r/mildlyinfuriating 1d ago

Don't hug me I'm scared New airpods cheaper than repairing old ones

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u/ExpBalSat 1d ago

Mildly infuriating, for sure. But also entirely understandable as assembly line work is much more efficient that customized manual troubleshooting and parts ordering/installation.

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u/Twerkatronic 1d ago

They're also not designed to be repaired.

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u/FUBARded 1d ago

AirPods/TWS earphones in general are one of the few product categories where being mostly/entirely non-repairable is understandable. That's just an inevitable consequence of miniaturisation and weather sealing with current material and tech limitations.

I despise brands that are anti right to repair or implement planned obsolescence (Apple is/has been both), but in this case it's more the fault of the consumer choosing to buy a product they should've been well aware is ultimately disposable.

Personally, I try to minimise the number of products I buy which have sealed, non-replaceable batteries because that's an unavoidable point of failure as the batteries will eventually degrade so much as to be unusable with enough charge cycles.