Items tagged with right to repair
In a world surrounded by rapid technological obsolescence, a beacon of change continues to shine from the Netherlands: introducing the new Fairphone 6, the company's latest statement in support for the DIY/right-to-repair movement. Compared to the previous generation, the Fairphone 6 promises not just greater...
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In a major push for operational readiness and efficiency, U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan advocated forcefully this week for the right for sailors to repair their own equipment, telling senators that current contracting practices create unnecessary delays and hinder the fleet's ability to maintain its assets. His...
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The last decade of flagship phone releases has seen manufacturers go all in on thinner and thinner designs, causing the devices to become repair nightmares. Apple has slowly made policy and design changes to reverse this pernicious trend. Now, it seems as if Samsung is ready to join its rival with its latest...
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Whatever your stance on environmental conservation as a whole, you have to agree that generating millions of tons of e-waste due to obsolescent hardware is sub-optimal. There are a lot of reasons to want to reduce this number, both ecological and economical. Intel has an idea to help, and interestingly, it aligns with...
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Boss battles can be frustrating, but even more infuriating is when your game console gives up the ghost. I had this happen with an Xbox One X back in the day, and fortunately it was under warranty (and thus easy to have replaced). For those who are not so fortunate, Microsoft announced it is expanding its...
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Have you ever waded in a hot tub for a long while before realizing that your smartphone was in the pocket of your swimming trunks the whole time? Just me, then? That's cool, but I'm certainly not alone in having subjected a smartphone to water damage. One of the prevailing tips for such incidents is to plop a wet...
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is cracking down on warranty policies that run afoul of the right-to-repair movement. As part of the crackdown, the FTC sent warning letters to eight companies detailing warranty term violations. In three of those letters, which were sent out to ASRock, Gigabyte, and Zotac, the FTC...
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The teardown experts at iFixIt have gotten their mitts on Apple's recently refreshed 13-inch iPad Air, the 6th generation model with a custom M2 processor inside that was unveiled during Apple's 'Let Loose' event earlier this month, and spoiler alert, DIY repairs are anything but easy. Not that the typical user would...
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Our collective desire for increasingly thinner, lighter, and more premium-designed laptops has, in many cases, come at the expense of do-it-yourself (DIY) repair and replacement options. Does it really have to be that way, though? Framework argues otherwise and its modular laptops are proof that we can indeed have our...
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Despite consumers complaining that Apple devices are a pain in the neck to repair, Apple has announced that it will back a US right-to-repair bill. The bill is part of President Biden's attempt to promote competition and end "junk fees" and other actions that increase the price of products for customers.
Apple's...
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Samsung is expanding its partnership with Batteries Plus to offer authorized, in-warranty repairs at select locations. The big benefit for Galaxy device owners is potentially having access to faster service when something breaks, including same-day repairs in some cases. For those who live near a Batteries Plus...
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Try to hold back your surprise but Apple might not be the right-to-repair champion you hoped it might become, even after recently penning a letter in support of California's proposed right-to-repair bill. This is evidenced in a teardown of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. While not without some redeeming qualities, replacing...
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Over the last couple of years, Apple has slowly walked the line on consumers' right to repair their own devices. It started out as a comically complex and expensive program with thousand-dollar deposits to get the company's blessed repair tools, but the company's current phone lineup is more repairable than it has been in a long time. What
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Anyone who has ever owned an inkjet printer, or worked in IT for any amount of time, is almost certainly aware of this reality: when the ink runs out in your multi-function printer-scanner-copier thingamajig, you can't use it—even if you just want to scan a document, which has nothing to do with the remaining...
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Microsoft has begun selling replacement parts for its Xbox controllers that will allow tech-savvy owners to make much-needed repairs to their beloved gamepad. Parts include things such as a replacement input PCBA to buttons, triggers, and bumpers.
Anyone who has ever used a controller for gaming for any extended...
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Apple has taken its MacBook Air to the 15-inch category for the first time ever, having revealed the larger size option during its WWDC 2023 event earlier this month. That's great news for anyone who's ever wanted a MacBook Air but in a bigger form factor. If you're wondering how the new SKU fares in terms of DIY...
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"Right to Repair" is a contentious topic. Not among your average citizen, mind you; pretty much everyone agrees that someone who buys a product or device should be allowed to repair it if they have the skills, and that manufacturers shouldn't take steps to prevent users from doing that. It's mostly lobbyists for said...
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Logitech is teaming up with the gadget repair surgeons at iFixIt to make it easier for consumers to extend the life of their peripherals. The two companies hope to achieve this by offering spare parts and support for repairs that extend beyond the relevant warranty period, and by working together to develop repair...
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It was almost four decades ago when the Beastie Boys exclaimed, "You have to fight, for your right, to paaaaarrrty!" Fast forward 37 years and consumers are instead fighting for their right to repair their own electronics without proprietary roadblocks and arbitrary restrictions imposed by manufacturers. The good news...
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After a lengthy legislative process, New York has become the first US state to enact a law protecting a consumer's right to repair their own devices. Well, mostly. The law included some exemptions as passed by the state assembly, and governor Kathy Hochul has made additional alterations in an approval message. While...
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Apple isn't exactly known for designing and molding hardware gadgets that are easy to crack open and repair at home. To the Cupertino company's credit, however, it has made relatively recent efforts in line with the right-to-repair movement that's been gaining steam, and that's on full display in a teardown analysis...
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iFixIt is on a mission to improve the serviceability of all the devices we depend on to make our lives easier. That does not mean the company cheers for every DIY repair program that comes along from manufacturers, though. iFixIt does not hesitate to levee criticism where it is due. To that end, it has released a...
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