Google only admitted that its rumored smartphone was real about a week ago, and today comes word that the first units will go on sale at the beginning of next month. Or so says an Engadget "tipster," who also supplied the gadgeteers with a long list of enticing specs for the HTC-built Android phone. But don't queue up outside …
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... heavy phone users who recharge often and then trash their batteries have to pay Apple not just for the new battery but to have it swapped as well... probably being deprived of phone for a period for this to happen - bad news if you use your phone so much the battery is knackered.
The rest of the world picks one up on eBay and does it themselves in 2 mins.
Let's see, who might care about removable batteries...
- Anybody on an 18 month or longer contract probably cares since battery life will be getting shorter that far into a contract.
- Replacement batteries from Apple cost £55 + PnP. Replacement batteries from eBay for most other smartphones cost ~£5.
- Anybody who knows they aren't going to be able to charge their phone all day and knows they'll be using a lot of power might, quite sensibly, carry a spare battery. You know, GPS, pictures, video etc. Not that you'd want to take pictures or video on an iPhone anyway, but you might on something like a Satio or N Series.
- Some of my Samsungs in the past came with two batteries in the box. Not gonna happen without removable batteries.
Sure, a removable battery isn't exactly a make or break feature. But it is worth mentioning. And I'd highly disagree with you about the number of users who have replaced batteries. Hell, even a technophobe like my mother has replaced the battery in her phone.
Did someone hit a raw nerve, Mark? It's just a feature. You may not care about it, but can you at least accept the fact that some readers might? You always have the option of ignoring stuff you don't care to read.
FYI, one of the smaller carriers in the US (US Cellular, I think) has made quite a few converts by offering free battery replacements for life. Apparently replacing the battery is enough of a concern for their users. So El Reg is certainly justified in using three words to inform their readers.
[Insert WIN icon here]
User changeable batteries are important to some people, me for one.
It means if I'm working off grid somewhere I can take a spare with me.
I can drain a high capacity battery in half a day so they live a hard life and I replace them often enough that it's a necessary feature (and no, I don't buy cheap crap clone batteries off eBay or anywhere else)
Not being able to swap it out myself means the phone is a useless piece of crap instead of the essential tool (like most jeebus phone fanbois) I need it to be.
If you just need to be able to show off the shiny toy you bought, then yes, it's a non feature. Form over function just like all the other crapple stuff.
... one of the 0.00001% then. Batteries don't last forever (I've killed 3 so far in my current phone over a 3 year period) and they always have a habit of going flat at the worst times possible (ie, when you need to go out with it and haven't got time to charge it) so a charged spare is a very viable proposition. (I would say I change the battery over every month to 6 weeks on average).
I have to confess I would be VERY upset if I had to take the phone back to the manufacturer every time I wanted the battery swapped. (and it'd cost a fortune)
<pedant mode>
I think your maths are a little bit out, saying 99.99999% people wouldn't change a battery means 1 in 10 million bit I'm pretty sure at least 1 in 1,000 would change the battery.
</pedant mode>
feels like beer time now....
ogle phone invitations keep the evil people out of the club. Not that I think Bill, his brother Steve or his other brother Steve have goophones on their x-mas lists. I'm pretty sure I'm evil too, even though some of my mutual funds have goog in the portfolio, or just not "cool" enough, needless to say I won't be getting an invite either.
Surely for every person that has or might be wanting to.. there's someone who hasn't and can't see why you'd bother..
Fo sho the non-removable battery is an issue.. you can't change it yo. Dammit.. because honestly.. I've never changed one once in any device except my work provided Dell laptop. Which I don't use that much. Nor do most people at work. But we've all had the same issue. Oh no.. an issue which isn't covered by El Reg and which doesn't boil down at some witching level to an issue between IBM and Apple hardware.
But I digress. Just wait until el googlephone plays ads between and during calls. Then let's see what the real issue is. I mean.. Hello, we cannot connect your call right now, the new laptop from Dell is might fine however, mmm.. Dell.. new laptop. bm bm bm mmm.. oh no. your caller is free.. how aboot that eh.. did we mention the new laptop from Dell? Contains an Intel processor you know.. mad to pass it up.. mad.
I have a charger at home, plugged into the wall in the kitchen, that i can recharge the battery from. I have a usb cable which charges the battery from my computer at work, or my laptop/netbook if i am elsewhere... hell, i even have a device in my car that connects from the cigarette lighter to my phone to charge the battery. You can buy "emergency battery chargers" if you really think its likely you will be somewhere and not have any charge left in your battery. Hell, you can even get wind up torches with the capability to charge your phone, or solar powered chargers if you're so inclined. In fact, isnt there a sort of shell you can get to attach to your iPhone (if you have one) that gives it double the battery power, but makes it a little more bulky.
I've never owned a mobile phone where you couldn't remove the battery (except one where it was a little fiddly for my big fingers, and the sim card was hidden beneath it). But i've never bought a replacement battery, and never carried a spare "just in case".
I think for most people this vast array of options to get some juice back into your phone makes the removable battery a non-issue. There will be those, of course, would would like to have all of the options above, and a spare battery in their pocket... just in case... but surely, surely those people must be few and far between these days. One in a hundred people, or even fewer...
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