An earlier EU ruling will require companies like Apple to offer devices to customers that feature ‘easy to replace’ batteries. However, despite the enforcement of these rules, the Cupertino firm’s Senior Vice President of hardware engineering hints that such a change will not be arriving to the company’s devices as it can compromise the internal integrity, reducing the overall durability.

Assuming new EU rules are stringent, Apple may be forced to exit several markets entirely

Apple executive John Ternus spoke in an interview with the YouTube channel ORBIT that was spotted by Supercharged regarding the possibility of bringing removable batteries to future iPhones. Though most of the interview focused on Apple’s environmental efforts that Lisa Jackson led, Ternus believes that if consumers truly want a battery replacement for their devices, there needs to be a safer way to make that happen.

In other words, the company’s SVP of hardware engineering believes that iPhone owners would inadvertently harm themselves when performing a battery replacement procedure. While the executive may have said this out of concern for the people’s well-being, it is likely that this statement was made to ensure that one of Apple’s revenue streams is not severed.

Despite the technology giant shipping millions of iPhones in a calendar year, it stands to make a ton of money through battery replacements alone, with U.S. customers needing to pay $99 for a battery replacement for the base iPhone 14 if they have not opted for AppleCare+. Ternus states that making an internal component more repairable can also add a potential failure point in that area, making devices less durable.

He also mentions that making batteries easily replaceable would make incorporating water and dust-resistant seals on iPhones difficult. Ternus also says that Apple wants to build products that last while also pointing out that iPhones have held their resale value quite well over the years thanks to their improved durability.

At the end of the day, despite offering customers a premium experience when they purchase their first iPhone, Apple is a company focused on generating profits, so assuming that EU’s rules do not allow for any ‘bending of the rules,’ the iPhone maker would exit the markets that fall under the European Union rather than be forced to change the design. Even if Ternus did not explicitly admit this in the interview, most of us knew where his mind was at.

Fortunately, even if Apple does not offer customers an easy solution to replace the batteries in the future, it does not mean the company will make the iPhone 15 family difficult to take apart, as the upcoming lineup is said to be easily repairable.

News Source: ORBIT