I get the frustration, but maybe we're expecting too much from manufacturers here?
- Modular designs sound great, but realistically, companies still need to make money somewhere. If they made everything super easy and cheap to fix, wouldn't they lose out on repeat sales?
- Also, there's the durability factor. Sometimes sealed devices are actually more robust because fewer moving parts or openings mean less dust and moisture getting in.
- Had a phone once that was super repair-friendly—swappable battery, easy screws—but it felt flimsy and broke way quicker than my current sealed-up brick of a phone.
- Not saying we should just accept being gouged for proprietary parts, but maybe there's a reason behind some of these design choices beyond just greed?
- Curious if anyone's had experiences where a sealed device actually lasted longer or performed better precisely because it wasn't easy to open up...
Yeah, I see where you're coming from. Had a similar experience myself—my old phone was easy to open up and swap parts, but honestly, it didn't hold up well at all. My current sealed one has survived drops, rain, even a dunk in a puddle once (don't ask...), and it's still going strong. Definitely frustrating when you can't fix something yourself, but sometimes the trade-off in durability makes sense.
"Definitely frustrating when you can't fix something yourself, but sometimes the trade-off in durability makes sense."
Fair point, though durability doesn't always mean sealed-up designs. My old rugged laptop was fully serviceable—survived construction sites, rainstorms, even a nasty fall off a ladder. Still skeptical about sealed gadgets being inherently tougher...depends on build quality, really.
Gotta disagree a bit here—sealed gadgets have their perks, sure, but durability isn't always one of them. I've had my share of supposedly "rugged" sealed phones that cracked like eggs the first time they slipped outta my pocket onto the driveway (yeah, clumsy me). On the other hand, my old-school, screws-and-panels-everywhere cordless drill has been dropped, kicked around, and left out in the rain more times than I'd like to admit, and it still runs like a champ.
I think manufacturers sometimes use "sealed" as a convenient excuse to keep us from poking around inside. Easier for them—maybe—but tougher for us DIY types who wanna swap out a battery or fix a loose connection without having to break out the heat gun and pry tools. Durability's more about smart engineering and quality materials than just gluing everything shut, IMO. Give me screws and replaceable parts any day...at least then I won't feel guilty when I inevitably drop the thing again.
Totally get your point about sealed devices. Last winter, I dropped my "waterproof" Bluetooth speaker into the snowbank next to my driveway—figured no big deal, right? Wrong. Moisture somehow got in, and it was toast. Meanwhile, my ancient boombox from the garage (held together by screws and duct tape at this point) has survived paint splatters, sawdust storms, and even a tumble off the workbench. Sometimes simpler really is better...or at least easier to patch up when things inevitably go sideways.
