Replaceable Batteries, But Only In Europe

This is one of those exceedingly rare cases where EU legislation has produced an unambiguously good outcome: from February 2027, Logitech’s European wireless devices will ship with hard-pack, user-replaceable batteries, and Logitech will sell certified replacements. Of course, Logitech plans to keep shipping sealed versions everywhere else. Its gaming chief cites cost and extra weight, adding that few people will bother replacing the batteries in $50-100 mice–which is wonderfully circular reasoning when the current products do not give them the option. The inexorable drive towards profit keeps manufacturers from doing the right thing until legislation forces them to, and apparently only in the countries where it applies. I do worry that enough regional splits like this will eventually balkanise hardware, spares and support, although I would find it highly amusing if Americans started “smuggling” European Logitech mice after realising they no longer had to throw them away when the…