Posted on 02/10/2010 7:43:13 AM PST by crosshairs
CUPERTINO, CALIF. (TheStreet) -- AppleNASDAQ" PRIMARY="NO"/> makes changing the batteries of new iPod models increasingly difficult by soldering them to the device's casing. Consumers would know this if they repaired such items instead of replacing them.
Apple's obstacles to repair and ToyotaNYSE" PRIMARY="NO"/> and Ford'sNYSE" PRIMARY="NO"/> recent spate of recalls highlight the deteriorating relationship between the buying public and the products it owns. Though Kelley Blue Book and Edmund's say the value of troubled Toyotas dropped more than 4% since recalls were announced, some consumers see replacement as a more viable option than addressing complex electrical and mechanical problems they know increasingly little about.
As cars, electronics and appliances become more intricate, their owners are growing less attached to them. In Consumer Reports' "fix it or nix it" survey, one-third of more than 3,000 respondents who experienced problems with TVs, appliances and other household products opted not to fix them.
"People's relationships with their cars in terms of their personal ability to figure out what's wrong with it has shifted quite a bit in the past 20 years," says Lena Pons, policy analyst for the Auto Safety Group of the consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen. "The most expensive piece of electronic equipment that people own is their car, and they all have proprietary computer algorithms that they use."
There was a time when a car buyer's independent mechanic would have dealt with such issues, but even they are becoming frustrated by the complexity of fixes. Because most cars' computers contain manufacturer-specific fault codes that trigger the growing number of dashboard alert lights, they can only be repaired through dealerships or through independent shops that pay $60,000 to $100,000 for diagnostic equipment that Pons says may only contain a sampling of the necessary codes.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
iPhones and batteries here... :-)
Good marketing technique...make everyone feel they need your product, but make it so they can’t fix them and have to buy a newer, more expensive one. Yeah, and then add a contract on it, just so you can use it.
"When Apple sealed up the first iPod in 2001 with a battery that you couldn't remove, they were sending a signal that they were not intended to be repaired," Magnabosco says. "I believe they want people to come in and buy a new one when the device isn't charging anymore."
Well..., if there was a "signal" -- it was one that no one received... LOL...
That hasn't stopped iPod or iPhone users from replacing the batteries. In fact, the last I heard, iPhone users get another iPhone to use, while theirs is getting repaired...
I think they put iPhone and iPod in the article or else no one would have bothered looking at the article on Toyota and Ford... LOL...
Everyone knows that Jobs is a crook, but few care. I suppose that we could say the same about Obama.
But in the lovely world of high-end, when I have a problem, I can call the guy who made my preamp and ask him what replacement tubes he recommends. Then I can order a set over the internet, and put them in myself.
I’ve got an iPod from back in 2005 and I haven’t replaced the battery yet. I don’t know when that’s going to happen... one of these years, I’m sure... :-)
And also, I’ve got the original iPhone, just a few days after it came out, and I haven’t replaced that battery either. I don’t see any signs of it wearing down either. So, once again, I’m sure I’ll have to replace it at some year in the future, but I don’t know when...
But, just to see about replacing those batteries (where are all these people that throw away the iPhone or the iPod because their batteries wear down? LOL...) — I looked up “replace ipod battery” and came up with a ton of links. I didn’t bother going through them, as I’m sure they’ll be there in another couple of so years, if I have to replace the batteries then...
This article seems silly to me. Sure, cars are becoming more sophisticated, but they are still machines. I haven’t noticed an increase in the number warning lights on dashboards. What has changed is that all of the parts are speaking to a CPU, which tells the driver exactly what’s wrong with the car (or at least narrows your options significantly).
In the case of newer cars, you don’t even have to hook your car up to a diagnostic device—a readable display tells you what’s wrong. Replace the part, fix the problem, then clear the code, and you’re ready to go. That’s no different than a 1950 Chevy, you’ve just made it easier by adding a computer.
I have a ‘99 Accord. Two years ago I got the check engine light and took it to Autozone, where they read the code for free. I looked up the code on the internet and found it was a clogged gas recirculation port. The dealer wanted $350 to fix it. Through an internet forum I found a detailed explanation of how to fix it. The dealer quoted me 2.5 hours of labor. It took me three. When I was finished, I pulled the fuse, which reset the code. Problem solved.
Integrated technology is great!
Everyone knows that Jobs is a crook, but few care. I suppose that we could say the same about Obama.
Only to those like Steve Ballmer (at Microsoft) who is mad because everything that Steve Jobs has made at Apple beats the heck out of everything else on the market... LOL...
But, considering this is the way that Steve Ballmer runs his "Developer meetings" -- I don't think I would pay attention to Ballmer... :-)
Developers (at YouTube)
i’ve got no problem with new phones/ electronics not being user servicable.. by the time it dies it’ll be obsolete and cheaper to buy a newer one than repair it anyway.
cars.. no way. i’d rather buy an older car for less money, repair/ maintain it myself and save tons of money.
I have yet to own a phone long enough for it to even get to the point of the battery no longer charging.
I am eligible for an upgrade to a 3GS iPhone, so when my current iPhone dies I will upgrade again. Just the way the system works.
The lithium-polymer batteries in your MP3 players and cellphones can and will lose 5-10% of their capacity per year, regardless of much or little they are used. So, over time, the run time you can get off a charge of these devices will deteriorate. Most of them, by the time they reach the point where they no longer provide adequate run time, are obsolete anyway and ready to be replaced with something newer and better. And it’s not just Apple that seals batteries in their MP3 players making them nearly unreplaceable. But you may be able to jimmy the case open and (possibly with the need to do some soldering, as well) replace them. Most cellphones at least have easily replaced batteries (which probably never will be, however), while the iPhone is basically sealed.
i’ve got no problem with new phones/ electronics not being user servicable.. by the time it dies it’ll be obsolete and cheaper to buy a newer one than repair it anyway.
Well, in general, I understand what you mean, but it pays to let people know that this is not a problem with iPods or iPhones (as some may be trying to say... :-) ...).
Manufacturers are coming to grips with the actual-use lifespan of their products.
Apple realizes that owners of digital music players tend to replace them every couple years as newer/niftier models arise - not because there’s anything inherently wrong with the old one, but because most customers just want a new one - so they build the devices according to that use period. In the case of the iPod, they realize that the battery will last about 3 years; since the device will be replaced in 2, there really isn’t much point in going to the added size, weight, cost, & complexity of a user-replaceable battery. Making it replaceable requires two more layers of protective covers, expensive electrical contacts, UL/etc. testing to ensure customers don’t hurt themselves with it, batteries as separate products with all the packaging/sales/marketing/repair/support/etc. BS, usability testing, engineering battery covers, repair of broken covers, etc. etc. $$$. Since the customer is going to chuck the durn thing anyway, and the manufacturer wants to gently encourage said chucking, and the customer wants lower cost/size/weight, so much the better to just spot-weld a battery inside the unit and extend the single simple cover over it. Big savings all around!
Likewise cars: most people switch vehicles around 100,000 miles, so build the car to last that long with minimal repairs in the first place, and have the whole thing self-destruct not long thereafter.
We may complain about the “throwaway society”. This must be balanced against the benefits of no-repair products not needing repair, nor needing all the infrastructure to provide repairs. Ex.: if the manufacturer can prevent need for $1000/year in car repairs on a vehicle the customer will dispose of in 10 years, that’s a savings of $10,000 to the customer at a price of not selling the car for $3000 - a $7000 benefit for the customer; that’s not including (’cuz my brain is fuzzy now) the manufacturer’s savings of not having to support an extensive repair infrastructure. Likewise, my beloved iPod is thinner, lighter & cheaper because there is no need for a removable battery; insofar as it will self-destruct at some point, I’ll have replaced it with an iPad by then.
Kudos to the “throwaway society” recognizing that some products will, indeed, be discarded at some point, and adapting design to serve actual use. My cell phone could be thinner/lighter/cheaper if only the battery (which I will never replace short of replacing the whole phone) were not removable.
BTW: seems the only “durable goods” in our society any more are firearms. Nothing else has an expected lifespan of decades if not centuries.
Well, to tell you the truth, I never thought batteries lasted forever, anyway. I don’t know who came up with that idea... LOL...
But, aside from the fact that batteries don’t last forever, with Apple, they just don’t seem to be any kind of immediate problem that some try to say that they are. I haven’t had a battery problem yet (although I’m sure in some year in the future I will, as I said, batteries eventually wear out).
And it’s not a problem to replace them either... so I don’t know what the big deal is that some people want to complain about.
“Only to those like Steve Ballmer (at Microsoft) who is mad because everything that Steve Jobs has made at Apple beats the heck out of everything else on the market... LOL... “
Oh, I don’t know about that. My MP3 player is a Creative Zen. For less money than a comparable iPod Nano, I got more storage, a bigger screen, and better sound quality. Its only real shortcoming is that it lacks the plethora of third-party support - docks and such, and the ability to control it directly through a compatible car stereo. My car doesn’t even have an aux jack, so that’s not a big lack for me. Still, I can’t debate that the iPod is the THE standard for MP3 players.
Some customers DO want repairable cars. Hopefully some manufacturers will make ‘em accordingly.
Reality is, most consumers don’t want to repair their cars. They want a car that won’t need repairing until they inevitably buy a new one, and are willing to do that replacement a little sooner if they have fewer repairs in the meantime.
Hilarious!
LOL!
My MP3 player is a Creative Zen.
Well... something isn't working there... I don't think it registers a "blip" on the sales charts. In fact, I believe all the other MP3 players are lumped together in charts, because none of them can show more than a "line" on a pie chart (for sales). So, you've got two categories in MP3 players -- Apple, and then "everyone else" [the entire MP3 player group, all manufacturers] ... LOL...
But, you know... it's people like you that surely keep those other companies from going bankrupt... :-)
Do you accept that criteria for quality and value of computer operating systems?
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