> replacing the battery means replacing half the laptop, app..cough..le
These kind of comments are surprisingly common on HN and annoy me slightly.
Yes, most phones and laptops do not have user replaceable batteries anymore. It's a pity. That does not mean a dead battery is a justification to throw away fine equipment.
Any phone repair shop or computer shop can replace batteries. They usually have all the equipment and spare parts, even more so for popular Apple devices. It usually takes half an hour and costs way less than replacing the whole device.
I always recommend that to friends and family because most of them are not even aware this is possible. They usually thank me later saying how painless and affordable it was to give a second life to their devices.
I did not say it's justification for throwing away old equipment, but at some point, the high cost of replacing a battery (high because it requires a 'repair') offers less value than buying a newer model. This is especially the case with, say, Apple laptops where the official battery replacement means the entire top-case and keyboard has to be replaced.
A good way to keep these devices in use would be with an external battery, and one built into the power adapter would be very convenient. Just an hour of power would be enough to move around to meetings without multiple reboots.
These kind of comments are surprisingly common on HN and annoy me slightly.
Yes, most phones and laptops do not have user replaceable batteries anymore. It's a pity. That does not mean a dead battery is a justification to throw away fine equipment.
Any phone repair shop or computer shop can replace batteries. They usually have all the equipment and spare parts, even more so for popular Apple devices. It usually takes half an hour and costs way less than replacing the whole device.
I always recommend that to friends and family because most of them are not even aware this is possible. They usually thank me later saying how painless and affordable it was to give a second life to their devices.