Category: Repair

Read the full story at The Next Web.

It is an unfortunate truth that most modern gadgets — and the companies that make them — are hostile to consumer repairs. Not only are gadgets designed in a way that practically forces people to buy a replacement for even simple repairs, but companies often actively make changes to inhibit repair by consumers and third-party repair services.

Valve has taken a refreshingly different approach with its upcoming Steam Deck — before the Nintendo Switch-like console has even launched. The company released a teardown video that shows how to take the unit apart and gives you a good look at its internals, as well as clearly spelling out all the potential pitfalls of such an operation. It’s a breath of fresh air for those of us who believe in the right to repair.

Read the full story at Grist.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission to tackle at repair monopolies.

Read the full story at Green Biz.

Beyond enshrining consumer rights, the right to repair could combat planned obsolescence and a throwaway culture that has turned e-waste into the fastest growing waste stream around the globe.

Read the full story at Motherboard.

In July, Congress pressed Apple on its repair policies, which Motherboard and others have repeatedly shown to be anticompetitive and anticonsumer.

Tuesday, Kyle Andeer, Apple’s Vice President of Corporate Law, answered those questions. In its testimony, Apple repeatedly denied accusations it was making it hard for people to repair their own phones and protecting a virtual repair monopoly. But its answers often didn’t align with reality.