Is it legitimate that the smartphone has only a limited lifespan?
This is the question posed by the German federal government, which is considering ending this system,
ZdNet
reported
on
Tuesday.
Indeed, after a while, it may be impossible to receive certain updates or to obtain spare parts for a smartphone.
To remedy this, the German government would like to apply strict environmental regulations.
This would mean that manufacturers would be forced to offer spare parts and safety updates over a seven-year period.
Until then, the European Commission wanted manufacturers to offer updates and spare parts for smartphones for five years, according to
Heise Online
.
Reasonable prices and fast shipment
According to the German government, these spare parts should also be offered at "a reasonable price".
Manufacturers should advertise parts prices and not increase them.
In addition, their availability should be rapid.
To support this measure aimed at combating smartphone obsolescence, Germany wants the installation of long-lasting batteries, energy labels and a repairability score.
On the side of the manufacturers, these measures go badly.
DigitalEurope Industry Association, which represents many manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and Huawei, believes there is no need to go beyond three years of security updates and two years for the operating system machines.
When it comes to spare parts, manufacturers believe that it is sufficient to offer batteries and displays over a long period of time, because these are the elements that fail.
It is however, according to them, not necessary to propose other elements since they “rarely break down”.
High-Tech
Apple is expected to introduce iPhone 13 and new Apple Watch on September 14
Purchase guide
Samsung good deal: Up to € 700 reduction on smartphones
European Commission
High-Tech
Germany
Smartphone
Environment