“The European Union is preparing new directives that could have an impact on Apple’s future products, including ‘the New Batteries Directive,’ which proposes to mandate that batteries in electronic appliances be ‘readily removed’ for replacement or disposal,” Prince McLean reports for AppleInsider.
“While the Battery Directive now in force states that it must be easy for consumers to remove batteries from electronic products, the ‘New Batteries Directive’ now being drafted over the next year goes even further to state that electrical equipment must be designed to allow that batteries be ‘readily removed’ for replacement or removal at the end of product’s life,” McLean reports. “Gary Nevison, writing for New Electronics, said ‘the requirement is clearly intended to ensure that users can remove batteries by opening a cover by hand or after removal of one or two screws. The producer will also have to provide the user with details on how to remove the battery safely.'”
McLean reports, “Such a regulation would seem to impact Apple’s integrated battery design of its iPods and the iPhone, which are somewhat unique in that their batteries are not designed to be user replaceable and typically require special tools or professional assistance to remove them. At the same time however, the directives are not yet completed or ratified, and subject to both modification and exception.”
More in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Note:
• iPod Owners: Your one-year warranty includes replacement coverage for a defective battery. You can extend your coverage to two years from the date of your iPod purchase with the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPod. During the plan’s coverage period, Apple will replace the battery if it drops below 50% of its original capacity. If it is out of warranty, Apple offers a battery replacement for US$49 (iPod shuffle), $59 (iPod nano and classic), $79 (iPod touch) plus $6.95 shipping, subject to local tax. Apple disposes of your battery in an environmentally friendly manner. More info on iPod battery replacements here.
• iPhone Owners: Your one-year warranty includes replacement coverage for a defective battery. You can extend your coverage to two years from the date of your iPhone purchase with the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPhone. During the plan’s coverage period, Apple will replace the battery if it drops below 50% of its original capacity. If it is out of warranty, Apple offers a battery replacement for $79, plus $6.95 shipping, subject to local tax. Apple disposes of your battery in an environmentally friendly manner. More info on iPhone battery replacements here.
• MacBook Air Owners: Your one-year warranty includes replacement coverage for a defective battery. You can extend your replacement coverage for a defective battery to three years from the date of your notebook purchase with the AppleCare Protection Plan. Apple also offers a battery replacement service for out-of-warranty units for $129. The length of time to complete the repair will depend upon the repair location and availability of service stock. In general, the following replacement times apply: Apple Retail: same day repair with an appointment, Apple Mail-in repair: 3-4 business days after shipment of unit to depot. More info here.
Easy Solution!
Apple scraps the iPod/iPhone line and starts selling the iBattery line of products. iBatteries are rechargeable and specially designed to power a wide variety of headphones and earbuds on the market today.
The new Product line includes:
iBattery Shuffle (the world’s most WEARABLE battery)
iBattery Nano
iBattery Classic
iBattery Touch and
iBattery 3G
iBatteries and iBattery replacements are available wherever Macbook and Macbook Pro batteries are sold.
Yes! More government!
And Socialism marches on……….
MaLvado,
Less government brought us our current financial crisis. You can train a monkey, but apparently not some humans.
The EU regulates, what kind, size and color of bananas are allowed to be sold. Sheep farmers are not allowed to butcher one of their sheep for personal consumption. The size of wine bottles is regulated. There is no doubt this will pass. Heaven forbid free market determine what people want and will accept. What kind of monster has Europe created with the EU?
They can’t figure out how to solve their banking crisis, but they sure can address the replaceable battery crisis. Socialism. Whay Ayn Rand could not anticipate is that socialism might become so humorous that it could not possibly be taken seriously.
@HMCIV: excellent! And a first post, a rare combination.
Good one HMCIV! That was pretty funny.
The EU thinks they run R&D;now. Apple should stop selling there products there in protest. What right do they have as to mandate how products are made, designed, or sold? All of these products have 1 year warranties that Apple will honor like all of there other products. The EU seems to be turning COMMUNIST, DICTATORSHIP!
As an American I think I won’t be traveling to europe anytime soon until the Government changes. This is an OUTRAGE!!!!
Occasionally, the market economy creates a situation where one company, or a group of companies, can do things that aren’t in the best interest of the consumer, and the consumer doesn’t have much choice.
Oil / Auto industry lobby is a prime example. Thanks to complete lack of government spine, our primary modes of transportation are powered by engines built on concept developed over a century ago, which converts energy by series of explosions. Future generations will look at this period in amazement — how incredibly inefficient mode of energy conversion!! And the only reason we aren’t driving electric cars (and haven’t been driving electric cars for the past 30 years) is that oil / auto lobby. If all the money that was put into tweaking that combustible engine was put into developing battery technology, we’d be driving electric cars that would charge in 5 minutes and drive for 600 miles on a single charge.
Apple’s battery design obviously has merit, as it allows the company to build a device that is smaller, lighter and smoother. The problem of replaceable batteries is minor at best and most likely just a complete non-issue. This particular case represents needless over-regulation. The argument does stand, however, that there are many situations where consumers need a bit of help from goverment to protect them from the greed that drives large companies, especially in situations where one or group of them represent a monopoly in a market space.
@ Streetool
Let’s not get nasty, this has nothing to do with Socialism and Americans have no real idea what Socialism is anyway.
This is just good old fashioned bureaucracy at it’s finest.
When I hear “battery cover removable with one or two screws”, I picture those old handheld videogames like the Coleco and Mattel LED games. Or, an old Sony WalkMan. Apple should make an “EU” edition iPod that’s as big as one of those, with cheap plastic housing and all. Oh! But it will have 4 “AA” batteries removable by removing just one screw!
I’m all for consumer protection, but this is beyond absurd. Take or mail it in and have them change it! Cripes, people! It’s laziness!
Why don’t they make a law to enforce companies to give good support and make at least “usable” products? they don’t want to affect microsoft?
Many stupid products has replaceable batteries that explode and that last very little, iPods batteries last very longer and it is very few people affected by the fact that iPods and iPhones has not replaceable batteries (at least, not as easy as open and change, but they are replaceable). So they want to enforce a good product to be as bad as the rest of the products?
remember the 300 million Microsoft campaign? there you have it…
This is simple to fix!
Current iPhone 3G specs:
Height: 4.5 inches (115.5 mm)
Width: 2.4 inches (62.1 mm)
Depth: 0.48 inch (12.3 mm)
Weight: 4.7 ounces (133 grams)
Proposed iPhone 3G European Union version specs:
Height: 4.5 inches (115.5 mm)
Width: 2.4 inches (62.1 mm)
Depth: 4 inches (101.6 mm)
Weight: 18 ounces (510 grams)
What about wrist watches? you need special tools to replace the bateries. And the cars? are you going to tell me that is easy for a woman to replace a car baterry that a ipod battery? and what about ASIMO battery? and fisher price toys? most of them requires a special phillips screw driver to replace the batteries.
@JohnLee
actually, it was governmental mandating of Fannie and Freddie to give out riskier loans that caused the problem – not deregulation.
When you have the government regulate someone to do something stupid – give loans out to those that had no business getting a loan because they had shit credit – which is what happened – then you get our current crisis.
Of course, i don’t know why you care – Obama will save us all!
JohnLee,
“Less government brought us our current financial crisis. You can train a monkey, but apparently not some humans.”
Especially Barney Wank.
I wonder if this new regulation wouldn’t be about being able to easily recycle all of those batteries being used in this new era of “the mobile”? Life is about compromise it seems: i sure love the slim size of my ipod touch but if in the greater scheme of things, a user replaceable battery will help improve the recycling rate of this very popular device, well it would hard for me to object.
my 2 cents
Interesting… the EU battery Removable scheme is counter productive in it’s goal. A user removable battery is 75% more likely to end up in a waste bin and not be properly recycled. If you have to send the iPod/iPhone/Air to Apple for battery replacement then all replaced batteries are 100% recycled of properly. Even if you had the corner Electronics repair shop replace your iPod/iPhone battery it’s an almost certain that the battery will be recycled properly.
Removable batteries once dead are typically just dumped in the bin.
If the EU’s goal is to increase the number of batteries recycled then the mandate should be that all batteries be non-user replaceable or replaceable batteries come with a 10 EURO refundable battery recycle fee. So, you pay an extra 10 euros for each removable battery.
When you turn the battery in for recycling you get a 10 EURO refund. This has worked in the US for car batteries but without the recycle refund credit having removable batteries is not very protective in meeting the recycling goals set.
“And Socialism marches on……….”
And ignorance continues.
I came here to say ‘queue the socialism comments’ but you beat me to it. I supposed being wasteful and purposefully destroying the environment are good things we should all be proud of.
AMERICA F**K YEAH!
JohnLee writes, “Less government brought us our current financial crisis.” Actually it was government sponsored social engineering that started this whole mess.
Carter’s “Community Reinvestment Act” promoted the notion that everyone was entitled to own a home, and structured the system to that end. Clinton accelerated the process, and people like Waters, Dodd and Frank berated banks that were following traditional notions of risk. I’ll agree, however, that government regulators were derelict as Wall Street exploded with credit swaps, derivatives and leveraged investments founded on “government secured” mortgages.
Government regulation is sometimes required as Companies do not always do what is right for their customers, just look at the mess caused in the US right now. In regards to Apple they DO NOT offer any extended service plan in Canada for the iPhone even though everyone in Canada has to sign a three year contract with Rogers. This is a joke for a so called great Customer Service Company. The reason is Canada does not exist to Apple and that is not just my opinion, just ask any Canadian Apple Reseller!
@pendrag… I’ll never trust government over industry. On occasion business screws up royally, but generally it is in the interests of business to do what is best for consumers. Generally. Government never acts in the best interests of the people because the first best thing government can do for people is get rid of as much of itself as possible. Government always do the opposite, opting to grow (unregulated), and creating so many laws that just breathing makes the lowly individual some kind of criminal. In addition, governments are comprised of the least talented people on the planet, politicians and lawyers. Such people seem to be naturally drawn to corruption due to the ridiculous power given to governments. This ironically creates the ultimate playground for the most unscrupulous businesses to buy influence. It would not surprise me, for example to find the money of Apple’s competitors behind this latest EU odball illinformed unnecessary legislation. Like the man said, “The government that governs least, governs best.” At most a government should work to insure a level playing field for enterprise, not legislate product specifications.
@john smith, the mess we are in financially is largely based ok the actions of government officials in Congress pushing for affordable home loans to people who normally would not have qualified. This created the climate for the unscrupulous lenders and borrowers to find each other and create one he’ll of a mess.
We dont need to be able to remove the batteries to save the planet. This article talks about the END OF THE ENTIRE PRODUCTS LIFE.
When you ipod is no longer usable, you can SEND IT BACK TO APPLE or have it recycled.
The end user DOES NOT need to remove the battery on their own.
end of story.