The right to repair your gear is pretty central for a lot of owners.
But some companies are more friendly than others when it comes to that.
In fact, we covered some court cases not too long ago that brought this issue to light. Some of the changes that came about include Apple making repair kits available, among others. Although this is a great step forward, the complexity of smartphone devices in particular make them a difficult item to repair, especially if one doesn’t have the very specific equipment needed for the job.
iFixIt is a firm that specializes in repairing smartphones and the company recently announced that they would no longer be repairing Samsung Galaxy devices due to a range of difficulties. This is a pretty big blow for Samsung Galaxy owners looking for a relatively affordable repair option, but it also underscores the practical difficulties in making the right-to-repair viable when devices are so inherently difficult to fix.
“As we tried to build this ecosystem we consistently faced obstacles that made us doubt Samsung's commitment to making repair more accessible. We couldn't get parts to local repair shops at prices and quantities that made business sense,” the company told PCGamer.
Interestingly, the company outlines a particular reasoning that could apply to both the consumer and Samsung itself: “The part prices were so costly that many consumers opted to replace their devices rather than repair them. And the design of Samsung's Galaxy devices remained frustratingly glued together, forcing us to sell batteries and screens in pre-glued bundles that increased the cost.”
This is just another sign that, increasingly, nothing lasts forever.
Any thoughts that you might have on the right-to-repair gear are welcome in the comments section.
We have some more headlines for you to read at this link right here.
