SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Submitted via IRC for SoyCow9228
Those stickers on gadgets that say you'll void your warranty if they're removed? You've probably come to expect them whenever you purchase a new device. The FTC has just made clear, however, that those warranty notices are illegal when it fired off warning letters to six companies that market and sell automobiles, mobile devices and video game consoles in the US. It didn't mention which automakers and tech corporations they are, but since the list includes companies that make video game consoles, Sony and Microsoft could be two of them.
[...] Thomas B. Pahl, Acting Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement:
"Provisions that tie warranty coverage to the use of particular products or services harm both consumers who pay more for them as well as the small businesses who offer competing products and services."
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/04/11/ftc-warranty-warning/
(Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday April 12 2018, @05:16PM (3 children)
There is no reason why a cellphone must have a battery with adhesive on the back (removing which requires either lots of patience or damages the screen underneath) a flimsy connector instead of the contacts that still work in camcorders of the early 90s, and an additional plastic shell kept in place by 15 little screws (another shell? I thought they wanted the stuff to be slim).
The politicians that like to legiferate on the curvature of the bananas let the abomination of unrepairable non standard equipment to be sold. Talk about saving the planet from waste.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 12 2018, @05:30PM (2 children)
No reason? Of course there is a reason, and that reason is cost. Connectors are very often the most expensive and least reliable component on a board. Market pressures mostly push consumer electronics manufacturers to minimize the per-unit cost as much as possible. Whenever you see any connector on a consumer device you can bet the designers only put it there because they had no other choice, or the alternative was more expensive. In this case, the designers will naturally choose the cheapest connector available that meets their design and production requirements.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday April 12 2018, @10:44PM (1 child)
> and that reason is cost
wat
First, the tolerances in the flimsy connector are much lower than the usual contacts, so it costs more. It surely has a size advantage, but could consumer choose they would sacrifice 2 mm of battery to have an interchangeable one.
Or, what about the laptop, the led that used to tell you if the webcam was on? had its own circuit and was software operated, instead of being electrically operated. That is an increase of cost both in software maintenance and in hardware (more cables) Some here claimed it is to facilitate testing. Yet it's another reason other than cost, and after all the state sponsored malware it is easy to grasp the probable real reason.
Or, what about wireless headphones costing plus infinity (because you keep losing them)?
Have you tried audio devices of the 70s/80s? those DINs and RCAs and jacks still work perfectly. Try with a 4 year cellphone and it crackles. Try a recent male jack and it falls apart in two years of two inserts per day.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 13 2018, @01:35AM
Phone manufacturers most likely use whatever connector their battery suppliers use. The battery suppliers use whatever connector their assembler has available that meets their requirements.
Customizing the parts always costs more.
Straw man; that's not a connector.
The devices you are thinking of cost a lot more to produce than a cellphone did 4 years ago. Also note survivor bias: most people don't keep broken equipment.