EU's 'right to repair' mission: Mobile phones 'should last up to 12 years'
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 @ 6:28 PM
HAVING to go back to Media Markt, Millar or Tien21 yet again whenever something small goes wrong with your mobile phone or tablet could soon become a thing of the past: The European Union is working on what it calls 'the right to repair' in a bid to halt what is known as 'programmed obsolescence'.
One of the biggest complaints about home technology that few of us can manage without is that when something goes wrong with it, it is often impossible to repair or costs more than the device itself.
USB ports are a common cause of having to buy a new phone, laptop or tablet, because they are very sensitive, never covered by guarantee, and are often too difficult or even impossible to fix.
Other cases of 'programmed obsolescence' – for which giants such as Apple and Samsung have already faced multi-million fines – are because of an upgrade in the operating system which means previous versions no longer work, or that certain programmes can no longer be used on them.
WhatsApp is one of these, having once worked on all smartphones and yet, in the last three years, has been announcing every few months which types of mobile will 'no longer be compatible' with it.
Failure in the photo camera, or the battery wearing out completely, are other reasons why phones often have to be discarded and replaced.
On average, according to MarketWatch, people in Spain replace their mobile phones every 15 months, and their 'useful' life generally only lasts between 18 and 24 months.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com