Re:Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1....
by paulryanrogers on Saturday May 21, 2022 @05:55PM
(#31462305)
Apple is in a class of their own in some ways, so until they offer a repairable one I don't think a fair comparison can be made.
I disagree. I think you're conflating home user repairability with longevity of the device. Just because the user can't repair it at home doesn't mean it goes in the garbage. More realistically a broken phone will be traded in, Apple will repair it, and it will be sold refurbished. Apple phones hold their value very well, and there is a booming second-hand market, even including officially by Apple.
I wouldn't be surprised if the average lifetime of an Apple phone exceeded that of even a "repair friendly" Android phone. I'd love to see data on that either way, but until we have it, you can't say whether the design of Apple phones contributes to landfill culture or not.