Death By Planned Obsolesence: If Apple Won't Even Allow Phone Repairs, What Hope For Earth?

[hatrack]

In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley writes of a society in which recorded voices subliminally prepare babies for their future role as consumers. “I do love flying, I do love having new clothes,” they whisper. “But old clothes are beastly. We always throw away old clothes. Ending is better than mending. Ending is better than mending.” Huxley depicts a dystopia. But the slogans he describes might equally apply to common products today.

Before Apple, everything was interchangeable. Sure, every phone had its own special part, like different cars. But now, each year, Apple is changing its design on purpose to make it harder for us to fix them.” That’s Nicholas Muradian from the repair company Phone Spot, talking about the serialisation of components for the new iPhone 12.

The latest iteration of Apple’s flagship product can’t be repaired – or, at least, not without using the company’s expensive proprietary service. That’s not uncommon. Some manufacturers now build with special screws or glue parts together, specifically to prevent home maintenance. Others simply don’t provide the basic components that would give their products a longer life.

EDIT

If we want to reverse the ecological catastrophe engulfing our planet, we must refocus attention on what is produced and how. By tinkering in their garages, the hobbyists who take apart electronic devices exert a skerrick of agency over the gadgets churned out by multinationals. And that’s all to the good. In an increasingly fragile world, we need more — much more — control over production. We need conscious choices which resources we use and which we don’t, instead of letting giant corporations do whatever makes them the most money.

Obviously, we are not going to end global warming just by repairing our iPhones. Yet if we can’t even do that, what chance do we have? Last year tied with 2016 as the warmest ever recorded. In the era of catastrophic climate change, it’s very clear where ending over mending leads.

EDIT/END

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/17/ending-over-mending-planned-obsolescence-is-killing-the-planet

[Siwsan]

1. I took an older iPad to an Apple store, just to get a new battery. What a waste of time.

I will say the guy I talked with was kind and actually a little apologetic about the fact they didn't service older products. They wouldn't even run a diagnostic. It was my late sister's tablet. Fortunately I had backed up a lot of the photos she had on it.

Full disclosure, I'm no fan of Apple products. I think they are far overpriced, and this "Planned Obsolescence" (which the Apple employee admitted to) really spoils the whole company, for me. I have an android Moto cell phone, an HP lap top and a Galaxy tablet that work just fine, for me, and all 3 combined cost far less than an iPhone.

I still have the iPad and did find a place that said they might be able to get it up and running, again, but I'm in no rush.

[MiHale]

4. Try this place for the iPad...

https://www.ubreakifix.com/

Online you can answer a few questions and see if they can fix it. Need to know the model of iPad which is on the back of the pad.

Good luck

[Siwsan]

5. Thanks!

[piddyprints]

7. You can buy iPhone batteries online.

Watch a YouTube video to see how to do it. My husband has changed the batteries on most of our Apple products. It takes a whole lot more skill and nerve than I have, but it can be done. We were able to prolong the life our iPhones by a few years just by changing the batteries. I think the batteries themselves were in the $20-30 range, including tools.

We changed the battery in both our MacBooks about a year ago as well.

I still have my original 2006 white MacBook running OS Tiger. It still works, but I had to buy a newer one because the updated versions of the programs I use were no longer compatible with it. I've had my current MacBook Pro since 2015. I have never had a Windows computer last that long. But with the prices constantly redefining the "ridiculously expensive" range, I don't know if I'll replace this MacBook Pro. I mean, the fancier iPads cost what MacBooks used to cost.

[Siwsan]

9. Interesting.

Truth be told, I've just never been impressed with Apple products because of their price and what for me is a lack of flexibility. The only reason I had the iPad is my late sister's husband thought I'd like to have it. It was ok to use but my Galaxy tablet is compatible with my other equipment.

My brother is just the opposite with laptops and phones. As far back as I can remember, it's always an Apple product, for him.

[Tiger8]

17. Same here. Replaced the battery and charging port.

I repaired mine and its good to draw a pic of the inside, then tape the screws onto it according to where they came out. Also, have a bright light and magnifying glass available.

The cheap replacement parts I bought on Amazon work perfectly. I was hoping to squeeze another year out of my iPhone 6. That was almost 2 years ago. I've used my iPhone every day for 6 years....dropped it several times, been in water, and temps ranging from below zero to over 150 degrees.

[piddyprints]

39. We bought a magnetic pad.

It has a grid drawn on it, so when you take screws out, just put them in the corresponding grid. And, yes, magnifying glass and bright light. My husband has a pair of glasses that do both.

Our iPhones have been through a lot as well. We do keep cases and screen protectors on them, though. Eventually, your iPhones won't be able to get iOS updates. But oh well. Unless you use a bunch of apps, they'll still be fine and work for phone calls and web browsing.

[Blues Heron]

3. The Apple attitude is "how does it look"

I think they got taken over by fashionista designer people. The engineers are long gone.

[mopinko]

8. i keep saying they have too many baby geniuses.

they need a few cranky old ladies like me on the team.
their accessibility function sucks eggs. for no reason. except that they didnt have some granny try to use her phone w/o her glasses.

i have a love/hate relationship w them. i always keep my shit a lot longer than they think i should, tho. i wasnt planning to get another iphone, but i changed carriers and got a new one for $300. there was a new model coming out in a couple months, so....

[speak easy]

18. Like the people who engineered a whole new chip

the M1, for Macs?

[Blues Heron]

22. I'm thinking the interface and the device design, not the chip

I was thinking more along the lines of the sleek but clunky and dumbed down interface and device design, not the chip itself. Obviously they have electrical engineers somewhere deep in the bowels of the company.

[azureblue]

28. nope

Apple has been about the integrity of its products, As progress continues, the components shrink and surface mounts of large scale IC becomes the standard. Miniaturization is a two edged sword - it means that it becomes much harder to replace components without risking damaging other components on a tightly packed PCB. You can't simply desolder an 88 connector IC without risking solder flowing on to other circuit traces. Apple uses first quality components for a reason. So Fix it yourself is quite difficult, and IC companies sell at least 3 grades of components, so who is to guarantee that the replacement components are up to Apple standards.

The only way to allow third party repairs is to certify repair facilities, and make sure they use OEM quality parts. I would use a third party repair shop to r&R the screen, battery, or ports, but only if I knew the parts they sue are Apple certified. I have replaced Android phone screens before and I learned quick to make sure you are buying top tier displays. There are factories that make low quality knock offs, and I had to replace one when it didn't work properly.

What is being ignored in the scare tactics, is that Apple recycles its products. Any and all. Apple is aware of the volume of electronic waste and is doing something about it.

[Blues Heron]

37. It's just dumbed down

They don't give you feedback on what's happening with your files, where are your files, make easy to get your files on or off your ipad or phone. Etc. It's as if files are unseemly to these fashionista designers.

They don't really even want you to have files. They barely acknowledge that files exist.

Planned obsolescence really sucks.

[Escurumbele]

6. This is not new, I remember that Compaq used to have special screws and they sold a screws drivers

kit to repair people. I used to repair my own computers and I remember that I always had issues with Compaq products because of that, so I stopped buying Compaq and I know it is easier said than doing it, but people should stop buying iPhones to send a message to Apple they are not going to put up with it.

We have the power, why do we succumb so easy to what they purposefully do to us? Why do we allow them to have the upper hand when in fact they depend on us, and not the other way around.

[Miguelito Loveless]

12. I still have my Compaq branded torx screwdriver

Was a Compaq tech back in the 80s-90s. In their defense, they were VERY well made, and servicing them (other than the silly screws) was a breeze. Also, there network management software was robust, easy to use, and included with the servers.

[Escurumbele]

36. True, they were good and solid, but the screws always screwed me up (pun intended :))

That is a relic that you have...I had the "portable" and that thing weighed a ton...with a small screen.

[Miguelito Loveless]

40. We called that model

the Compaq Luggable.

By the way, if you look carefully at the screws on an old Compaq, they actually had slots in the screw for a flat head screw driver, at least on the old beige DeskPro models.

[mac2766]

10. Android and Linux for me...

In my 20's and 30's I went through a period where I had a condition that is known as peripheralitis. I had to have the latest and greatest everything concerning my computers. I ended up spending way too much money, but it was a good lesson learned.

I know people who just have to have the latest i-whatever, and they'll spend whatever it costs to get it. A friend once bragged to me how he would lay in bed and watch a movie on his phone.

I'm an Android and Linux guy myself. Way less expensive, and the OS's do everything that I need or want them to do. I'm a happy guy these days not grinding my teeth until I get the latest thing. Of course, I am a live and let live kind of person so to each his/her own.

My smart phone rings when someone calls me. I answer the call and speak to the person on the other line. Heck... I even get text messages on my Android phone. In the 10 or so years I've owned a smart phone, I've had a total of 2. The first one was free when I signed up for my service. I believe the 2nd one was refurbished and I picked it up for about 30 bucks. I didn't even have to stand in line waiting to get into a building so that I could buy it. I simply selected it from a list of available phones and paid for it online. The shipping time was a real nail biter though (not). I could actually live without the thing if I had to. And if it were any more expensive, I would.

I do understand the compulsion that people have that drives their need to get the latest gadget. I used to be stricken with that disease. Thank goodness my illness lasted only a short period of time and I haven't relapsed. My wallet, and my wife, thanks me for it.

[Joinfortmill]

29. 👍

[George II]

11. Apple has been like that since they were first founded. There were two personal computer platforms..

...IBM and Apple. IBM had an "open architecture" and did not insist on proprietary parts, drives, power supplies, etc. Apple's was closed, all replacement parts had to be theirs.

That's why the overwhelming majority of computers are IBM, particularly in business. Parts could be readily replaced by 3rd party manufacturers, Apples had to be repaired by Apple shops, or simply replaced.

[speak easy]

21. Apple was not closed to begin with.

The Apple II was open architecture from 1977 on. Close architecture, and closed boxes, began withe the Macintosh. The first computer imagined as an appliance.

[Galraedia]

34. Apple actually tried to make it more open in the 90s when they were losing money

They started licensing designs to clone manufacturers and companies like Bandai for the Pippin video game console. There were also multiple attempts to create a standard architecture to compete with the IBM PC though the CHRP and PReP architectures created in collaboration between Apple, IBM, and Motorola. However, when Steve Jobs returned he scraped the clone program forcing multiple companies out of business and caused their own partner Motorola to lose millions from the unreleased StarMax 6000 as they no longer had a license to Mac OS. After that the Mac became more of a fashion statement and even more closed. You couldn't upgrade an overpriced power hungry Power Mac G5 even if the CPU would fit as the computer was tethered to the CPU speed it originally came with.

[speak easy]

35. Yes. I remember.

Then it was back to the future.

[George II]

38. That's right, the Macintosh was introduced so long ago that I forgot there were Apples before it.

[GentleAlien]

13. Was it not for IBM 'compatible' machines..

Computers won't have been as ubiquitous as they are today. Apple and other proprietary hardware were way too expensive for most people, inside and outside the US. IBM spurred mushrooming of a whole industry, while Apple insisted on always maintaining its own 'eco-system'. In a similar vein, while Apple can be rightly credited for introducing the first viable smartphone, it's Android that made it a global phenomenon (again, a much more open technology than the former). I guess some companies like to go it alone..

[Klondike Kat]

14. It's not just Apple, either

We use a mix of Panasonic Toughbooks and HP laptops at my place of employment. The Toughbooks are fine, but the HP ZBooks leave a bit to be desired.

First off, in order to make a connection to the internet you either have to use the internal WiFi, a docking station, or a USB dongle. Using WiFi to connect to our internal network is forbidden (there are good reasons for that which I'll not go into at the moment) so that means using either the docking station or the USB dongle. I should note that the docking station connects using a USB-C connector.

The laptop in question had a problem with the USB ports where it would not recognize any USB device inserted into the port - and I do mean "any". One of the troubleshooting steps is to make sure the drivers are up-to-date. In order to get the drivers you need to connect to the internet, but that was impossible because the only way to do it required the USB ports to function. The solution of "last-resort" was to remove the battery for 15 minutes (so all the capacitors had time to discharge) them reinstall and see if the USB ports worked (turns out that the "remove the battery" solution worked). However. in order to remove the battery you need to be brave enough to removed the entire bottom cover of the laptop. I'm not certain that your average user would be brave enough to try that and would end up needing to take the unit in for service.

Just my two cents.

[speak easy]

15. BS. More than BS, lies.

The iPhone gets a repairability rating of 6 from iFixit. The display and battery are readily accessible, the components modular. Samsungs get a 3.





https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+12+and+12+Pro+Teardown/137669

You average Android phone is obsolete in 2 years, (Samsung 3). An iPhone receives a minimum of 5 years full system upgrades.

[Tommymac]

20. Um, my wife has had 3 iphones in 6 years. All got fubared to some extent and had to be replaced

My latest androids (2 of them - same model) have been paid for for 1 years (got a twofer - 2 $1000 LG phones so $500 each) and on their 4th of pretty heavy usage. Battery's are still around 85%-90% of new performance; been that way for 2 years. No end in sight.

I remember owning an iPod that cost $250 and crapped out after 4 years. Had several MP3 players I paid $25 or so on Woot and they still work.

I work in the industry and have found Apple stuff hard to work on, difficult to support and quite frankly wayyyyyy overpriced for what you get.

But to each their own.

[speak easy]

23. Each to their own as you say.

I've owned two iPhones in 8 years.

Pricing is a favorite area for endless arguments, but in the PC world, people talk about paying more for faster processors. The iPhone has had the fastest processors by some distance, year in, year out.

There is one other thing of course - unless you root your android phone, the price is effectively subsidized by Google onselling your information. You can lock down a lot of privacy settings for 3rd party apps, but not from mother 'Don't be Evil' herself.

[Tommymac]

30. Honestly - privacy does not concern me that much.

I work in the IT security field. I am of the view that secrecy is power. When certain kinds of information are available to everyone, then it loses a lot of it's power.

And the privacy rules in the Western Democracies today are robust and strong - thank the EU for that.

Google can be thwarted with a little bit of effort if that's a concern. Quite frankly I could give a crap if someone knows I bought a new pair of shoes from Amazon or not. It's easy to clean cookies and opt out of targeted ads.

Yes there are criminals and governments that take advantage of some things, but that has always been the case. As we are seeing, Russia's efforts to interfere in US elections have been documented almost since they happened - it's getting the legal and political machinery to pay attention to them that is the real problem.

That's my last word on this topic, don't feel like descending into an endless Apple vs android debate. Both have their weaknesses and strong points - it really comes down to consumer preference.

Mine is for android, linux and the IBM Compatible architecture, but Apple puts out an overall good product too.

[speak easy]

31. 'Privacy rules in the Western Democracies today are robust and strong'

OK. We see things very differently. Thanks for your reply.

[DinahMoeHum]

16. The issue here is called Right To Repair. . .

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/23/climate/right-to-repair.html

https://www.repair.org/

[speak easy]

25. And Apple is not the only offender.

But what offends me is the OPs lies

"Before Apple, everything was interchangeable" - that is simply not true. Blackberry parts were not interchangeable between models, let alone with Motorola or Nokia parts.

[JohnnyRingo]

19. John Deere has made it illegal to work on their tractors.

By claiming intellectual property they insist that anyone accessing the onboard computer can steal company product secrets. Tapping into the system is required to diagnose and re flash the machine so proprietary equipment is required for access and repair. Equipment that is only available at the JD dealer.

So now when a farmer has to repair his tractor he can't take it to a local shop or do it himself. Instead, it has to be loaded onto a trailer and sent to a certified repair facility which may be a hundred miles away and wait their turn for repair.

Eventually, the cost of repair will outweigh the value of the tractor and the farmer will have to buy a new one. Right now I doubt that would be another Deere, but soon all tractors and cars will follow suit if they get away with it. Already Tesla is talking in the same terms.

[Blues Heron]

24. Apple is like a car company forcing you to buy a new car if you get a flat tire

[oldsoftie]

26. All this will do is make me NOT replace my Iphone with a newer one

[Joinfortmill]

27. Agree

[Woodwizard]

32. I don't buy apple products.

They have had a proprietary business model from the beginning of the company with software. PC computers and android phones work perfectly well.

My inexpensive Motorola smart phone does everything I need it to do.

PC computers are serviceable and easily modified with tons of software options.

[CaptainTruth]

33. I don't understand why people pay so much for phones. I only buy refurbished.

The last 64 gig Android phone I bought was still available new for around $500 when I bought a refurbished one for $150 on eBay. That's the most I've ever paid for a phone, the refurbished one a couple years before that was $90.

It didn't have a mark on it, I couldn't tell it had ever been used, it looked brand new. The key is picking a company that only sells refurbished phones & has thousands of sales & a high customer satisfaction rating. I've never been disappointed with a refurb.