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Mobile phones can only last maximum 5 years. Is this true?


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Posted by dhallug
I brought K700i from SE and the sales advsior told me that mobiles phones can last at maximum 5 years before they become unuseable, i.e. break down.

Is this really true?

So, does this mean my P900 will survive for only another 3 years?




Posted by whizkidd
Aaargh!! I know people using the same phone for more than 10 Years. So it obviously isn't true!

Posted by Sammy_boy
I've got an old /// S868 that must be about 8 years old, still works absolutely fine! Thinking of selling it actually, must be about a museum piece now!

Posted by k700nut
don't believe ANY retail asst.they're brainless chimps...hence the reason 'five pound an hour'

Posted by whizkidd
A mobile phone taken good care of would definitely last for more than 5 years. But some hardware and software glitches may creep in.

Posted by govigov
my aunt has an ///gh 688 or 886 (i am not sure of the name)

and i am positive the 3210 is OOOOOOLD!!! or the good old 5110. when was the t68 released?

Posted by MikLSP
Well I can tell u this.....in 5 years time I wouldn't even entertain having any of todays phones! They're good now but just think what they'll be doin in 5years time!

5 years ago the Nokia 3210 was top of the line & had this amazing new thing called "Predictive text" & we were all amazed! I wouldn't be seen dead with a 3210 now! I'd rather have no phone

Posted by dhallug
Quote:

On 2005-02-28 18:21:07, k700nut wrote:
don't believe ANY retail asst.they're brainless chimps...hence the reason 'five pound an hour'



This message was posted from a P910




correct. Although the guy said it, I didnt believe in it first. If I needed advice I wouldnt need advice of a sales advisor or retail asisstant in a store. They are in business and would do anything to sell their goods whether or not its in your best interests. I would normally get my advice here on esato or from other sources.

most of the time, this retail store asistant give misleading advice or deceive customers through cheap marketing tactics I think.

Posted by dave_uk
Quote:

On 2005-02-28 18:21:07, k700nut wrote:
don't believe ANY retail asst.they're brainless chimps...hence the reason 'five pound an hour'



This message was posted from a P910




Not too much of a sweeping generalisation then...

Posted by Debu
I don't think any of today's phones are worth keeping even 2 years, let alone 5 uears. No one would ever find out from today's phones. Some of the earlier ///'s and Nokia's did last 8-10 years. My dad had an old Nokia 1610 which lasted about 7 years before the keypad became faulty.

Posted by milmino
Apparently, a phone under my care wouldn't last for more than one and a half years. lol

Posted by slattery69
perhaps they were just covering themselves. also try and get spare parts in 5 years time for a phone that went out of production maybe 3 years earlier.
some massive sellers you maybe able to but think of smaller selling phones from 5 years ago and attempt to get part or even batteries and you may struggle i dont mean nokia 3210 and the like but smaller selling phones

Posted by dhallug
also, Im wondering whether a Sony Ericsson phones would last longer in general then otehr phones. "Sony" as we all know are one of the best companies out there in manufacturering electronic goods and are generally very reliable, far more then most other brands so Im wondering, whether sony phones are cpable to lasting forever providing the user looks after the phone well.

Posted by slattery69
if you look after most items from recognised manuf they will last ie i still have a n 3210 and it works fine have had it for donkeys years.
i dont think its a trait of sony just good manuf.
i had 6 t610 in the year i owned it i would still say it was a good phone and well made yet i needed 6 in 1 year.

Posted by KrisUK
A phone will as long as it possibly can as long as it's taken care of.

I've got an old Motorola sitting on my desk that still works and it's got to be around 7 years old (or even older). It didn't get heavy use and stayed in the house mainly but the thing's been dropped and run over by a bike and still works.

To be honest though, I think phones are getting less reliable in terms of software but the hardware is still good enough. Last 3 phones I've had have had crashing software but fair enough, the last 2 phones crashed due to the SIM card but still, the hardware reading the SIM couldn't have been as good.

Posted by BobaFett
Got ca 10 years old fones, fw and fone works great yet. It depends on hw, fw and batt, on the right usage too.

Posted by coo1k3n
I think for most mobile users it's true. But it's really purely down to wear and tear. Usually you would have dropped the thing so many times it's bound to break, plus most of the phones ive had are rather flimsy.

Depends.

Posted by sapporobaby
What hardware glitches or software glitches would creep in? In the old days they were only phones. Nothing more, nothing less.

Posted by voda_jon
@k700nut - so thats all retail advisors? coz i remember a time (a few yrs back) wen i used to b one of them an i remember distinctly giving honest advice to every customer and not try to decieve them in any way (jus creates more hassle wen they come back kickin off) an now i av a very enviable job in HQ wit voda (surely if i was jus a sales chimp who started on £5 an hr i wouldnt b were i am today, making choices that have a direct effect on the whole retail side of voda!)

Ooh an most advisors in voda r on a lot more than £5 an hr... pay is pretty good....



Posted by Ing. FijoK
Quote:

On 2005-02-28 17:58:03, whizkidd wrote:
Aaargh!! I know people using the same phone for more than 10 Years. So it obviously isn't true!

<p>

<i>This message was posted from a T230</I>

My fother has his old Ericsson T18s 6 years and he is satisfy but he need larger display. If T18s would has larger display he will have it next 5 years

Posted by blackspot
The only thing that may really have that life span is the battery. Constant use will surely cause your battery to deteriorate and eventually die and yes, 5 years for a Li-ion battery is about right. The phone however will last much longer if you take proper care of it. Old phones can still be used assuming that the network technology still supports the phone and the user would be satisfied with whatever limited features the phone have.

Posted by RedStar
The only reason a phone won't last 5 years is because we change them to newer models as commented by the posts but for a phone to last 5 years in existence, it defintely will under normal circumstances.

That declaration by the sales chimp is plain st*p*d!

Posted by homer
Quote:

On 2005-02-28 17:55:25, dhallug wrote:
I brought K700i from SE and the sales advsior told me that mobiles phones can last at maximum 5 years before they become unuseable, i.e. break down.

Is this really true?

So, does this mean my P900 will survive for only another 3 years?





Its a bit like Blade Runner!! lol

Posted by whizkidd
Is there a timer in the phone which will cause the phone to destroy itself at the end of its 5 year lifespan? The sales guy seems to think that way!

Posted by *Jojo*
I guess non-colored fones will LAST longer than colored ones Just my guess here mates!

Posted by whizkidd
Jojo, i agree with you my friend! ;-)


Posted by k700nut
@voda~jon...It was a sweeping generalisation,but i'll never forget the occasion when a branch manager of a north west cpw store,told me that a 6230 used a symbian os...and the dickbrain was ADAMANT on this!in john smiths terms(no bullshit),why do people utter crap,if they haven't got the slightest incline?it's deceiving to the consumer,and gives reputable dealers a bad name.just my shillings worth of input.

Posted by blackspot
Yes definitely because monochrome LCDs have simpler circuits.

Posted by EastCoastStar
i thought no matter how advanced the phone is it would only last 3 years... i heard there is a timer hidden in the software, and when it hits exactly 3 years, the phone will turn off and not turn back on! i always hated that... but i guess its what they want to do!


just kidding!! a phone will last a good while... just take good care of it!

Posted by blackspot
In that case I wish the timer on the K700i sticker was set longer


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