| ▲ | vovavili 6 hours ago |
| I often wonder why there still hasn't been a YC-backed attempt to disrupt the "replace your phone every couple of years because your battery became slower" cartel in 2026. Seems like such a low-hanging fruit, especially given the very visible success of companies like Framework. |
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| ▲ | lbreakjai 6 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| Am I missing something? I've kept the iPhones I bought for 6 years or so. I replaced the battery on each phone, and all it cost me was 50€ and half an hour waiting for the local non-Apple phone shop to do the work. That surely counts as batteries being replaceable in all but name? |
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| ▲ | eloisant 6 hours ago | parent [-] | | I'm happy that worked out for you, but the whole cryptography signature of Apple batteries that throttle your phone if you get the wrong one is VERY different from "just pop out the back and get your new battery in". | | |
| ▲ | testdelacc1 5 hours ago | parent [-] | | I feel like the price Apple charges for batteries is very reasonable. I kept my phone going for 4.5 years thanks to a battery replacement 2 years in. They’re basically doing it at cost, considering parts and labour. Also, your information is slightly out of date. It’s possible to do the replacement yourself if you want. Here’s an ifixit guide based on apples official repair guide - https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+17+Battery+Replacement/1... | | |
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| ▲ | hobofan 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| > Seems like such a low-hanging fruit, especially given the very visible success of companies like Framework. Is there very visible success of Framework? How many people in your everyday live have you encountered with a Framework laptop? I love there mission, but Framework from all the feedback from users online seems to still be a product that you'll only buy if you put sustainability over performance/convenience. > a YC-backed attempt If any successful attempt would be launched, there would be no reason for it to go through YC. In the mass consumer hardware market their little funding and the network they provide doesn't do much. I would strongly assume that a challenger would appear in a similar form as it did with framework with nrp. |
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| ▲ | vovavili 5 hours ago | parent [-] | | >still be a product that you'll only buy if you put sustainability over performance/convenience That would product that I and countless others would be gladly willing to buy on the smartphone market. | | |
| ▲ | NoboruWataya 3 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | At what price though? There are many people who say they would buy a phone like Fairphone, but not at that price, or not unless it had a 3.5mm headphone jack or a better camera, etc etc. Talk is cheap but sustainable phones are not. | |
| ▲ | hobofan 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | So are you buying a Fairphone right now? Because from my rough estimation Framework and Fairphone are about the same when it comes to performance/convenience tradeoff right now. I mostly focused on the "YC disruption" part in GPs question without considering whether there is actually an opening for a disruptor. I think Fairphone may already be filling that gap. |
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| ▲ | aurareturn 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Is the average Framework truly more environmentally than an average MacBook. MacBooks tend to last a long time. I used my 2012 Macbook Air for 7-8 years easily. It's still working today. My M1 Pro 16" has had no issues at all for nearly 4 years. They’re extremely reliable (except butterfly era). Personally, I don’t think Framework laptops are. I think they are only more environmentally if you upgrade your MacBook every year or every other year. I think this is extremely niche. Not only are you getting a laptop with much worse battery life, noise, heat, screen, build quality, you are also getting a significantly slower CPU and GPU. AMD and Intel chips simply can't keep up with Apple Silicon. |
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| ▲ | eloisant 2 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Yes it is. One thing important to take into account in the life of a device is what happens when it's thrown out. A friend of mine works at an electronics recycling facility, and with regular desktop or laptop they're able to take them apart to scavenge some rare metals, separate inert materials like cases from dangerous ones like the battery. That's much more costly for Apple products because of how they're integrated, so they end up not recycling much. | | | |
| ▲ | prmoustache 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | I don't know I had contemplated buying a second hand macbook for a family member and...most macbook available in the second hand market have hardware issues. Every time I checked laptops in the 300-500euros price range it was easier to find a lenovo thinkpad, dell latitude, or fujitsu in good conditions with a fresh new battery and ssd installed than it was finding a macbook. | |
| ▲ | vladms 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Can't say about Framework, but between a Macbook and a Dell, that both got a glass of water on them, the Macbook was completely unusable, while the Dell still works (except issues with GPU) 5 years after the incident, after only one day in service for cleaning. | | |
| ▲ | eldaisfish 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | your anecdote doesn't prove or disprove anything. the most reliable test of durability is prices in the second-hand market. Apple laptops hold their value very well. |
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| ▲ | izacus 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Yes, it absolutely is. Fair phones won't be scrapped because the company killed them remotely like MacBooks: https://www.vice.com/en/article/apple-macbook-activation-loc... | |
| ▲ | darkwater 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | They are reliable but, are they marketed as such? How many HNers are routinely upgrading their 3 years old MBP just because they can and they want a new one? I bet many | | |
| ▲ | aurareturn 5 hours ago | parent [-] | | HNers are very niche. My point stands. | | |
| ▲ | darkwater 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | I think that the average Apple MB user is pretty loyal to the brand and updates HW much more than a Dell / Lenovo / HP / whatever |
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| ▲ | KeplerBoy 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Because phones are incredibly cheap and its hard to compete with that. You can get something like a "Motorola Moto G86 5G" for less than 200$ and that comes with a 120 hz full hd screen, 8 gigs of ram, 5200 mAh battery and so on. Basically everything you could ever need unless you're deep into photography or gaming.
Instead of ordering a battery at 40$ and replacing it, I might as well buy an entire new phone and get a minor upgrade on everything every few years. |
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| ▲ | jojobas 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| Because people who don't want to buy a shiny gadget every couple of years and would rather pay more upfront and use for longer are a small minority. |
