A few weeks ago we were aware that the European Union was planning to extend the life of mobile devices by planning to make batteries easier to replace. This proposal is part of a series of proposals aimed at creating a more economically stable economy while combating unemployment.
Finally, a document has been published where all the steps appear. And it seems not only to pretend that batteries are easy to replace, but the mobile industry is changing completely.
Mobile should cease to be a tool to use and throw, according to the EU
The mobile industry has created a great evolution over the past decade. Every year, smartphones have increased their power and their software has appeared at a similar speed, which is accustomed to the faster speed of regeneration, and in good condition the smartphone has a lifespan of about 4-5 years.
According to the EU, up to 80% of the environmental impact of the metal is determined in its design phase. There is a pattern right now take – use – leave which do not provide enough incentives to make mobile use more circular.
So far, the European Commission has proposed a number of stricter regulations to reduce the possible prohibition on localization of equipment. These suggestions are as follows:
9 steps to combat obessocence
- Improve composition, taking into account the following factors:
- Durability: the app must have a long life span.
- Usability: resources for the product that other people will use.
- Optimization: simplify the possibilities for expansion on devices. This ratio in the case of a smartph one, which has a small degree of miniaturization can be largely addressed in software selection.
- To recap: today most smartphones can't fix us.
- Increase content of recycled materials.
- Get ready to perform with high quality and renewal.
- Reduce coal consumption and environmental sustainability.
- Reduce single-use products and decrease early disability.
- Introduce the ban on the destruction of products not for sale.
- Encourage product as a service: that is, ownership and liability of the device are in the hands of companies.
- Promote the use of digital in such products as fertilizers.
- Product awards depending on their durability.
How can I change Android forever
Usually when it comes to obsolescence, there are many who point to Apple as, in some cases, the most responsible for the situation. To some extent it is true that those of Cupertino have developed over the years a series of industry tendencies such as irreplaceable batteries, the fragility of their computers or nearly impossible plans to replace. But these practices have been followed by the industry as a whole. But there was something Apple was doing and no one wanted to copy.
Despite all the controversies surrounding Apple, today the iPhone is the most powerful smartphone in terms of software.
Today, the cycle of iPhone or iPad renewal is about 5 years on average, which it does save a large amount in the second hand. On Android, the closest Google Pixel is, with 3 years of constant updates. Then there are situations like OnePlus, though not compatible with updates, when they give 3 years on their phones. Samsung, on the other hand, offers security updates on its best phones up to 4 years.
It is not enough, and here is Google, for the most responsible, to look out for. Why are Android update requirements as old as they were ten years ago? At the beginning of the program it sounded, but Hardware has already progressed to a level that should be able to work well with the latest version of Android.
Extending long-term support can mean climbing numbers: In the software product life cycle, maintenance is the most expensive part. Extending the renewal cycle requires a change in the direction of the industry, as it makes the products more expensive. Because no company will play a loss.
And why should it be so expensive? basically because earning money through the sale of devices has only two ways to earn money. Either you sell more or you sell more expensive. The biggest marketing strategy is increase the rotation, and the main purpose of the EU proposals is to produce less, not more, waste.
The motivation behind the product as a service is interesting, and here are two open doors to make a smartphone more sustainable. The EU's main suggestion is that ownership and product liability are in the hands of companies and pay the use fee, as if it were a form of hire. This business model is interesting because it shifts the focus to a longer range of products on the market that do not require new features and simply want to be able to acquire standard technology.
It's still too early to know how this technology will impact, but hopefully the industry will adapt to these plans and Android will eventually become a more sustainable domain, and above all, with less potential obsolescence.
