Samsung has announced that it is bringing a refurbished version of the Note 7 device back . The announcement comes after the company first issued a massive recall notice wherein it got customers to turn in the millions of Note 7 devices they had purchased earlier. This follows after protests from environmental groups which raised questions about the disposal of this many amount of smartphones. The company has hit upon the novel solution of selling them as refurbished devices to take care of the issue.
Electronic gadgets are ridiculously hard to manufacture. However, they are even harder to dispose of once manufactured. This is because while manufacturing, we aren’t really paying too much attention to what is going to happen after the device has outlived its usefulness.
We are usually much more concerned with making sure that device works and looks great and that we manage to sell of as many handsets as we can. What this means however, is that when the time comes to recycle them, you start having problems. It is not much of an issue when you receive devices in their ones and twos. However, what happens when you suddenly have millions of handsets on your hands? Are you going to be able to recycle them properly?
Concerns like these were responsible for environmental groups kicking up a major fuss over Samsung ‘s attempts to recycle the lot of Note 7 devices. Despite the company’s assurances that it was equipped to deal with a recycling operation of this scale, no one really wanted to take the risk of something going wrong. After all, the Note 7 has already caused enough trouble all on its own. To address all these concerns, Samsung has announced that it will be selling its Note 7 devices in refurbished form soon. The devices will come straight from the South Korean manufacturer, which will first make changes to ensure that none of the devices go kaboom! again.
The device is expected to pack a smaller battery, and will probably be priced significantly cheaper. Good news for folks who held on to their Note 7 tooth and nail I suppose. However, Samsung will not be releasing it in the US for either rent or sale. The timing of this news is certainly none the best. I mean the company is unveiling its Galaxy S8 tomorrow. Why remind everyone of Note 7? Meanwhile, let’s hope all the new regulations and safety check the company set into motion following the Note 7 debacle will keep the refurbished Note 7 from doing anything funny.
