While I'm bitching about batteries, large or small. We need laws which require manufacturers to make mobile phone, tablet and laptop batteries replaceable and trade-in-able (<- not a word, I know), with additional legislation requiring manufacturers to be responsible for the recycling. Replacing a whole device because the battery is at 25% of spec is a major part of the problem. And the cobalt in the battery casings can be recycled instead of mined by slaves in the DRC. Most metallic elements are as close to 100% recyclable as to make disposal and mining new a crime against humanity, even without slavery being involved.

The device I'm writing this on was bought with a trade-in of my old device to the manufacturer of these devices. This was only voluntary, though. These trade-ins need to be compulsory and batteries need to be exchangeable. I turn my old desktops into Debian boxes when they become too old to run their native OS after security patches and updates.

@crunchysteve I have pointed this out before and always got lots of excrement thrown at me, which is nice… I am an Apple user (fanboy, cult member, whatever) and use my computers and telephones a really long time. Afterwards they get second lifed or turned in for parts and recycling at a tiny profit. That’s not a bad way to use stuff. It saves a lot of money and keeps things alive a long time with a minimum of effort. Because I am lazy. Which is why I buy Apple in the first place.
@koenvh @crunchysteve my mid-2012 MBP13 still works — sure, the definition is not amazing and the battery needs to be replaced but for mundane tasks it’s still absolutely usable and useful. the ~900€ (on sale) laptop I was given for work started having battery problems after 2 months and the frame around the screen broke after 6 — and I took good care of it, like with all my other devices.
@zanna_92 @crunchysteve I do lust after the new and shiny though…