Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Upgradable Smartphones

I've always wondered why there's no such thing as upgradable smartphones. I understand that the answer is obvious and comes down to companies needing to make money. If companies allowed people to upgrade their smartphones on their own, they would not be able to have the pageants that they have every year to introduce the new models. Though upgradable smartphones are an impossibility, I would like to see them become a reality.

There was a time when cell phones were not these tight, waterproof little devices. You used to be able to replace the battery and open them up with no problem. I know that current smartphones can be opened, but you have to do so much twisting and prying that it's not worth it. You might as well wait for when you have enough money to spring for the new model.

I look to desktop computers as the beacon of upgradable technology. You can add to and tweak desktops in virtually any way you want. Eventually, you have to change out the motherboard to be able to handle new parts. The cost of most motherboards is not as much as what you would have to spend to get a completely new machine.

Laptops allow for some upgrading, but you're limited in what you can do because all the ports are attached directly to the motherboard. You have the option to upgrade the processor and add RAM to the mix, but that will only get you so far. You're left hoping that the specifications you chose when you bought your machine will see you through into the future.

While we might think that cell phones have been around for a long time, their lifespan has been short compared to other products. In the short time they have been around, we have seen them come from limited bricks that could just make phone calls to speedy devices capable of performing functions that used to require multiple standalone machines. Whatever happens going forward I'm hoping that we start to see upgradable smartphones entering the marketplace.

1 comment:

  1. I like your view, however to make something upgradable/replaceable, that item must use a connector and the connectors require space, add cost and weight, all of which is the opposite of the trend for low cost, light weight and thin. If you would be ok with the trade offs an upgradable smart phone is a possibility, altering a trend so well entrenched will be an uphill battle but could be a viable niche market.

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