Re: [NTLK] [OT] Re: iBattery

Quoting Adam Goddard <pashosh@tpg.com.au>:

> On 11/07/2007, at 2:33 AM, James Grubic wrote:
> > To counter these points:
> >
> > 1. Most iPod and iPhone owners are not even remotely competent techs.
> >
> > 2. The iPhone battery wires are actually soldered, as opposed to
> > the iPod.
> iPod Nano and Shuffle batteries are soldered on.

Some of the things that are required to understand when designing a product, is
what the consumer is able and willing to do, and their past experiences.

Your average person who can't solder will decry the ability to change a battery
without soldering. Where did they get the idea that they had to change a
battery? They were conditioned by previous generations of that class of product
where the batteries NEEDED to be changed within the normal use of the product.

Could it be that Apple has decided that the iPhone doesn't NEED to have it's
batteries changed within normal use? Does a person really want to deal with
changing batteries? What do you do with old lithium batteries? Throw them out?
What if you are shipping to Europe where they require batteries to be collected
and disposed of properly?

Volvo recently came up with a design study where the users were primarily women.
The hood (bonnet) on the car did not open. Women, who make the buying decision
on over 50% of cars, are not interested in things that are under the hood - that
is the job of the dealer.

Is it reasonable to solder in the batteries on your laptop? Probably not since
we have been conditioned to have them easily removable and since their capacity
still sucks compared to use cases. Batteries are a profit line item, why
wouldn't you make them as poorly as possible and easily replaceable?

Is it reasonable to solder in the batteries in a Newton? How about the eMate?

Is it reasonable to solder in the batteries in an iPhone? Ask a real user.

Is it reasonable to bolt in the battery on a car and not give the driver a tool
set? Yes. Now, why is that?

Andrei

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