They should really mandate open firmware and bootloaders, and even spec sheets, etc. for deprecated hardware.
In the 2010s, my neighbor asked me to fix their iPad because i was technically literate. I noticed it had a EoL date and it was fast approaching. I realized that iPads were just bigger iPhones. And Chromebooks were also getting popular.
I then realized we were all fucked.
We have all this “disposable” tech that only have a window of about 3-4 years before it breaks down. Even with open-source and boot loading, there’s just so much garbage and it’ll only continue to grow.
Framework is a great company, but I’m a bit torn on Fairphone. Not sure if I like where their company is going.
EDIT: Because some people asked for clarification about Fairphone, here are my (very subjective) thoughts:
I think the idea behind Fairphone is great, and I think more phone manufacturers should take a few hints about repairability and sustainability from them.
That said, their software is just okay, missing a lot of QoL features that are found with other manufacturers. Also, I’ve seen reports of pretty gnarly bugs after OS updates, but I can’t verify those personally.
Their customer service sucks, according to a lot of people. And as someone with experience in both industries (mostly customer support) I can tell you that those things usually speak for a lackluster management.
Also, small nitpick: I really wish they’d kept a headphone jack on their newest phone.
So yeah, as I said, mostly very subjective. But hey, no one said that liking or not liking something can only be for objective reasons.
Just another byproduct of enshittification. Novadays, a top-end Garmin watch lasts about as long as a Chinese watch of a brand with random characters you buy off Amazon. Google is introducing planned obsolesence in Fitbit. Banking apps are beginning to require phones that are no more than 4 years old. TVs get bricked with firmware upgrades. So, consumers are trained to buy cheapest, least reliable electronics, because over time they’ll provide more value than top-end items which used to last much longer. (This was written on a 13 years old phone. I may not have access to my banking app anymore, but otherwise it works for everything I need, and I haven’t contributed to e-waste in this regard. Not that the pollution angle was my reason to keep the phone, but it’s a nice extra bonus.)
Google is introducing planned obsolesence in Fitbit
Have they? In what way?
They’ve done good work for Android and Pixel, promising 7 years of updates for the latest Pixels. Samsung has also gotten much better about this with their recent phones. That’s going to put a huge dent in the e-waste as Android phones have surely been heavy contributors (certainly much higher than fitbit).
TVs get bricked with firmware upgrades.
What TVs? Vizio, Hisense, the Chinese junk budget brands?
Very sympathetic to your e-waste concerns; I think the source of the problem is actually getting better not worse though. In general, the mobile tech sector is “growing up” and supporting products longer.
Have they? In what way?
This is speculation by Ars Technica. Essentially, a recent firmware upgrade seems to have drastically lowered the battery life of some models. In addition, they are removing all third-party apps in the EU in response to the DMA.
What TVs? Vizio, Hisense, the Chinese junk budget brands?
Most recently Roku. But I used a TV only as an example. A year ago, an OTA upgrade bricked microwave ovens. Google’s history of bricking its smart home products goes back to at least 2016, companies like Wink threaten to brick your devices unless you suddenly start paying a monthly fee on top of your purchase price “for life”, there were reports of smart bulbs or thermostats ceasing working as well.
The following is pure speculation on my part: I think we’re at the beginning of a huge wave of planned obsolescence. Everyone and their mother are now training AI’s, and they want their customers to replace older products, which don’t support AI integration, with new ones. They’ll soon stop supporting the older devices or outright bricking them, to force people to buy the new ones.
I can guarantee this user is not using an iPhone from 2011 - the iPhone 4s went to shit after the first few years of updates
Hello! Not sure if the screenshot will attach to this comment but I was able to successfully log into Lemmy and I’m replying to your comment from my iPhone 4s.
With all of this being said and done, I do agree that OP is not likely to be using an iPhone. An Android phone from this period is way more usable than this iPhone even with all the hacks I’ve done to it.
I can guarantee that any Android phone with a good modding community can last this much. He’s probably using Samsung galaxy s series or those old Google Nexus phone.
My phone’s official support stopped at Android 10 yet I’m currently running Android 14 with the help of custom rom.
Samsung Galaxy S2. With a replaceable battery and good external cover, that thing can last for a long time. I did contribute to e-waste by replacing the battery three times so far, but that’s all.
Don’t be so certain. Using jailbreaks the 4s can be downgraded to either 8.4.1 or 6.1.3. My own one is on 8.4.1 and old.Lemmy.world renders perfectly on it. I’ll grab it actually and see if I can reply to this comment.
I’ve always thought I had a 4s laying around. But just checked and it’s a 5c. With a broken screen. Would that be worth to have fixed and try to jailbreak to use it in 2024?
Most I do is Whatsapp, Lemmy, YouTube and browse the web. Casually.
I have a Galaxy S7 right now but it has never been comfortable to hold for me and the battery is getting old.
You could do the screen replacement yourself which honestly isn’t too difficult if you follow a repair guide such as the ones iFixit make available. You may find it cheaper to find an iCloud locked 5c with a functional screen than to buy a replacement screen itself, and you have spare parts should you need them.
However, I believe the 5c was a bit of an underwhelming phone because it was effectively the same as the iPhone 5 that came before it. The latest iOS it got was 10.3.4, which is pretty much unusable in 2024 without jailbreaks. You would need to find tweaks to try and fix apps that are broken, and force the app store to serve you older versions of apps. It’s possible to try and make it usable but I do honestly think it’s a losing battle as more and more apps update and break compatibility.
If you’re really into the form factor of the 5c you could find a used SE 1st gen which got to iOS 15 but still looks exactly like an iPhone 5, as these are still very daily drivable without jailbreaks.
Otherwise, I’d usually say its best to keep your S7 going, and install custom ROMs like LineageOS to keep it going further. If an Android phone has mainstream ROM support (by LineageOS or hobbyists on XDA Developers) it’s usually much easier to keep it going for longer than an iPhone, and it’s usually more secure as you’re getting OS updates again.
My iPhone 4s is a proof of concept device that shows it’s possible to have it work with some services today (Fediverse via old.Lemmy.world, Spotify, Discord, iMessage, Reddit via Narwhal, Maps, Telegram, YouTube via m.youtube.com, and Hacker News) but it is a very slow and patience testing experience in nearly all of those. I would not consider my 4s daily drivable and it’s exactly why I use it for a distraction free music player with modern conveniences.
Edit: I should mention that a community I frequented on Reddit was r/LegacyJailbreak, so they will have much further information for you should you want to ultimately repair and reuse your iPhone 5c
Thanks for your comment. That’s interesting.
After your post I think I wouldn’t go through the trouble of repairing that 5c. I now remember how it was always running out of storage space. So it wasn’t an ideal phone, even if it was more comfortable to hold. I’m actually considering looking for a Samsung Galaxy S4 now since there seem to be more recent versions of LineageOS for them.
All the best with that. I have a Galaxy S5 and it is still daily drivable, although it lives it’s retirement years as a dashcam that I can quickly deploy in any car should I need it.
“Come on guys, solar panels don’t make that much waste. Besides, it’s renewable!”
“Nuclear Fission is dangerous, we shouldn’t make more power plants, invest in things like solar!”
Don’t mind me, just waving my tiny “I was right” flag as we drown in our own hubris.
How are we even supposed to know what’s right anymore? Am I supposed to vote for the solar or the nuclear fanatics? I just wanna save the fucking climate, what should I do?
Edit: I’m sorry if this isn’t phrased clearly, but what I mean to say is “solar fanatics or nuclear fanatics”, implying that I feel right in the middle between the to and just want to make the right choice. People are arguing loudly from both sides.
Nuclear, preferably fusion works out and energy becomes a non-issue. But nothing else we have can beat the reliability, energy density and power-to-emissions ratio of nuclear.
I’m very sick of hearing about nuclear from Reddit/lemmy. If it was a realistic, affordable solution we’d be doing it. But it’s not. It just seems like it is to the layman.
There’s a reason the market and governments went all in on renewables and it isn’t just paranoia about nuclear accidents. Building a nuclear plant takes ten years minimum and it’s incredibly expensive, and has a lower margin for profit. In that amount of time governments/companies can build tens of thousands of renewable energy stations.
The issue of waste from solar is real, but the fact is even with that waste it’s done far more to reduce emissions than nuclear ever has or ever could.
If it was a realistic, affordable solution we’d be doing it.
No, if it wasn’t lobbied against and fearmongered by oil and coal, public sentiment would support it and funding would go along with it. If you think it’s cheaper to throw massive solar panels into every open field and that we’d get anywhere approaching the energy a nuclear power plant could produce then you’ve lost the plot.
it isn’t just paranoia about nuclear accidents.
Yes it is.
Building a nuclear plant takes ten years minimum and it’s incredibly expensive,
The energy output offsets the cost faster than alternatives and if we started ten years ago we’d have them by now. Not starting right now because you think it’s too late is the reason they weren’t built a decade ago. Some kind of fuckin reverse sunk cost fallacy with you people. Also, ten years minimum? Some have been built in three years.
The issue of waste from solar is real, but the fact is even with that waste it’s done far more to reduce emissions than nuclear ever has or ever could.
Dumbest shit you’ve said in this post so I’m glad you left it till last. Since 1971 Nuclear Power is estimated to have prevented 64 trillion gigatons of carbon emissions. To put it into perspective, that’s the amount the United States would generate if we powered ourselves completely with coal for 35 years. The positive climate impact of nuclear is so incomprehensibly superior to renewables that your stance against it isn’t just stupid - it’s costing lives.
It’s hilarious how utterly delusional you are lol. Yeah you go ahead and keep telling yourself that an oil industry conspiracy is pushing renewables over nuclear and not the fundamental economics of the situation. Nuclear isn’t and never will be a realistic solution to climate change.
Also— your own article states that the fastest nuclear reactors were built in Japan. Well guess what, that’s bizarr because Japan skirted all kinds of safety practices to build their reactors and that’s how you get garbage plants like Fukushima. All of the new reactors getting built now are planned for ten years or more, which your article also confirms.
And no, you are blatantly wrong that only paranoia is getting in the way of nuclear. Countries aren’t building nuclear because it makes no fucking sense when you can generate the same amount of power for far cheaper with renewables. Renewables are also serving as the baseline power source all around the world and they do the job just fine. Nuclear isn’t needed.
It’s obvious you’re just another rude, know-it-all douchebag who is actually far more ignorant on this topic than you realize. Straight to my blocked list.
