EU Drops Battery Removal Requirement for Apple Watch and AirPods
The European Commission has granted exemptions to its user-serviceable battery rules for wearables, including Apple Watch and AirPods.
Answered
Which devices are exempt from the EU battery removal rules?
Exemptions apply to smartwatches, fitness trackers, earbuds, and smart glasses.
Does this affect Apple specifically?
Yes, coverage from MacRumors and Cult of Mac indicates the EU will not force Apple to redesign the Apple Watch or AirPods to meet these requirements.
Are there other concerns regarding the exempt devices?
According to Road to VR, privacy questions remain regarding smart glasses despite their exemption from repairability rules.
Where it stands
The European Union is exempting smartwatches, fitness trackers, earbuds, and smart glasses from requirements that mandate removable batteries. This move means manufacturers will not be forced to redesign these specific devices to ensure batteries are user-replaceable.
Coverage from Engadget, GSMArena.com, and MacRumors emphasizes that this decision spares companies like Apple from redesigning products such as the Apple Watch and AirPods. Other outlets, including Road to VR, note that while smart glasses are exempt, privacy questions regarding those devices remain.
Future developments will center on whether these exemptions affect the overall repairability of wearables, as Digital Trends suggests replaceable batteries for these devices are unlikely to arrive soon.
Synthesized by Newsylist from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: all claims supported by sources Updated 44d ago.
The reporting (11)
- EU Exempts Apple Watch and AirPods from Battery Removal Requirements Hacker News · 47d ago
- EU Adds Exemptions To User-Serviceable Batteries Rules Hackaday · 51d ago
- You can thank the EU that your next wearable won’t get this awesome battery upgrade PhoneArena · 51d ago
- European Commission will not force smartwatches and other wearables to have replaceable batteries Engadget · 51d ago
- Hoping your next smartwatch will have a replaceable battery? The EU has bad news Yahoo Tech · 51d ago
- EU adds exemptions to its removable battery rule for smartwatches, fitness trackers, ear buds GSMArena.com · 51d ago
- EU won’t force Apple to redesign AirPods Cult of Mac · 51d ago
- Don’t expect smartwatches and fitness bands with replaceable batteries anytime soon Digital Trends · 51d ago
- EU Moves to Exempt Smart Glasses from Repairability Rules, Privacy Questions Remain Road to VR · 51d ago
- EU Won’t Require User-Replaceable Batteries for Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers Thurrott.com · 51d ago
- EU Drops Battery Removal Requirement for Apple Watch and AirPods MacRumors · 51d ago broke it first
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