The European Commission has revised its battery regulations to exempt devices such as the Apple Watch from requirements that batteries be removable and replaceable by users.
”By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the following products incorporating portable batteries may be designed in such a way as to make the battery removable and replaceable only by independent professionals:
(a) appliances specifically designed to operate primarily in an environment that is regularly subject to splashing water, water streams or water immersion, and that are intended to be washable or rinseable;”
How is a wristwatch not designed for an environment that is regularly subject to splashing water? I wash my hands several times a day.
Well no that’s their point, the batteries can only be replaceable by an independant professional and not the user, because it’s subject to frequent splashing water, therefore there’s a waterproofing argument & the battery can’t be user-serviceable
I’m not sure why they couldn’t make a user-replaceable waterproof battery but there you go
I don’t think making the battery itself waterproof is necessarily the solution here though: you would need to make the battery user replaceable without sacrificing the waterproofing of the entire device.
There are ways of accomplishing this in devices though: action cameras generally have replaceable batteries with an extra waterproofing gasket for the battery tray. Those are even designed for frequent-ish swaps (though, outside of water).
”By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the following products incorporating portable batteries may be designed in such a way as to make the battery removable and replaceable only by independent professionals:
(a) appliances specifically designed to operate primarily in an environment that is regularly subject to splashing water, water streams or water immersion, and that are intended to be washable or rinseable;”
How is a wristwatch not designed for an environment that is regularly subject to splashing water? I wash my hands several times a day.
I don’t know how you do it, but I do wash my hands without getting my watch wet. Which is good, as not all watches are waterproof. And mine isn’t. :D
Anyway, watches can be waterproof and have replaceable batteries. Like most watches, especially those that are not smartwatches.
Well no that’s their point, the batteries can only be replaceable by an independant professional and not the user, because it’s subject to frequent splashing water, therefore there’s a waterproofing argument & the battery can’t be user-serviceable
I’m not sure why they couldn’t make a user-replaceable waterproof battery but there you go
I don’t think making the battery itself waterproof is necessarily the solution here though: you would need to make the battery user replaceable without sacrificing the waterproofing of the entire device.
There are ways of accomplishing this in devices though: action cameras generally have replaceable batteries with an extra waterproofing gasket for the battery tray. Those are even designed for frequent-ish swaps (though, outside of water).