Items tagged with right to repair

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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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 Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
"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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
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... Read more...
A couple of weeks ago, University of New Haven lecturer Mark Tavern tweeted about the death of his wife's Epson inkjet printer. The tweet went viral, and has since sparked an online discussion about the reliability and repairability of inkjet printers. Epson is at the center of this discussion, of course, but it's... Read more...
If you own it, you should be able to fix it. That’s the essence of the Right-To-Repair movement. Advocates have been pushing back against the trend of companies intentionally making products that are less and less serviceable, and their efforts are beginning to pay dividends. Recently, iFixit started making inroads... Read more...
Does your Google Pixel have a cracked screen or charging issue? Do you wish you could easily fix this yourself? Your wish is Google and iFixit’s command. Google Pixel owners can now purchase parts and repair kits for their device and fix it themselves. Google has partnered with iFixit to offer either standalone... Read more...
The answer to the question posed in our headline is...it's complicated. So it goes with many things in life, like an undefined relationship status. That's an apt comparison to Apple announcing that its Self Service Repair program is now available to iPhone owners in the US, because at a glance, there are some things... Read more...
The right-to-repair movement continues to gain momentum, and the teardown specialists at iFixIt are helping it right along. To wit, Samsung last month announced it was teaming up with iFixit on a Galaxy repair program that will see the latter offer genuine replacement parts and detailed guides. And now Google has... Read more...
1 2 Next