Slashdot Mirror
Washington Bill Makes It Illegal To Sell Gadgets Without Replaceable Batteries (vice.com)
Jason Koebler writes: A bill that would make it easier to fix your electronics is rapidly hurtling through the Washington state legislature. The bill's ascent is fueled by Apple's iPhone-throttling controversy, which has placed a renewed focus on the fact that our electronics have become increasingly difficult to repair.
Starting in 2019, the bill would ban the sale of electronics that are designed "in such a way as to prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider. Preventing reasonable diagnostic or repair functions includes permanently affixing a battery in a manner that makes it difficult or impossible to remove."
Starting in 2019, the bill would ban the sale of electronics that are designed "in such a way as to prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider. Preventing reasonable diagnostic or repair functions includes permanently affixing a battery in a manner that makes it difficult or impossible to remove."
What's "reasonable"?
Passionately Indifferent
pacemakers? You really want to replace the battery in that? Yourself?
I cannot think of a single faucet of life, a human endeavor, or anything that we might seek to do, accomplish, or perform that isn't made better by legislation and governmental control and regulation.
This sort of legislation should be common sense. We should be far past the point where we quibble about having politicians telling engineers what to do - that should be already settled. And the tragedy is that while we wast time on these no brainers, we could well be legislating the core problems: mathematics and physics, human nature and belief systems. That's where there's real work to be done!
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) Nothing in this section applies to 30 motor vehicle manufacturers, any product or service of a motor 31 vehicle manufacturer, or motor vehicle dealers." Cars and tractors are still not included. Still got to go through the dealer for service.
Bye Bye Bose!
One of my favorites was LittleFuse fuses, in the Mouser catalog. They were little metal cans with two leads on the bottom. Replacing them meant unsoldering both leads, simultaneously, while pulling the slippery little can from the other side of the circuit board.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Littelfuse/0268005V?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsNIlwy3aAdUWh9r0twYGK%252bMKefF0AnsJE%3d
There was no good excuse for these things: I replaced them with ordinary leaded fuses every chance I got.
Yeah, good luck with that. "reasonable"...ie: politicians way of telling the unwashed masses, that we did something, but on the other hand giving a wink & a nod to their business buddies that "we slickered em again".
The last time this came up on Slashdot, the objection to forcing replaceable batteries was that having fixed batteries allows for unusual battery shapes and less concern regarding seals so that engineers can design thinner phones.
You know what? Not good enough. If it's so important to have such a thin phone, then the manufacturers need to be required by law to take back their product at the end of its life cycle and REcycle.
I'd argue this would be an expensive but good idea anyway, because 'the environment' isn't just a thing for tree-huggers, we all need it.
You're not smart enough to make an informed decision yourself!
You can't decide whether a completely waterproof design is worth having a non-replaceable battery!
We're the government! And we know what's best for you!
Now, pay a ludicrous tax on your soda, and no, you can't have a drinking straw!
Try easily replacing the battery in an iPhone, iPad, Kindle, MacBook, etc.
#DeleteFacebook
They did not think this through. There are so many products this will outlaw. Is a gadget anything with a battery? So cheesy musical greeting cards cannot be sold in Washington? Apple will just stop selling phones and iPads at retail stores in Washington. If this would even actually effect them. It depends on the definition of Independent.
Thinking.To myself. How do you aim to legislate THAT?
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Why does the government have to limit my choice?
"You can't buy something without a replaceable battery! WE SAID SO!!!!"
I want an iPhone that runs on AA batteries. It will run for days and recharge by just replacing the batteries.
I do miss the Nextel. On my desk I had a line of batteries and chargers. Just pop in a new one. Instant recharge.
-- Thou hast strayed far from the path of the Avatar.
So what I'm hearing is that the government should issue design parameters for products. That's stupid. People know what they're getting into when they buy a phone. The Government should have requirements around a lot of things like safety and radio interference, but I think they should stay out of areas like how you repair a device. This is a stupid law for stupid people.
Oh, *NOW* you want replaceable batteries when your precious iphone craps out. Where was this bill when the save files in my SNES cartridges started vanishing?!
Because American consumers are no longer functionally capable of not consuming. They can't speak with their wallets and simply not buy an iPhone, that's too hard.
If having a non-replaceable battery was key to making devices waterproof, why do the majority of action cameras have replaceable batteries?
Normally I'd oppose and regulation like this... but I laugh because these companies have been abusing their dominant position, and karma finally caught up to them. Apple's nit-wit user base buys "ethically grown coffee" and is willing to pay a premium for it, but their fanatic fan base doesn't give a crap about the working conditions in the supplier factories where human rights abuse and sexual abuse is abound (yah, not the MeToo kinda 'sexual assault' where a old fart made a stupid comment about your low cut tank top, like actual sex slavery and sex trade). But since Apple preaches from the high on-high pupit of Green in the Church of AlGore, certainly the would not be opposed to this regulation, correct? They are a green company after all, it says so on their web site.
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Hey, Slashdotters, stop bitching about "reasonable". The US Constitution uses the term "due process" for the 5th and 14th amendments. Yeah, wish that were a little less vague, but it kind of works.
...
It does?!?!?
Tell that to the US citizens "unmasked" after the Obama administration turned the NSA and the FBI into Hillary!'s campaign worker bees.
The G4 Play also has room for dual SIM (and not the small crap Apple needs in their phones), MicroSD and the removable battery. I wonder why the flagship phones cannot fit those when they cost 5 times as much...
Normally I am not all about passing all kinds of additional laws, but we should have the right to repair our own devices, especially if we are capable of doing it. Apple is not the only bad guy here. I can name ZTE, LG, and Samsung as also guilty of this.
His every whim becomes law!
If the phone is not repairable, it's part of the service. It should not be sold. The phone service (cell phone provider) must provide it for free, and replace it whenever it fails to fully function. Sort of like the way things worked in the old Ma Bell days. And with everything being stored in the cloud these days, is there a need for any more than cache storage in the phone anyway?
Love the WA idea, but won't go far. Right-to-repair is nothing new, and in the US is a non-starter at the state level due to lobbyists and Commerce Clause lawyers. If passed, the WA law would last maybe 6 months before some judge strikes it down for reaching into federal regulatory territory. You don't have a Constitutional right to repairable stuff - just to buy more.
"...Original manufacturers of digital electronic products sold on or after January 1, 2019, in Washington state are prohibited from designing or manufacturing digital electronic products in such a way as to prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider. Preventing reasonable diagnostic or repair functions includes permanently affixing a battery in a manner that makes it difficult or impossible to remove...."
None of the phone makers do this. As it is now, their batteries are not permanently affixed, nor are they difficult or impossible to remove. You can see this for yourself by the copious self-repair videos on Youtube.
So. What does this bill accomplish?
In addition, all it does is require manufacturers to make available manuals, parts, etc. to independent repairers for the same price as made available to its own outlets. What prevents the manufacturer from charging $1M for the manual?
These pieces of legislation are pointless and just symbolic.
https://www.catphones.com/en_us/compare-phones/
or
https://www.fairphone.com/en/
But they are just not dominating the market. My workplace actually uses the CAT phone due to it s resistance to colder weather, and I would not recommend it to anyone outside of outdoorsy/construction types. And even then, an otterbox does wonders for most phones. All that ruggedization takes its toll on usability.
Are Ink cartridges next? Come on, HP/Cannon/Brother et all, cannot seriously think those things cost that much to make.... Shall we make it illegal to create a printer that detects third party or refilled cartridges and refuses to use them?
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
I also have a waterproof "action" camera, but it doesn't make phone calls or get email.
Its almost as if the design of them are different, and the camera isn't concerned about size nearly as much.
Why does the government have to limit my choice?
"You can't buy something without a replaceable battery! WE SAID SO!!!!"
Why does the government have to limit my choice?
"You can't buy rat poison in a can labeled Nutritious Food! WE SAID SO!!!!"
Hopefully laptops are included too.
I agree that all devices should be repairable (by the end user, even!).
But this should not be law.
It should be up to the customers to decide what devices they want and with what features or anti-features.
Because innovation is always a trade off: want a slim phone? Well you'll have to sacrifice some durability to get it etc..
So it should be up to the customers to decide what a good trade off is.
Still believe that shit? Get lost!
I'll second that. My waterproof Camera has a replaceable Battery AND SD card !!! And a bunch of cable access ports (USB etc).
It's simply equipped with a Waterproof Door !! I carry several batteries with me to swap during the day and charge them at night.
Same with my waterproof Watch -- the back screws off and has a gasket. Which I have to open every 8 years to replace the battery.
Other things that have difficult to remove batteries:
Laptop battery modules (not just Apple's, but every manufacturer)
Electric hand tools (drills, saws, etc)
Rechargable battery packs (think ANKER)
Electric shavers
That little BB-8 remote control toy.
It's not that the batteries are glued in those devices, but sometimes you can't even open them without destroying the case. Many times, they just have a plain old 18650 in there anyway.
AC is right, you know.
Psst, maybe they ARE speaking with their wallets and simply want an iphone with non-replaceable battery because 95% of the general population doesn't give a flying fuck.
What's needed is a set of standard batteries, to be able to independently buy/replace batteries from any vendor. The batteries of the LG G3 and LG G4 are basically the same (same voltage, same amperage), but the form factors differ by a millimeter or two, making them impossible to exchange.
Cars and dealer only software what will this bill do to that?
It took me about 15 minutes to replace an "unreplaceable" iphone battery and the kit came with all the tools for 25USD.
It's fine if you don't like it. Just don't buy it. Why are Americans so bent on needing laws to prohibit anything they don't like even if they're not subject to it?
Also note, this law does nothing to the auto industry. My understanding from all the voices chattering on about owners' rights is that they're the prime offenders. So why is this getting high praise? A phone with a reasonably replaced battery and all the tools needed to do it for less than the cost of a single month's cell plan versus highly inflated parts prices (due to monopoly abuse) plus minimum mechanic fees for an object that costs tens of thousands of dollars.... I wonder who was bought here.
Still believe that shit? Get lost!
Oh, and for some silly reason you believe UN Ambassador Samantha Power somehow had a legitimate reason to unmask US citizens picked up by warrantless wiretaps?
Not even a nice try, you Thalidomide-brained shithead.
It's an obviously valid safety issue. This is a necessary correction for deficiencies in the market.
Now, if only we can get real reset buttons on our computers again. And the old disk activity light wouldn't be a bad idea either.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Why does the government have to limit my choice?
"You can't buy something without a replaceable battery! WE SAID SO!!!!"
Because the motherfuckers manufacturing the products aren't willing to give us the choice.
You think assholes like Exxon would stopped producing leaded gasoline if the government didn't force them to?
You think assholes like Ford and GM would have stopped building cars that needed leaded gasoline to run properly would have done so without being forced to>
> Why does the government have to limit my choice?
To protect everyone else who is not an idiot. That's why.
I feel sorry for you that the stupid government doesn't allow you to buy toasters that burn down your house. Or drugs that poison you. Or foods that make you sick. It's such a shame really. But if you put your mind to it, I'm sure you can find ways to burn down your house, poison yourself or make yourself sick despite the nanny government trying to protect the rest of us from being f***ked by corporations.
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
" the bill would ban the sale of electronics that are designed "in such a way as to prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider." Would that include all the Home Theater equipment out there that is designed to be thrown away, not repaired? I have been repiaring audio gear for over 40 years. Since the advent of Home Theater scenarios, most of the junk available is not worth repairing, even if it CAN be repaired. Will that be covered under the bill?
We're looking at you.
Have gnu, will travel.
Why does the government have to limit my choice?
"You can't buy something without a replaceable battery! WE SAID SO!!!!"
Why does the government have to limit my choice?
"You can't buy rat poison in a can labeled Nutritious Food! WE SAID SO!!!!"
Lame straw man is lame.
A straw man is a common form of argument and is an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not presented by that opponent. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man".
The typical straw man argument creates the illusion of having completely refuted or defeated an opponent's proposition through the covert replacement of it with a different proposition (i.e., "stand up a straw man") and the subsequent refutation of that false argument ("knock down a straw man") instead of the opponent's proposition.
This technique has been used throughout history in polemical debate, particularly in arguments about highly charged emotional issues where a fiery "battle" and the defeat of an "enemy" may be more valued than critical thinking or an understanding of both sides of the issue.
Why do I get the impression elementary school was the best decade of your life? I bet you felt so proud to be the only fifth-grader driving to school. You didn't have to ride the bus or have your Mommy take you!
Your Mommy still makes your lunch and brings it to you in the basement, though. And that makes you SOOO HAPPY!!!
My left shoe is smarter than you are.
Here's the thing. Lots of ideas sound good (or bad) on paper. Yet we often don't really know how they will turn out unless they get made. If you want proper, tested ideas, they have to have a chance to succeed or fail on their merits.
We also need to be mindful that good ideas can get replaced by better ideas. The BlackBerry was a good idea. The smartphones that came after and displace BlackBerries were a better idea. Yet I can come up with list, relevant circa 2005, explaining why the BB was superior.
Cars and dealer only software what will this bill do to that?
Nothing. There's a specific line in the bill exempting automobiles from these rules.
with Apple, they're having their lawyers outlaw iPhones. Even that won't save Microsoft's phones even though they're hiring now, and my roommate just got an offer from them. They can't compete fairly, and since they're now run by the lawyer Brad Smith, they use lawyers.
All mass produced electronics products should be designed to be disassembled, recycled, re-purposed. That we don't have an international commitment to this is sufficient proof our species deserves extinction.
...but c'mon. Nanny-state much? CAPITALISM, people, depends on the consumers to 'drive from behind' basically.
Ultimately, as consumers, we have a CHOICE. Call it an economic vote, if you will.
If you buy a phone with a non-replaceable battery, that's YOUR decision. If you're surprised by that, you didn't even do the simplest amount of thinking about your purchase. If you're not surprised by that but you don't like that, shut the fuck up. You bought it. You validated that company's design choice.
If you don't like it, buy another phone. There are still many out there. The more people who make that choice, more mfg will be incentivized to provide such models.
-Styopa
The calculator I ordinarily use has a solar battery that I'd have no ability to replace at all if it ever died (never mind the fact that I will probably die before the battery does)... is this bill suggesting that such devices would not be legal to sell anymore?
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
I hope the Bill points to "repair function list", and also the benefits.
E.g
The state environment/consumer agency will publish the "repairability function list" for specific gadgets.
Mobiles phones: (Repairability functions)
- Battery
- Screens
Laptops:
- Battery
- Memory slot for upgrade/replace
E.g Kitchen Blender:
- Motor
- Jars
- seal rubber.
General principles and reasons for the change, and advantage for environment and consumers:
- Replaceable of high-failure high-breakable components helps reduce the chances of those gadgets ending up in "garbage pile" wasting rare-earth, metals, accumulating toxins without extracting all the "value" from the device.
- At the moment Battery/Screen tech does not last to the life other components of the phone. The list may change as techology matures on different components.
So, tell us how nonreplaceable batteries burned your hose down, poisoned you, and made you sick. That's got to be a good story.
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
To translate this, "American consumers don't do what I want them to do."
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
On the one hand, being able to get a battery for a product that is no longer being manufactured e.g. 3DR Solo quadcopter would be a good thing. On the other hand, legislation like this means that nobody will be able to make any money on batteries except the manufacturer of the cells which could mean that nobody will make replacements for something like the 3DR Solo quadcopter because you can't make any money on them.
Sticking it to the shit-co's
Starting in 2019, the bill would ban the sale of electronics that are designed "in such a way as to prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider. Preventing reasonable diagnostic or repair functions includes permanently affixing a battery in a manner that makes it difficult or impossible to remove."
You realize this would make something like a pacemaker technically illegal under this wording...
There are some things you don't actually want anyone but the manufacturer messing with. (Phones not among them obviously)
Well, if you get so mad that you can't replace them that you bite one, it can do all three.
When someone says, "Any fool can see
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...
My understanding is tax law is written such that electronics are expected to be replaced every three years. If a battery can last that long (my iPhone 6s did), I'm not sure how this could be enforced.
If you want a phone with a replaceable battery, then buy one. The non-replaceable battery of iPhone is a well-known design decision. My opinion is the government should stay out of this.
"Who are you?" "No one of consequence." "I must know." "Get used to disappointment."
Yeah, those things are just like buying a functionally better product that doesn't come apart and let you change the battery.
Shut the fuck up you shrill, hysterical twat.
While I don't think we should just give automobiles a pass, that needs a lot more thought in a complex and quickly changing design space. If nothing else, the energy contained in the batteries makes cars and motorcycles meaningfully different than cell phones. Consider the reasonable tools requirement: requiring a torque wrench for a phone is clearly bullshit, but to properly torque retaining bolts for a ton of batteries in a car makes sense. Similarly, battery packs in a car should have some pretty well thought through fire mitigation techniques, which may be cast in place.
Phones with replaceable batteries are still on sale today, but most people don't realize it because they are usually a bit bigger and therefore are very unpopular. This is a thing everyone seems to ignore every time we talk about phones with batteries that can't easily be replaced: You have a choice already, you made it, claiming you were ignorant of your options does not justify a law to take away the option most people prefer. And yes, most people do prefer phones with batteries that can't be replaced because they don't like the bulky replaceable batteries.
Slashdot is always full of people saying we should vote with our wallets. We did, replaceable batteries lost.
For my older phones I would always have 2 spare batteries on hand and it was SO CONVENIENT.
Yes! Require replaceable batteries!
"we have to make it thinner"
This is what happens when the people who writes laws don't understand engineering or the concept of unintended consequences. I'd have to live in Washington state if this passes
This is DECADES too late. I've been livid about it for decades, as have other people not mired in selfishness. Those people mired in selfishness include most of our elected leaders and virtually all corporate executives. This bill probably won't pass - for the usual reasons - and even if it did it only affects ONE state of ONE nation. It needed to be a global prohibition in place decades ago.
So if you want a replaceable battery.... buy a phone with a replaceable battery. How hard is that?
I hope this passes because I don't live in WA and I want to laugh at the fallout. Will Apple design a whole new iPhone just for one state? If so perhaps they'll just make it twice as thick. That would be fun.
Or just stop selling it there? I don't know what the expected result is, but I doubt reality will match anybody's expectations.
I'll also be curious to see how many other products are caught in the crossfire. Medical devices? Safety devices? I have tools with non-replaceable batteries. There will be a whole new class of illegal products.
You, sir, are an excellent shill. You present a credible sounding argument. However, the flaw in your logic is that the cabal refuses to sell or allow to be sold smart phones with replaceable batteries.
Further, the 4th century BC invention of the "gasket" is all that's needed to seal a battery compartment.
If there is one thing I want my government deciding, it's product design. /sarcasm
When it comes to gov't interference in products I want 3 things... 1) Make sure it's safe. 2) Make sure it's fit for purpose. 3) Don't allow companies to prevent me from doing whatever I want with their product.
When I say "make sure it's safe" I don't mean "make sure idiots don't kill themselves using it." I don't need a sticker on the back of my phone saying "warning, do not attempt to eat this device". I mean I want them to set guidelines to make sure products aren't designed in such a way that they pose unnecessary risks during normal use.
And the fit for purpose part, all I ask is that companies aren't allowed to advertise something that a product doesn't do. If I buy something advertised as a toaster, it better toast things.
#3 is a a fine line where regulation like this may be of some use. No, I don't want the government telling Apple they are required to make the batteries on their phones replaceable. What I do want them to do is require Apple to sell the tools and parts necessary to replace such things, if they are able to be replaced. Again, a fine line. They should not be required to make parts replaceable, but if they are replaceable they need to make the parts (and tools) available to the end user at a reasonable cost.
Good. This should have been a thing along ass time ago.
Like PS3 controllers. iPads. iPhones. Caveat - with a user replaceable battery.
Removable battery, microusb, headphone jack, even a stylus+display. Best part? In-order 8 core processor, so no spectre vulnerability (still has trustzone/android spyware/integated cellular modem, so it's not really user-data secure.)
Point being: Plenty of phones are out there that offer exactly the features being discussed. If more people bought them, the market would trend that way. But most people are social trend following sheep, and those non-removable battery phones are needed for their social and personal validation in life.
Personally I only carry a prepay without sim card in case there is a 911 level emergency, but most people it has become a technological crack substitute.
Very hard. That's why we're bitching. I need an S7 Active with a removable battery. You cannot get one anywhere. The choice isn't between an S7 with a removable battery and one without, it's one without or not a god damned thing. Now your response will be: but Huwei has the S2000 Cheapfuk edition so get it. That's not what I want. I want an S7 Active. I'm wanting a Corvette and you're telling me to buy a Chevette because they're both 'vettes.
You wanna know how I know you're a rabid, ill-educated conservatard?
1) You want to disagree and sound smart about whatever so you post a link as "evidence". As per conservatard rules though, you didn't even fucking read it. It was even in the second phrase of the first goddamned sentence. A straw man argument is changing the subject. What argument did the second poster replace and then attack from the first poster? The argument is still government limiting your choice. At best you might argue false equivalency but even then you'll have to prove those aren't equal.
2) You're a hypocrite. You play the logical fallacy card and then immediately use an ad hominem which is probably the most well known of the logical fallacies. The louder you conservatards scream about something, the more the rest of us know you're guilty of doing that exact thing.
3) You view the "left" side of anything as the inferior hence the line "My left shoe is smarter than you are" which is your attempt at an ironic insult. This is an old religious thing about the sinister and all that bullshit. Jews and Muslims also love throwing shoes as insults. So not only do I know you're a conservatard, but you're an old fucker as well. Surprise surprise.
Lame conservatard is lame
This is what hiding behind the flag looks like...
We the People: "Can you make your tractors serviceable?"
John Deere: "Draconian rules! You're removing my choice!"
Later...
We the People: "Can you make your phone batteries replaceable?"
Apple: "Draconian rules! You're removing my choice!"
What about them? The government didn't dictate those design decisions. I own 5 and every one is different. All the gov said was make em spill proof, not build it like this.
You knew that though, you just wanted to bitch.
I dunno what the hate is, I replaced the battery on my iPhone 5S a couple times. It was relatively doable for something that you'd only do once a year at most. Are Androids even worse?
My biggest grief is trying to find a battery that I had confidence in... unfortunately, in Canada, the options are even more limited than in the US. I would have gladly paid $15 for an Energizer or Duracell branded replacement battery than the random $8 generic I got from eBay.
It is YOU, the people, who have agreed, that WE want to force corporations, who have a track record of almost exclusively trying to fuck us over, to stop that shit or go to prison.
This is what democracy means. Literally! That's the whole damn point.
The corporations just got you convinced that YOU organizing TOO, is an evil thing, because you're supposed to be THEIR livestock, not have your own lever to exert power and keep a free market. Because they actually *despise* nothing more than the free market and democracy. As it doesn't let them make a profit without any moral or rights limitations.
If this is not how your country's rule works, then it's not a democratic government, but an oligarchy of people that are your enemies.
In which case, it's time to kick ass and banish assholes.
Hope that isn't your new year's resolution:learn two stupid legal things each day
The most common source of failure in today's electronic devices (connectors) is rather nicely solved by gluing 'em in. Microsoft's new tablet is unrepairable, and while I don't like that, I understand it is a reasonable option (still). Stuff made like that is less expensive and more reliable, but one sacrifices repairability. Why can't that choice be left to the customer?
Many notebook/laptop manufacturers thought it would be a good idea to hide their batteries so that a total disassemble has to be done to replace those, or memory, or pretty much anything, I hate those types of repairs. So kudos to Washington for finally tackling this issue. Maybe even tablets will be easier to repair.
Then iPhone XI must have a removable battery That is why rumours says iPhone X end of life
It's just Washington state. What a disappointment. It will probably only result in residents having to buy phones exclusively online, and will mean nothing at all for the rest of us.
The S5 was 8.1mm thick. The S8 is only 8.0mm thick! So there!
I had the S5 and it was pretty great to have a couple spares and pop those batteries in and out. Besides being waterproof, it also had removable mSD card, wireless charging, and the back was nearly unbreakable plastic, but if it somehow broke you could replace it for a few bucks. My subsequent phone, the Note 5, has an extremely fragile glass back, glued on and terribly hard to heat and pry off, and you very much risk cracking the back in trying to replace the battery. It's also become pretty hard to find guaranteed non-counterfeit replacement batteries. It has no mSD card, and is not at all waterproof. Most of this "progress" I believe applies to all subsequent and current high end Samsung phones.
Not generally a fan of legislation like this, but in this case the corporate moves are so cynical I think it's warranted. I think "reasonable" would mean no more tools than a screwdriver and anyone who can turn a screwdriver should be able to get the battery out and back in in less that one minute. This is true of the overwhelming majority of the myriads of other battery powered devices with replaceable batteries.
As a Libertarian, I shouldn't like this bill ..... but I do.
So, if someone violates this law in Washington state and sells an electronic product without a replaceable battery, what sort of punishment is appropriate? Hanging? Imprisonment for 5 years? For 25 years? Life, no possibility of parole?
Or to put it in different terms: is it about as serious as parking without feeding the meter? Bank robbery? Mugging? Drunk and disorderly? One count of first degree murder? Bribing a legislator to introduce well-intentioned but stupid-ass legislation?
These are not rhetorical questions. I really want an answer from those who advocate this law. How serious an offense do you think this is?
And a question for those who oppose it: if you were on a jury in such a case where the defendant was clearly guilty, would you vote to convict or acquit?
There's no time like the present. Well, the past used to be.
There are many reasons that I love Seattle, and some other parts of WA State. Just one more reason to add to the list!