How is this going to affect devices like Airpods, where having replaceable anything would mean increasing the size of the device itself to allow for the physical moving parts for that? Or will companies just stop selling those in Europe?
> Any natural or legal person that places on the market products incorporating portable batteries shall ensure that those batteries are readily removable and replaceable by the end-user at any time during the lifetime of the product. That obligation shall only apply to entire batteries and not to individual cells or other parts included in such batteries.
> A portable battery shall be considered readily removable by the end-user where it can be removed from a product with the use of commercially available tools, without requiring the use of specialised tools, unless provided free of charge with the product, proprietary tools, thermal energy, or solvents to disassemble the product.
> The obligations laid down in paragraph 1 shall not apply where continuity of power supply is necessary and a permanent connection between the product and the respective portable battery is required to ensure the safety of the user and the appliance or, for products that collect and supply data as their main function, for data integrity reasons.
>That obligation shall only apply to entire batteries and not to individual cells or other parts included in such batteries.
2024 will be the year that Apple stops selling the iPhone and releases the all new iBattery. It's a special battery that's also a revolutionary communications device!
By 2027 our smartphones will be even more data sucking surveillance monsters so that your last paragraph will save them from having their batteries made replaceable.
