Weirdly torn on this: I live a few hours from the nearest Apple store, so it'd be nice if I could replace my phone battery without going through all this, but I also like the fact my phone is a decently robust and waterproof little brick with few moving parts or breakable pieces. It's practically a tank compared to the last battery-replaceable smartphone I had.
If I had to replace my battery as frequently as I did with early smartphones then I'd willingly trade some of the durability for a user-replaceable battery, but I've had an iPhone 12 mini since its launch – about two and a half years – and its battery still gets me through the day just fine. iOS Battery Health says its maximum capacity is 87%. Maybe next year I'll need a battery replacement, and that'll do me fine for another three years. I'll be extremely pleased, but also quite surprised, if the phone lasts long enough to need a second battery replacement after that. Is that a repair we should really be optimizing for?
Why do you find that such an important factor? Is it just about the principle of having a choice, or is there a particular third party app store you consider essential?
When people talk about Zeta's OP, I always have to check whether they mean this one or the original Japanese opening. Replacement international soundtracks usually make me sad, but Saegusa did a great job here. I like them both.
EU law requiring easier iPhone battery replacement inches closer to enactment (appleinsider.com)
The European Union is moving closer to enacting a law that will require smartphones like the iPhone to have easier battery repairs.
Japan to open up Apple and Google app stores to competition (www.japantimes.co.jp)
Japan is joining the EU in requiring mobile platforms open up for third party software, and allow third party payment processing....
Question Of The Week Suggestion Thread, WO Jun 18
Suggest questions here for next week's Question Of The Week thread....
Zeta OP - Greatest Gundam opening song in history (youtu.be)