I can see this being a big concern for something like a living room TV purchase where the screen is the entire device and very expensive. And it’s obviously a much bigger issue for those personally affected by these specific kind of headaches. But otherwise for a handheld device? I imagine it will become a lot less usable in other ways before burn out renders it fully dead. Battery life and wear on the buttons, triggers, and pads would be of higher concern to me, not to mention the joysticks which aren’t Hall effect and will drift inevitably. Anyway, all of these components are technically replaceable, including the screen. As much as I despise e-waste and rapid obsolescence of tech, I’m not convinced OLED isn’t worth it for smaller devices.
Because there will always be parts that eventually fail. It’s important that those parts be repairable or replaceable because you can’t count on the whole thing lasting forever. Nothing does.
I still fret over the lifetime of my belongings. When I hear a mouse is tested and guaranteed to function up to several million clicks, I think of that like an approaching deadline. In reality, that many clicks would take decades on average. Ideally that’s the kind of lifespan we’re talking about when we purchase a product. Personally, I’ve never had an OLED phone burn out to the point of unusability or even minor annoyance after years of heavy use, more use than my Steam Deck will ever likely see. But if/when it does happen, it’s good to know that I could replace that component.
I can see this being a big concern for something like a living room TV purchase where the screen is the entire device and very expensive. And it’s obviously a much bigger issue for those personally affected by these specific kind of headaches. But otherwise for a handheld device? I imagine it will become a lot less usable in other ways before burn out renders it fully dead. Battery life and wear on the buttons, triggers, and pads would be of higher concern to me, not to mention the joysticks which aren’t Hall effect and will drift inevitably. Anyway, all of these components are technically replaceable, including the screen. As much as I despise e-waste and rapid obsolescence of tech, I’m not convinced OLED isn’t worth it for smaller devices.
I don’t believe in disposable technology. Why shouldn’t I be able to use a device with no consumables other than electricity for decades if need be?
Because there will always be parts that eventually fail. It’s important that those parts be repairable or replaceable because you can’t count on the whole thing lasting forever. Nothing does.
I still fret over the lifetime of my belongings. When I hear a mouse is tested and guaranteed to function up to several million clicks, I think of that like an approaching deadline. In reality, that many clicks would take decades on average. Ideally that’s the kind of lifespan we’re talking about when we purchase a product. Personally, I’ve never had an OLED phone burn out to the point of unusability or even minor annoyance after years of heavy use, more use than my Steam Deck will ever likely see. But if/when it does happen, it’s good to know that I could replace that component.