Make them tougher

Discussion in 'General Electronics Chat' started by nanobyte, Dec 28, 2004.

  1. nanobyte

    Thread Starter AAC Fanatic!

    May 26, 2004
    :blink: I don't understand why companies make cellphones so fragile. They should obviously know about the day to day abuse cellphones take from their users (being dropped constantly, knocked against walls, being sat on by fat people, etc.). Why don't companies make commercial cellphones more ruggedized? This would save stores the hassle of having to replace them all the time.
  2. beenthere

    Retired Moderator

    Apr 20, 2004

    It has to be enormously profitable the way things are. The cell phones are a bit like Polariod cameras, as cheaply made as possible. The profit is all in the film. With cell phones, it's all in the service agreement.
  3. Brandon

    Senior Member

    Dec 14, 2004

    Mmm... What type of cellphone we talking about? I have a Nokia 5150 and I dropped it atleast 30 or 40 times onto a tile floor from a few feet.

    The kicker was a car ran over the damn thing after I dropped it again, this time outside of someones house, and it still worked. Cracked the screen on it but I could still make phone calls and receive them.
  4. Dave

    Retired Moderator

    Nov 17, 2003
    Correct, its a commercial decision. Think about it, if the mobile phone companies made the phones such that they lasted 5 years a lot of people would run the phone into the ground and only replace the phone as required (i.e. after 5 years). As it is now make the phone cheaply, and after 12-18 months, the phone is in need of replacement (this is obvioulsy subject to how tolerant you are of an knackered phone!) and by the necessity nature of mobile phones today the consumer replaces the phone, providing custom for the phone manufacturer.

    Modern consumer engineering is: Make it cheap, sell it cheap, don't make it last.
  5. stewdrover

    New Member

    Jan 22, 2005

    cheaply, struth dave, where do you buy phones from? off the back of a truck?
    here in aussie they can screw ya $100s for a phone, all cos it takes pics, sends email, and is a mini pda.... hell all i want to know is 'does it make phone calls'
  6. Firestorm

    Senior Member

    Jan 24, 2005
    cell phones are durable to some extent depending on when and where u drop them. The more durable the phones are the more it costs to make them which cuts down on comany profit. Not to mention maintence fees to get your phone fixed. Basically u just have to pick a phone that u feel will with stand the punishment of everyday usage.