User replaceable batteries in future pen tablets

There is one thing that makes my blood boil when companies claim to be environmentally friendly and that is when a deliberate decision is made to hamper the user's ability to keep a product lasting.

The 2012 version of the Intuos Pro had a user replaceable battery by necessity as wireless connectivity was an optional feature. The 2017 version of the Intuos Pro however does not have a user replaceable battery. It's easy to just dismiss this as a result of wireless functionality being included as standard – but for a company that claims to care for the environment, not keeping the battery user replaceable is absurd.

As it stands, replacing the battery in a current model Intuos Pro requires disassembly and soldering, which is complicated by the fact that it involves the risk of shorting the battery terminals and starting a fire. Consequently, only people well experienced in soldering can safely replace the battery themselves.

In 5 years time my Intuos Pro Medium might be dead because of its non-replaceable battery while my old Intuos A5 that I bought 24 years ago and which has no wireless connectivity at all will probably still be working.

So, the next redesign of the Intuos lineup should have user replaceable batteries. It's embarrassing that a company like Wacom makes products that are less sustainable than those from a quarter of a century ago.