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Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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You're correct, of course, but these types of communities tend to be occupied by people outside of the mainstream who care more about these issues. Also, I think it's important people have the freedom to repair the technology they own even if the majority of people will choose not to, having the ability is still important.
Also keep in mind that when phones are designed for repairability, there's less chance of a slip-up when it is being repaired, even by a professional, and the process can also be much faster, which I think everyone is probably happy with.
Indeed. It also reduces the cost to do the repairs, which is good for everyone.
I agree with you but I think the reason these things aren’t more popular is because the majority of people don’t care. Companies want to make money so usually they’ll make products for the larger group of potential customers.
Just because the majority don't, it doesn't mean we shouldn't
All I’m saying is it takes money to make stuff. A small, niche product is harder to justify unless it’s a hobby.
For the companies, it's usually a case of weighing how much adding the feature will cost vs. how much they'll expand their market by adding it. For Fairphone, their whole schtick is that their phones are repairable and upgradeable, so in this case it's that they've determined that there's enough demand in the U.S. market to justify the cost of entry, as they've already added the features. In this case, the majority of people will probably not purchase a Fairphone, but that's not their goal, they occupy a market niche.