
Right to Repair is already hurling into action in 2019 - ahyattdev
https://ifixit.org/blog/13003/right-to-repair-2019
======
monksy
I would love to see stronger regulations on this. Ultimately this comes down
to ownership. Companies have been heavily litigating users out of being able
to own anything even if there has been money changing hands. (Also while
including terms that make them not responsible for actions performed with a
device you don't own).

For example: Sony and Amazon can take away the digital books/games that you
bought a copy for. Sony will do it if you ever enact your consumer rights to
charge back for fraudulent activity. (See r/playstation on chargebacks) (I'm
not just talking about the game/content in question.. I'm talking about your
entire library)

~~~
drtrlady
OEMs are definitely blocking repair, but not through litigation against
consumers. The reason is they don't actually have the right to block you from
repairing your equipment. The only thing they can do to you is sue you for
violating the EULA contract.

EULA are designed to remove your existing legal rights to repair under current
patent, copyright, and ownership law. Its the EULA that are unfair and
deceptive -- which is why state consumer protection laws can restore your
right to repair.

~~~
monksy
When I said litigating I meant they're forcing users to agree to a contract
(EULA/TOS) just to use the devices sold.

------
ncmncm
Seems to me like they are hurtling, not hurling.

But whatever it is, more power to them. It is amazing what corporations have
got away with since they got the Feds to stop enforcing the anti-trust
legislation still on the books. Apparently there is this dodgy economic theory
that says as long as prices don't seem to be soaring, monopoly power is
harmless, even where it is demonstrably suppressing alternative products, some
of which would be markedly better. And, even where prices soar, people might
be better off for it, somehow. Or, the monopoly might not actually last
forever if they get complacent enough. And so on.

------
dare0505
There was a recent story on HackerNews about the New York Times, which cut off
ad exchanges and still kept growing revenue.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18920079](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18920079)

I wonder if it's a similar thing about the supposed benefits companies thought
they were going to get about limiting the customers "right" to repair their
products.

On one hand, the benefit look "obvious", yet when you take into consideration
the second-hand effects (like bad publicity, people getting frustrated by the
inability to repair and getting a cheaper alternative) my guess is the costs
were bigger than the benefits.

~~~
simion314
Apple admitted that people changing batteries and continuing using old phones
affected their profits, this companies need in a way or other to make more and
more profit and this means convincing you to get a new device every year or
maximum two.

~~~
m0llusk
That is true, but the current situation is simpler. Design for disassembly and
repair is expensive, time consuming, and difficult. It is far easier to have
robots slap components together. That is plenty of explanation for phones now
shipping.

~~~
simion314
Is it really cheaper or is something we were told. There are repairable phones
that are not more expensive because of that, if you mean we can make this
phone or laptop 2$ cheaper if we use glue instead of a screws then we can
agree that we want to pay 2$ more to have the ability to swap the battery or
keyboard instead of replacing the entire or half of the device.

------
pygy_
I had issues with the battery of my sole MacBook Air. The thing was still
under warranty, but I since I needed it for work, I couldn't afford to let it
for one week under the care of the local Apple licensee while they were
ordering the part (which is mandated by Apple, no way around it).

I ended up buying a battery on iFixit (I had already replaced the battery of
my previous model), only to realize that iFixit wasn't selling Apple parts
anymore. The "aftermarket battery" I now have is less that ideal, and
apparently there's no way to source an OEM battery anymore.

So it's nice we have the right to tinker with our machines, but if there are
no spare parts, the point is moot :-/

~~~
baroffoos
What makes you think the ifixit part is bad? I have found the unofficial parts
they supply are of superb quality. I feel bad that I have never used the tool
kit it came with again because its of such a high quality.

------
mistrial9
.. those who do not learn history, are doomed to repeat <the same ask without
results>

Seriously, how much "positive" spin can be tolerated at this point? We are in
a tsunami of consumer-product waste.. some of it with notable components.. the
markets are failing to balance the industrial life cycles.. This is exactly
part of a giant fail by humans in geologic time, to adapt to sustainable
patterns.

"It remains to be seen if we have poisoned the nest"

------
pitaj
Intellectual property reform is wayyy overdue. The DMCA needs to be reworded
to provide stronger protections to creators. The timetables need to be
reduced.

------
acd
The planet are literally on fire due to global warming! Still producers make
things that are buy and throw, not made last and to repair! If we are to stop
global warming together we need to consume less things that we can repair
things so they lasts longer. This will lead to less global warming and less
thrash which will mean a better environment that we share!

------
baroffoos
I got some open source hardware recently and I wanted to upgrade it. For the
first time I felt the joy of reading a schematic to work out which
configuration the board is wired in so I can get the correct part.

I think right to repair, open source hardware and 3d printers are going to be
critical if we hope to turn around our throwaway society. It makes me so sad
to see average people throwing out perfectly fine electronics because the OEM
stopped supporting them or the battery got old.

A few of the people in this thread are suggesting that you should simply not
buy these bad devices but the fact is unless everyone stops there is no hope
for the environment.

~~~
SmellyGeekBoy
I repair and modify computers and game consoles from the 1970s - 1990s and
it's great how easy it is to get hold of schematics. I have an Amstrad 8086 PC
for example which had full schematics for the PC itself and the monitor in the
manual that came with the machine. This was the case with a lot of hifi
equipment from this era as well.

A whole device can be brought down by something simple like a dead capacitor
which can be replaced in minutes. Without being able to debug that they'd just
end up in landfill.

------
equalarrow
I never bought the right to repair cry. I'm a tinkerer - always have been -
and an iPhone owner. I bought my phones and knew what I was getting into. I
don't think I've ever thrown away any of my old 'unrepairable' tech - I've
mostly passed it on to relatives, traded it in, or recycled it. There are all
kinds of way to mitigate junk in the environment and you can always...... just
not buy.

It's incredibly hard to build a successful product. Just look at the Pebble or
other Kickstarter graveyard entries. I would never in my right mind tell Apple
to build anything - if I could, I'd be richer than them. I know they have
their reasons for designing things the way they do. As a consumer, I am
thankful for amazing tech that pretty much works as expected. Telling them
_how_ to build their amazing products, which would just make them worse, is
the pinnacle of narcissism.

~~~
crankylinuxuser
You must be young. (this is not meant to be an insult - its about what the
younger generation has had taken from them!)

I remember equipment from the late 70s and earlier would have full circuit
schematics and repair howtos... On the inside of the case. It was expected and
all manufacturers did it...

Until microprocessors got cheaper. That previous circuit diagram was replaced
with closed source unreparible microchips. And the code was then copyrighted,
with all the ils of copyright law and illegality of sharing.

This was quickly turned to the norm, having sealed closed devices with "no
user serviceable parts". The right to repair is to turn this trend around. Its
about the right to repair it themselves and share how. Further is that the
companies make repairable things. A switch or battery should not trash a
device.

The 4th R is the first R: Repair, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. That's the R we
should be focusing on.

~~~
8bitsrule
At least as early as the 1940s, some radio & console manufacturers included a
full schematic of the circuitry inside the case/furniture. They didn't try to
_hog the whole market_. Servicing businesses grew up around repairs, as well
as repair manual publishers like Sams (f. 1946).
[https://www.samswebsite.com/en/aboutus](https://www.samswebsite.com/en/aboutus)

It's a crime that we've lost all those services _and_ the technicians.
Throwaway is a _disease_.

~~~
crankylinuxuser
I live just south of Indianapolis.. I remember when one of their relatives ran
an "everything electronics" store. Was packed to the gills with anything and
everything you could imagine. In fact, it reminded me of what Shenzhen is
shown now by Bunnie. You could buy new stuff retail, or buy returns and broken
or unknown by the pound.

Now, we have wealth upon wealth with technology of all sorts. But those things
are sealed with alu lids over the board. Or this talks to the cloud. Or that
is glued together with ultrasonic sealing so opening = destroying. Or
batteries are buried with ultrasonic and glue and spot-welding. They're made
intentionally user-unservicable.

All of it means that you have a snowball's chance in hell in fixing it. And
yes, SMT is servicable. So is through-hole. And if these companies provided
their pinouts for flying probe or provided probe posts, we could check what
part or system is acting up. If we knew their voltages, then following that as
a test would be easy. Or someone could re-solder that Atmel 328p DIP (or Arm,
or PIC) after using a programmer to reprogram and then use it.

Instead, we see flat screens hauled down to the dumpster. DVD and blurays are
dumped. Computers of all sorts and types, that likely have a single miniscule
flaw "destroy" the whole device. It makes the game great for consumer culture:
consume consume CONSUME! Companies can make shoddy stuff that has a MBTF
"warranty + 1 day", and whoops that cap or vreg blows.

Seeing that e-waste makes me cry. I know how much resources are put into that
via how much I paid, and I also know how much of that is externalized to our
environment.. and Mother Earth's account is going lower and lower. I don't
_need_ that new thing. I just want to fix that thing that broke that
necessitated me to get the new.

~~~
rubidium
Hi neighbor. Indiana has a Bill this year.

Here’s what I wrote in:

Hi Justin,

I'm one of your constituents and I'm writing to ask you to support Right to
Repair legislation in 2018.

As a Purdue physics PhD (makers all), it’s frustrating to see producers of
electronic devices (mostly out of state mind you) keep their devices
unserviceable by anyone but the manufacturer. Allowing service creates a
flourishing repair culture, supports local entrepreneurs, and encourages reuse
and recycling.

Please join Terry Goodin in the support for this bill. Let me know if there’s
anyway I can assist you.

All the best, Rubidium

