a hack from a handsaw

I still use and am even fairly loyal to Garmin products, but I've recently had another one croak on me. This time it was a combination of failing battery and then the switch on the side of the unit stopped working.

I can remember from other Garmin units that when they die, they really die and there's no economical way to repair them. I experienced it with an earlier Edge unit and a couple of their watches. I suppose they do get bashed about a bit in all conditions, but it seems to be quite small things that eventually make them stop working.

Another Garmin device used a small 2032 battery which, once removed, lost all the settings forever and wouldn't allow the unit to be restarted.

And now I see that the latest Apple gadget may be following a similar route.

Even the iFixit team couldn't get inside the new HomePod without using a hacksaw. They also noticed that the circuit boards have been flooded with glue to keep the components in place and to stop rattles. That'll stop home adaptations of the units too.

Maybe the intention is that this will be a 'buy once, lasts forever' kind of purchase, which certainly was true in the days of component hi-fi, but less so in these digital times.