Only if you define "always" as post-2010.
Cell phones were for a very long time considered long-term purchases, along the lines of washing machines and refrigerators. It was only when they became fashion accessories and certain companies started relying on pushing out new models every year for no reason other than to boost the balance sheet that they became "disposable."
You're right about the recycling, though. We need more places to recycle e-waste.
I was surprised a couple of years ago when I wanted to recycle an old PowerBook. I assumed that every Apple Store would take used gear. But it turned out that none of the Apple Stores near me would take it. I'd have to drive it four hours away to another city in order for it to be recycled.
They were already disposable items in 1999 when I got my first GSM phone. Every other year carriers would push you to upgrade to the latest and greatest with "free phone with contract extension" to get you onto the hot new technologies like WAP, color screens, cameras, MMS, 3G video calling, etc.
> It was only when they became fashion accessories
Nokias with Xpress-on covers were totally a fashion accessory! And there was always that d-bag with a Vertu phone.
I agree with your second point, but I want to push back on this first point a bit. While it seems like manufacturers benefit from devices being disposable, I don't see a strong reason why they should be.
The reality is that extending the lifespan of devices is one of the best ways to lower consumption. When it comes to changes like retiring 3G, we also have to weigh that against the environmental cost of maintaining the 3G network. Given the maintenance impact, it may end up being a net positive to retire these devices, but it's still an important cost to consider.
To be clear, we should also improve disposal and recycling, but that shouldn't be to the exclusion of reducing and reusing.
You could build a device with a 1000 year lifespan, but it’s a waste of effort if the consumer wants a new one after 5 years. It’s optimal to build a device with a lifespan that will only be as long as a consumer’s interest in it.
That said I don't know that we should assume that "build for longevity" and "build for effective disposal" are mutually exclusive.
I'm sure we'll see more of this post-5G. There's such a huge push to get 5G-connected IoT devices into every corner of society, we'll have to seriously reconsider how limited the lifespans of these technologies should be.
