed for no other reason than to rip customers off. It doesn't matter if the battery is only secured with adhesive strips if you have to risk breaking the phone to replace it.

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/i...

Still $29. Even less on Amazon.

Yeah. Amazon.

Where you can be over 90% SURE that you are getting a BOOTLEG "Genuine Apple" Battery...

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/i...

Still $29. Even less on Amazon.

For the vast majority of parts in a smartphone that is totally impractical, that's why nobody does it.

Except for the parts people do repair/replace in smartphones (the battery and screen) which at least the latter Apple has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to block 3rd party repair. But the fact is that this behavior also extends to Apple laptops and desktops where they try, as much as possible, to integrate as many components into one board and then require authorized dealers to ship whole components (so CPU, RAM, and storage if there's a motherboard problem) first before getting replacement to remove the risk of any possible repaired components circulating outside their control.

So, when "vintage" time comes, there aren't a lot of after market stuff except from salvaged systems or 3rd party components. That's, of course, Apple's right. It's just obviously sucky behavior to control and corner the market as much as possible on stuff that, until this announcement, they absolutely refused to do anything about except sell you a newer model. Can you imagine if most other PC repair shops were under all the constraints I mentioned? Is it any wonder that Apple is the biggest target of 3rd party "knock-off" components, given there's basically no "official" new components in the wild?

For example, have you ever seen the Motherboard for the MacBook Air? Without oodles and gobs of custom silicon, that product would NEVER have existed!

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/M...

List of impressive smartphone innovations:

- Skyrocketing prices for marginal incremental improvement

In lock step with Samsung's Galaxy and Note releases.

- Devices costing $500-$1000 dollars lacking user replaceable batteries

And the Samsung Galaxy 8/9 are any better? At least I don't need to nuke or otherwise heat my iPhone to replace the battery.

- Removal of widely used physical interfaces for self-enrichment / courage

I don't know about self-enrichment, but I can agree it's annoying. It does save on space and thickness.

- Artificially low amounts of internal persistent storage completely out of whack with current technology coupled with refusal to provide SD expansion

However, refusing to provide SD expansion allows for waterproofing.

- Crummy battery life

Just a touch less than Samsung's without the flaming pocket problem.

- Phones so thin they snap like graham crackers in your pockets

I guess if they thickened them up a little, they could easily beat the battery life of the competing Samsung? But this hasn't really been an issue with most since the iPhone 6 Plus model. So this is purely an aesthetic issue.

- Lack of usability / physical buttons

I guess with Samsung selling a similarly priced flagship that people are just flocking to Samsung? Wait, Samsung's losing money because they're not selling as well. I guess this is a personal taste issue as well.

- eSIMs

Is this a bad thing? I'm seriously asking here. They still take SIMs IIRC.

- Locked bootloaders, operating systems and carriers

Yay, yay, and no

- Preloaded to the hilt with malware

Keep up the good work.

Give Google a break, they're trying very hard to only ship their own adware!

Your analysis could be spot on, except ... some people don't use earbuds (like me - I only use wireless headphones) and then earbuds' antennas are usually outside. Case in point: Apple AirPods Teardown - check out step 9.

iFixIt gave it a 1 out of 10 repairability rating too.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

The keyboard is riveted to the top case. The battery and a few other bits are also glued to the top case. The SSD is soldered in so data recovery and replacement is practically impossible.

The touch ID sensor, which doubles as the power button, seems to paired with a security chip too. So if it fails you may need a new logic board just to fix the god damn power button.

To be fair, Apple's relatively new APFS file system is designed to speed up file file copies using a technology Apple calls Instant Cloning. But a win is a win.

Some research turns up that:

the technology used in the new cloning feature makes it easier to store multiple versions of a file in a minimum of space

In other words, the files weren't copied. A hard link (similar to a shortcut for you Windows users) was created. The whole story is an error by non-techie journalists who noticed something wildly odd in their test results, and rather than spend 30 seconds researching it online like I did, decided "it must be because it's Apple!" and published it. The reality distortion field is alive and well.

Apple has been using Sandisk NAND lately as a bid to try to reduce dependence on Samsung. Both Sandisk and Toshiba SSDs (also used frequently by Apple) regularly benchmark slower than Samsung SSDs.

I've an uncle who was an appliance repairman. He explained that the manufacturers deliberately build and design the components to be non-standard. Then they'll get a patient on the part so that 3rd parties can't build them. Then they raised the price for the parts to be so high that it's often cheaper to buy a new item then to fix the one you have.

This is why, he explained, that my parents had the refrigerator they bought with their house for 30 years while my brother was on his third in 15 years. When I showed him 3D printers he went to a tech school and is now a machinist.

I'm fine with the manufacturers requiring authorized repairs while the item is still under warranty. But once that warranty is out then it should be repairable by anyone. What I hope will happen is that open communities like https://www.ifixit.com/ will continue to flourish.

(get a real spudger, guys)

But from where?

https://www.ifixit.com/Search?...

Microsoft has a program for refurbishers, because everyone's understanding that the OEM software license survives any number of private party sales is wrong.

He literally is competing with a Microsoft program, how can he be surprised that MS went after him?

Funny how other phone manufacturers don't seem to have the "phone shuts down when it is cold" bug that Apple had and was the excuse to throttle old devices.

Also funny Apple didn't just have a message saying "Your battery is worn out. Please visit an Apple store for a repair. In the meantime you may see lower performance".

Posting as AC to avoid undoing mods.

You are a either a moron, or are willfully ignorant.

Do about 2 seconds worth of Googling, and you will see EXACTLY this issue for EVERY phone OEM, including the supposed "bulletproof" iPhone 4s and 5.

But Samsung, LG, HTC, et al., ALL have multiple reports of "sudden shutdowns" when battery charge is in the 50% or lower range, and/or the phone gets cold.

Here's some random examples:

https://us.community.samsung.c...

https://us.community.samsung.c...

https://forums.androidcentral....

https://thedroidguy.com/2016/1...

https://www.ifixit.com/Answers...

https://www.reddit.com/r/lgv20...

https://forums.androidcentral....

https://forum.xda-developers.c...

https://androidforums.com/thre...

https://android.stackexchange....

https://discussions.apple.com/...

http://iphone-tricks.com/tutor...

https://apple.stackexchange.co...

So, it appears that Apple actually found a REASONBLE software fix for an INDUSTRY-WIDE problem.

Their ONLY "sin" was in not being clear about the fix.

FYI most recent Mac clones have soldered memory chips and HDDs as well. If you don't like it get another laptop with replaceable RAM.
Dell XPS 13 - https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow... - Buyer beware: Just like in the MacBooks Air and Retina, the RAM in the XPS 13 is soldered to the motherboard, and cannot be replaced. When you're picking out your new laptop, configure what you think it'll need...forever.
Asus Zenbook - http://gearopen.com/gears/insi... - 8GB (!!!) soldered
etc.

Lies. Look at this guide to replace an iPhone 8 Plus battery: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/i...

Two screws, then you have to remove the display (!) which is _glued_ in. They recommend a hairdryer to soften the glue prior to removal, and caution that removing the screen destroys the waterproof seals. There there are bunch more screws and cables, and the battery is stuck down with adhesive too.

It's by no means easy for an ordinary, unskilled person to do.

I don't see how this is targeted at Apple iPhones. Every iPhone made to date has a battery that is replaceable not just by independent repair shops, but also by end users themselves equipped with cheap kits from places like iFixit. For $25 (5 less than the temporary reduced price from Apple for battery replacement) I get everything I need to replace my iPhone 6S batter in this kit, and don't have to deal with the hassle of getting to an Apple store, scheduling appointment, having them tell me battery is not in stock and to come back, etc.

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/i...

Some previous discussion: Without their needed displays Pebble was doomed — December 2016

The thesis in this thread was that Pebble fell victim to a single-sourced display technology, which was contested a few posts later. But supply issues can be complex, and available replacements unsuited in form factor, process, or price.

If it really was death by supply chain, that explains a lot about Fitbit consuming the carcass rather than resuming the company.

Pebble Teardown — March 2013

At this point, the display is a Sharp Microelectronics memory LCD.

Did some critical vendor actually go tits up?

In any case, my old Pebble is still on my wrist, functioning as a vibrating pill timer and I'm not presently in the market for something less open, but with more bling.

Say your Google flagship Pixel phone is broken and you want walk-in repair. You can visit one of those locations. There are fewer of those than Apple stores, so good luck finding a location near you.

The problem with Android is the illusion of choice. You thought you had choice because there are so many phones to choose from when buying, but in reality the ecosystem is so fragmented such that there is no economy of scale to sustain the customer service infrastructure. Using the wrong part for repair is a worse risk for Android because there are too many models.

Furthermore, iFixit repairability score indicates that while scores for 2016 models are comparable between Android and iPhone, several Samsung phones got much worse in 2017.

Let me know what else you are wrong about so I can correct them for you.

I'd agree if Apple didn't try to make it impossible for users to change their battery!
Making the thing hard to open, gluing everything inside, charging $90 for swapping and putting too small batteries in their phone is ground to sue alone.

Liar, Liar, Hater Liar.

Battery Replacement: $79. Do try to keep up.

iFixit praising Apple for NOT using GLUE to hold batteries down in recent models, unlike Samsung, for instance.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/i...

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/S...

I'd agree if Apple didn't try to make it impossible for users to change their battery!
Making the thing hard to open, gluing everything inside, charging $90 for swapping and putting too small batteries in their phone is ground to sue alone.

Liar, Liar, Hater Liar.

Battery Replacement: $79. Do try to keep up.

iFixit praising Apple for NOT using GLUE to hold batteries down in recent models, unlike Samsung, for instance.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/i...

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/S...

Is that possible?

Yup.

What functionality will it have left when the protocol for communication with the phone changes in a few years?

Where's this talking point coming from? You can still sync a first gen iPod with iTunes. You can still use USB devices made at the dawn of time.

Wrong. See here

Looks like I can spend $20-$25 to replace my iPhone 5S battery at iFixit. The extra $5 is if I want a complete replacement kit as opposed to just the battery. I don't know why you're complaining about not being able to change your own battery when it's fairly inexpensive to do so.

Most modern super-thin phones and other devices are glued together in such a way that it's difficult or impossible for even a fairly careful, experienced person with small nimble fingers to get them apart without destroying some expensive component, usually, the screen/digitizer/glass assembly.

Sorry but that's just flat out wrong. The vast majority of modern phones are easy enough to disassemble for even a first timer with the right tools (which are often delivered in a kit with replacement batteries).

IFixIt has a good rundown on repairability: https://www.ifixit.com/smartph...

Of note is that the only popular high-end smartphones that are an issue are those with fancy curved edges on the display or glass all over front and back. iPhone generally rank quite well, and even many of the devices that rank poorly don't get their rank from difficulty of replacing the battery, but rather general construction of the rest of the phone. Glue isn't really an issue, most of them weaken with just a basic and very safe amount of heat applied, and in the kits you'll get a fresh gasket to re-glue your device together.

Your assessment of the tablets is right though. The glue and large surface of the screens make them especially easy to crack.

$29.99, and under an hour of your time. You might even find tinkering with your device fun!
Not worth your time? Find a local phone repair shop and they'll do it for $50-60.

The batteries come with the tools. Step by step instructions here: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/i...

You can skip taking off the screen, so it's only 4 screws and a couple pieces of adhesive to pull. It's about as simple as anything inside a modern device gets.

Oh, and iFixit also rates the iPhone on par with many Android phones in terms of repairability: https://www.ifixit.com/smartph...

I see this sort of sentiment is in preparation for when iPhones catch fire and you can point to Samsung and say "no no, Apple is fine because Samsung had an Android phone that caught fire".

This is the problem with fanboys (well actually the sheer idiocy of defending a corporation and/or product is a problem itself): it's all well and good to rip on your "enemy" but then as soon as your favourite company stoops to that level you're happy to be shit so long as somebody else is equally shit too.

So if Samsung released the Shit S10 or Google released the Shitxel 3 you'd be quite happy to shell out your $1000 for a iShit, because hey, Android manufacturers released shit too!

And basically this is entirely invalidated by designing the phone such that the battery is not user-replaceable.

Apple designed a device that will intentionally run slower without the end user paying someone else to disassemble the phone to replace parts. Given the cost to service an older device weighed against the cost of a new device, a lot of users are going to opt for the new device, especially if they don't realize that the reason the phone is operating poorly is because of the battery.

This throttling theory has been bench-marked and debunked: https://www.futuremark.com/pre...
MacRumours even featured a discussion of the above benchmark report: https://www.macrumors.com/2017...
What he is describing there is a declining benchmark rating as the battery charge is diminished. That could just as easily be a bug in the power managment system as some grand conspiracy.

Oh, and iFixit also rates the iPhone on par with many Android phones in terms of repairability: https://www.ifixit.com/smartph...

Because Samsung actually makes their own products, and Apple GIVES AWAY every last bit of their research because they can't make their own.

I'm sorry but I did miss the Great Apple Giveaway that they had at Apple HQ last week where every one of their competitors go to take all the research they could carry. Basically none part of what you said is true because the secretive Apple I know isn't above suing people to prevent their research from getting out. I seem to recall them firing an engineer recently because daughter posted a video taken at Apple HQ of an iPhone X prototype. That's the secretive Apple I know.

Also, are you sure Samsung makes all of their own products? You mean for years they didn't say buy processors from Qualcomm, displays from LG, memory from Toshiba, etc.

Outsourcing manufacturing fails every, single, time. You give away your technology, teach others to make it, and then get yourself toasted as they figure out how to make it better, cheaper, faster, or just copy it so they don't have to pay for an R&D budget

Yes because Samsung has never outsourced a single product or component to another country or company, ever. Oh wait, they have. You can open any Samsung product and see this.

Because Samsung actually makes their own products, and Apple GIVES AWAY every last bit of their research because they can't make their own.

I'm sorry but I did miss the Great Apple Giveaway that they had at Apple HQ last week where every one of their competitors go to take all the research they could carry. Basically none part of what you said is true because the secretive Apple I know isn't above suing people to prevent their research from getting out. I seem to recall them firing an engineer recently because daughter posted a video taken at Apple HQ of an iPhone X prototype. That's the secretive Apple I know.

Also, are you sure Samsung makes all of their own products? You mean for years they didn't say buy processors from Qualcomm, displays from LG, memory from Toshiba, etc.

Outsourcing manufacturing fails every, single, time. You give away your technology, teach others to make it, and then get yourself toasted as they figure out how to make it better, cheaper, faster, or just copy it so they don't have to pay for an R&D budget

Yes because Samsung has never outsourced a single product or component to another country or company, ever. Oh wait, they have. You can open any Samsung product and see this.

You'd better hope nothing goes wrong. According to iFixit the Surface is glued shut and is very difficult to repair.

https://de.ifixit.com/Store/Parts/Galaxy-S8-LCD-Screen-and-Digitizer/IF355-001-1 Galaxy S8 LCD Screen and Digitizer $299.99 (without repair).

A junk phone that is pretty much completely unrepairable? iFixit score of 1: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

Locked bootloader, no headphone jack, no MicroSD slot, zero repairability... the Essential Phone is lacking a ton of "essential" things.

Lower the price all you want, I'm not buying this piece of shit.

CR typically doesn't get a big enough sample size (from its subscribers during their annual survey) for a single product within a single year to generate a reliability score within a statistically significant confidence interval. Consequently, they use a multi-year sliding window average of reliability to build up sample size. This has the unfortunate effect of conflating different year models, but the operating premise is that a brand's attitudes towards quality and reliability stays more or less consistent.

By pre-announcing that they're not going to recommend Microsoft Surface this year, they're basically saying the product's reliability in previous years was so low that even if the new model turns out to be 100% reliable in their survey, its multi-year sliding window average will still be so low that they can't recommend the product.

You can see this in action in their auto reports. In deference to their subscriber base (who is typically clueless about statistics) they won't throw around terms like confidence interval and standard deviation. But some of the less-popular cars will have an asterisk saying they have an insufficient sample size. Even if they do have a big enough sample size, I actually prefer the sliding window method (with decreasing weighting the older the data is). It avoids the situation where with the new year, everyone's slate is wiped clean. If you have a history of making crappy products, it makes it harder for you to pull yourself out of the pit you've dug yourself into.

Personally, I really like the specs of the Surface of Surface Books. But I won't touch them for the simple reason that they're impossible to repair. If you're gonna buy one, make sure you get a multi-year extended warranty with it.

CR typically doesn't get a big enough sample size (from its subscribers during their annual survey) for a single product within a single year to generate a reliability score within a statistically significant confidence interval. Consequently, they use a multi-year sliding window average of reliability to build up sample size. This has the unfortunate effect of conflating different year models, but the operating premise is that a brand's attitudes towards quality and reliability stays more or less consistent.

By pre-announcing that they're not going to recommend Microsoft Surface this year, they're basically saying the product's reliability in previous years was so low that even if the new model turns out to be 100% reliable in their survey, its multi-year sliding window average will still be so low that they can't recommend the product.

You can see this in action in their auto reports. In deference to their subscriber base (who is typically clueless about statistics) they won't throw around terms like confidence interval and standard deviation. But some of the less-popular cars will have an asterisk saying they have an insufficient sample size. Even if they do have a big enough sample size, I actually prefer the sliding window method (with decreasing weighting the older the data is). It avoids the situation where with the new year, everyone's slate is wiped clean. If you have a history of making crappy products, it makes it harder for you to pull yourself out of the pit you've dug yourself into.

Personally, I really like the specs of the Surface of Surface Books. But I won't touch them for the simple reason that they're impossible to repair. If you're gonna buy one, make sure you get a multi-year extended warranty with it.

The Galaxy S5 had a headphone jack that was waterproof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Here's the part on its own

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/P...

You can see here - the jack is encapsulated in plastic which is cunningly designed so the wires pass through but water does not.