EU Exempts Apple Watch and AirPods from Battery Removal Requirements

Electric toothbrushes are exempt? Why?

We have several for our kids, with removable batteries from Oral-B. All are years old and still waterproof. And with that amount of voltage, where can there _ever_ be a "safety issue"? That is quackery!

Sounds more like somebody lobbied successfully.

    >some products, such as medical devices and so-called “wet appliances” (for example, electric toothbrushes or water flossers), are already exempt from this requirement, mainly for safety reasons. In these cases, batteries only need to be removable and replaceable by independent professionals.

As people will be wearing wearable products when it is raining these categories of clothes products have been classified as wet products

[0] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-adds-exempt...

Wouldn't a "toxic waste tax" be better than all these individual regulations?

Have a sales tax on each product that corresponds to the toxicity of its components.

Exempt recycled materials from the tax so companies have an incentive to collect old parts and recycle them, preventing them from going to a landfill.

Really a check-mate move from Apple. Onerous limitations that apply to everyone except the mega-corps.

Cowards. Force them to implement resealable waterproofing

> it must still undergo scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

I wonder what exactly that means. I hope the European Parliament won’t have to waste time voting on this.

This seems kind of obvious. How many Apple Watches and AirPods have ever become obsolete due to their batteries not being replaceable?

I’d guess the number is pretty close to zero, these devices aren’t used for long enough for this to become a problem.

If the goal was to sell more AirPods, not implementing “Find My” for them would’ve been a much better strategy.

So the dummies just gave Apple a competitive advantage?

anyone know how you can build a water-resistant phone with a removable battery?