A columnist with The Washington Post called for an end to planned obsolescence and adding repairability scores to packaging. | Nicole Glass Photography/Shutterstock
A major news outlet released an analysis of 14 popular consumer devices, finding that most could stop working in three to four years because of batteries that are impossible to replace.
An analyst noted that component supply backups and cost pressures are starting to ease up, but there are still some problems with logistics and production. | Kwangmoozaa/Shutterstock
Demand for smartphones is starting to decline, with research finding that worldwide smartphone shipments fell 9% in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the same period last year.
Device trade-in processes could be improved to capture more of the 550 million devices estimated to be in U.S. homes. | kronikarz.com/Shutterstock
A survey from one industry company finds U.S. consumers would trade in more used mobile phones if there was a price guarantee and better customer service in general.
Closing the Loop is partnering with Vodafone Germany to scale up its collection of broken phones in African countries for recycling. | Xolodan/Shutterstock
Vodafone and Closing the Loop have partnered together with the goal of recycling one used device from a country that lacks formal recycling capacity for every phone Vodafone sells in Germany.
U.S. remarketers now have the option of having Phonecheck evaluate and produce reports on their devices sold through the eBay Refurbished program. | Michael Vi/Shutterstock
One of the world’s biggest e-commerce channels, eBay, has launched a program allowing refurbishers to sell Phonecheck-certified devices through the platform. One expert explained what the development means for remarketers.
Google will work with iFixit to offer repair parts for nearly all Pixel phones. | Deutschlandreform/Shutterstock
Google is rolling out home repair kits for nearly all its Pixel phones as part of a collaboration with iFixit.
Apple last year upgraded its Daisy robot to disassemble 23 different models of iPhone, up from 15 models. | Courtesy of Apple
Apple added to its recycling technology in 2021, upgrading some robots and rolling out a machine that can recover rare earth magnets that are typically destroyed in the shredding process. Continue Reading
Samsung will now offer genuine device parts, repair tools and step-by-step guides for Galaxy phones. | Leszek Kobusinski/Shutterstock
Global smartphone maker Samsung will now enable customers with Galaxy devices to repair the items themselves, using tools and parts from the company.
Apple may roll out a hardware subscription service, allowing customers to pay a monthly fee to lease the devices and trade up when new hardware come out. | Attila Fodemesi/Shutterstock
Apple may soon launch a hardware subscription service, allowing customers to lease an iPhone through monthly payments and potentially trade up when new phones come out, Bloomberg reported.
Back Market’s service aims to recirculate the estimated 100 million devices sitting in drawers across the country. | andras csontos/Shutterstock
Online refurbished electronics marketplace Back Market has started a U.S. program that allows consumers to sell their devices directly to refurbishers.