📊 Industry Moves
The EU exempted smart glasses from sealed-battery rules, potentially allowing fitness watches like the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and Amazfit Balance 2 to keep waterproof designs without regulatory workarounds. But watches aren’t automatically covered—regulators might still draw a line.
Marty’s Take:
The celebration from wearable brands is premature — sealed batteries aren’t just a design win, they’re a planned-obsolescence accelerator. A Garmin Fenix 8 Pro or Apple Watch Ultra 2 loses meaningful battery capacity after two or three years, and without a swappable cell, degradation becomes your upgrade trigger. Before committing to a fitness tracker purchase, factor ownership cost — the EU just made longevity a market problem, not a regulatory one.
Shop mentioned gear: Garmin Fenix 8 Pro | Amazfit Balance 2
Source: Politico
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