An Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max smartphone at the company’s Grand Central store in New York City, United States, on … (+)
The iPhone 16 is shaping up to be one of the most user-friendly devices Apple has released in years.
This is largely due to a series of pro-repairability moves the company has made, or is rumored to have made, in recent months. This week The information Apple has been reported to be developing a new “electrically induced adhesive detachment” technology that will make it easier to remove batteries.
As it stands, removing the batteries from an iPhone requires some skill to remove the adhesive strips that stick it to the chassis. It’s not an easy thing to do for a regular user, without experience. But Apple wants to change that by using a bonding technology that would release the battery after “administering a small electrical shock.”
Information Sources say the new technology could hit at least one iPhone 16 model this year, and roll out to the entire iPhone 17 lineup in 2025.
The move appears to be an attempt by the Cupertino company to comply with the ecodesign legislation passed by the European Union last year. Specifically, the law states that replacing a smartphone’s battery must be “achievable without tools, with a tool or set of tools supplied with the product or spare part, or with basic hand tools.”
Several other announcements, or quiet changes, show that Apple’s new iPhones will be very different from Apple handsets of the last decade.
For example, the iPhone 15’s redesigned internal chassis makes it easier to remove the back panel without breaking the glass. Last year, the company launched a self-service repair program making it easier for individuals to repair their devices at home, which has now been partially expanded to Europe.
Then there’s the company’s new part-matching policy, which means iPhone users will be able to swap parts without Apple’s permission. The change applies to the iPhone 16 and is likely a response to Oregon’s Right to Repair law. The new legislation prohibits the practice of disabling features if an unauthorized repair is carried out on a smartphone.
Elsewhere, a recent patent for a future iPhone detailed a modular phone with an easily removable back panel. The idea is that the back cover can be replaced with panels that have one or more additional hardware features. So if a user wants to extend battery life, they can plug in the battery module, or if they want another display, they can connect a second display.
Nothing in this patent application reminds me of Apple; it sounds more like the LG G5, Inspector Gadget’s ultra-customizable smartphone from 2016. But the patent application also reads like the European bill’s vision of smartphones, which talks about reusable fasteners (the clips, screws, and bolts that hold components together) and replacement parts that have the effect of “upgrading or restoring the functionality of the device in which they are installed.”
There are caveats to all this. Patents often don’t become reality. The independent repair program (separate from the self-service repair program) has been criticized for cutting into the profits of repair shops that sign up for it. The new parts-matching policy apparently only applies to iPhones (read this story about iPads that won’t draw straight lines after a repair ), and Apple has fought hard against some of the new regulations, arguing that the Oregon law would “harm the safety” of iPhone users.
The good news is that Apple’s recent moves suggest that the next iPhone will be one of the most repairable in the company’s history. This means savings for buyers over the life of the device, as iPhones won’t require costly repairs that can only be done by Apple. Handsets should also not be thrown away in the event of a problem.
Replaceable batteries are also one of the biggest battles consumers have lost over the past decade. Partly because Android makers, like Samsung and LG, have been fighting to grab some of Apple’s market share by imitating the iPhone’s sleek design. We could be back on track to easily replacing batteries when needed, instead of paying Apple $99 to do it.
News Source : www.forbes.com
Gn tech
