Why Broken Gadgets Are Easier to Thorw Away Than Fix

After struggling to coax functionality from the iPhone's buttons for months, Derene finally caved in, taking the phone to his local Apple Store's Genius Bar. The resulting tale should not be unfamiliar to any trouble-shooting Mac user, or problematic iPod owner; Derene waited for over two hours to receive no suggestion other than the one to buy a new iPhone.
Blame for this "no-fix" phenomenon can be, according to Derene, attributed to the increasingly complex and integrated electronic systems that lie within the most advanced gadgets. While a savvy, tech-minded amateur could -- with some extra time on his hands and help from Radio Shack -- fix most of yesterday's electronics, he is today confined to tossing his misbehaving gadget into the garbage. (The iPhone's backplate can't even be removed without destroying the phone).
So, after all that, what's the culprit? What was it that defeated this fine specimen of machinery? That nearly drove Derence mad? Pocket lint lodged under the buttons, of course. [From: Popular Mechanics]





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Comments
3
Subscribe to commentsRandallNov 16th 2008 11:50AM
Gee, just how hard is it to go to any friggin' retailer and buy a pocket 'iPhone' protector?
stephenseebaranNov 16th 2008 1:48PM
...Thorw Away Than Fix...?
U shood install a speel chekr!!
DarkLightNov 17th 2008 12:07AM
BS.
The culprit of this are the companies that want to keep the party private (for obvious reasons).
The only thing holding us down is the lack of adequate equipment and materials at reasonable prices.
We know for a fact that the show doesn't cost what they sell it at, not even half. The ridiculously high prices (wich of course, are pocket change for big companies) are just because of the "it's for professional use" tax.
Anything that is "meant for professional use" has a ridiculously high price just because of that, even if it only costs a few dollars to make (inlcuding R&D costs)