I agree, Tom. Often, the change or exclusion comes at expense to the customer's usability of the phone. As an example, my phone has a replaceable battery. On long trips, I bring a 3-pack of batteries and swap one in (within seconds) as needed. A charger and 3-pack of batteries cost me about $15. For some reason, Apple decided that we don't need replaceble batteries. I guess they believe that most people will simply upgrade their iPhone, rather than go through the hassle of having the battery replaced at the Apple store.
What bothers me most about Apple's designs is the non-standardized connectors. I was briefly enthusiastic about the Apple iPhone 5, until I realised that the micro USB looking connector was not in fact a USB micro at all. Most everything today is using standard USB (typically micro). To me this is a gross waste of resources since you can't reuse old connectors without some converter or just discard the old. I feel like they won't "conform" to "industry standards" just to be contrary and different.
@Tim: I find it interesting that your IT department handed you a corporate issued cell phone at all. Increasingly, companies are finding that employees want a phone of their choice and in particular their own personal phone to use at work. Therefore, instead of an outdated corporate "brick," they're typically issued some sort of reimbursement plan that covers the phone and a portion of their data coverage monthly.
Thanks for your comment Nadine. I had the same reaction. I used to enjoy tearing apart just about anything when I was a kid just to understand how it worked. Nice to see that you can be a grown up and do the same thing for a living!
I went to my IS department to get a new company cell phone to replace a previously issued flip phone that had a malfunctioning screen. In replacement, he handed me circa 1980 brick phone and said that it was a recently turned in and worked fine. I learned at that point that it is important to be nice to the IS employess as they control how you communicate.
It is so funny to look at the iPhone 5 and compare it to cell phone of years ago. I remember my police friend's cell phone was in some kind of bag it was huge. I don't have an iPhone but hear they are nice. Maybe one day I will come into this century.
The size of the battery is pretty crazy. But these phones actually have pretty long battery lives, which becomes increasingly important when you are constantly engaging the device for email/texts/web surfing/apps etc.
I love tear-downs. It's like being a kid again...peeling it like a banana!
It would be great if something like this showed up in a commercial WHEN (hopefully not IF) consumer electronics become easy to recycle. Many consumers are interested in repairing or even upgrading components on their own.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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