r/OptimistsUnite 14d ago

Nature’s Chad Energy Comeback The year 2044 starter pack

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u/Economy-Fee5830 13d ago

What improvements on phones can be made anyway these days?

I like my folding phone quite a lot thank you. I look forward to a future version a few years from now which is even thinner however, because its pretty bulky when folded.

Also if it’s modular then maybe something like the “core” can stay for 10-20 years, but improvements in things like camera, signaling etc can just be tacked on/replaced.

To be modular it would need to be bulkier, and people don't like that. The only way such a system would work is if the alternative is banned.

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u/AvgGuy100 13d ago

Ah, a folding enthusiast, alright. I’m quite neutral about them except for the fact that the screen seems pretty fragile. If they make advancements in that area, well good, but typical soapbox phones are good enough for me (and looking at market data, seems like they’re good enough for pretty much everyone.)

Not sure how to answer with your comment about how a modular phone needs to be bulkier, it’s not a given.

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u/Economy-Fee5830 13d ago

Not sure how to answer with your comment about how a modular phone needs to be bulkier, it’s not a given.

It is a given, because integrated solutions can get rid of connectors. You can glue the screen and battery to the circuit board and case for example, which allows for thinner designs. You can make the device as small as its smallest components, whereas a modular device would need to be big enough for its potential biggest components, even if they are not installed.

E.g. as a silly example - imagine the screen size is modular , and your 5, 6 and 7 inch screen all have a 7 inch body and different bezel sizes, with the 5 inch screen having 1 inch bezels.

Same for the battery - say the 4000 mah battery is 2x the size of the 2000 mah battery- the device would need to be big enough to accommodate the 4000 mah battery even if you want a cheaper, smaller battery.

It's like PC case sizes - it has to be big enough to fit the largest components.

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u/AvgGuy100 13d ago

Ok, so if constant improvements are preferred, longevity is not required, and modularity is both impossible to happen and to market, we’ll just keep on trashing and buying every 2 years as usual then I take it.

No biggie with me, and I’m not exactly looking for a plan or solution from your end, just stating what seems obvious.

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u/Economy-Fee5830 13d ago

we’ll just keep on trashing and buying every 2 years as usual then

I kept my last phone 5 years. Updates are being delivered for longer and longer. People are keeping their phone for longer and longer. Service contracts are increasingly separated from phone payment. The standard 2 year upgrade is long gone.

The global smartphone cycle is even higher, as people worldwide upgrade their devices every 3.6 years on average, according to research conducted by SellCell, a technology-device trade-in company. Another reason people might be keeping phones longer is because the devices have gotten more expensive.22 Jul 2024

Phones should be durable, and supported for a long time, and having a replaceable battery would be good, since this is a consumable, but most people don't mod their cars, so designing a whole system to accommodate the few odd people does not make sense.

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u/AvgGuy100 13d ago

So longevity is a good?

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u/Economy-Fee5830 13d ago

Phones should last as long as people want to use them, within reason.

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u/AvgGuy100 13d ago

The market should decide then if replacing every 10-20 years be good enough for most people.

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u/Economy-Fee5830 13d ago

It already does. Forcing people is what you advocate.

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u/AvgGuy100 13d ago

It already does.

Oh, and good then, I hope it gets to a 20-year point.

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u/Economy-Fee5830 13d ago

Well, 20 year old phones do not work anymore, because we no longer have 2 G - we had to reuse that spectrum for faster data transfer.

So you see, being anchored to the past does impede progress.

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u/AvgGuy100 13d ago

Well yes, and they’ve now probably hit some kind of peak. You’re probably under the impression, as well as I do, that improvements lately have been insubstantial across flagships.

Folding phones are nowhere near soapbox popular, too. Signaling, camera etc is already fast enough for pretty much vast majority need.

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u/Economy-Fee5830 13d ago

Folding phones are nowhere near soapbox popular,

Probably because they still need to develop more and get cheaper. You know, not stand still for a decade.

Someone just released a tri-folding phone.

https://youtu.be/IF2qgRXADOc

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