Introduction
Many of the most important devices we use on a daily basis are designed to be basically impossible for us to repair by ourselves. Smartphones, laptops, headphones, desktop computers, and even cars have slowly transitioned from easily-repairable pieces of technology into overcomplicated tools that are designed with planned obsolescence in mind. The problem has gotten so bad that executive orders and other laws around the world are being passed to try and make end-user product repair easier.
To see how repairability is affecting end-users right now, we’re investigating the research question below:
Key Terms
Self-Repair
Repairs that are completed by a third-party such as the end-user themselves or another company other than the distributor of the object in question.
End-User
​A person who actually uses a product rather than one who makes or sells it. (Oxford)
Planned Obsolescence
A policy of producing consumer goods that rapidly become obsolete and so require replacing, achieved by frequent changes in design, termination of the supply of spare parts, and the use of nondurable materials. (Oxford)
How does the prevention of end-user self-repairs affect how consumers interact with and use technology?
Just so we're clear, what is the right to repair?
The Right to Repair is proposed legislation that would provide electronics/automobile owners the necessary instructions and materials to repair their own devices.
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It's also commonly used as the name of the movement of repairability-focused advocacy groups that are trying to get that legislation passed.
The Cost of Repairability
The cost that comes with repairing a device is the first thing that affects how customers are using those devices. For example, as phones have moved from removable plastic backs to fragile glass backs, they’ve become easier to break and much more expensive to repair. Customers are basically forced to do one of three things:
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Buy a cheap case to protect their phone.
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Pay a monthly fee for a protection plan like AppleCare+, which drastically reduces the prices of most repairs.
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Risk using a phone without a protection plan or case and have an increased change of breaking it
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If an end-user does end up breaking their device, repair costs vary widely depending on several factors. Here's a cost breakdown for a common durability issue faced by iPhone users:
Consider the following scenario...
Big (literally) Impacts
To see how strict repair policies affect how end-users interact with products that aren't small devices, we can look at John Deere and its battle with farmers. Historically, farmers have relied on their own ability to perform repairs on-site. As tractors have become more computerized over the years, companies like John Deere have made them increasingly more difficult to repair. If an end-user purchases replacement parts from a third party, the software in the farm equipment may reject the part. John Deere also requires diagnostic codes to be read by an authorized dealer in order to determine the equipment’s problems, preventing farmers from reading these diagnostics themselves. Since moving such heavy machinery to a dealership is both time consuming and costly for farmers, many have opted to use pirated John Deere software and other tools to extract the diagnostic codes themselves or purchase older but more mechanically-driven tractors from the late 1970s and 1980s.
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This example shows that poor repairability is more than just a minor inconvenience; it's affecting the livelihoods of people all over the world, including the ones responsible for growing our food.
“The era of fixing your own phone has nearly arrived.”
Current Developments
Legal Arguments
Manufacturers are having trouble arguing the legality of their repair policies in court. For example, Apple's official policy is that any unwarranted (read: not done by Apple) modifications or repairs automatically disqualify that device from being serviced by Apple. This means that if someone opens their MacBook to see if there’s water inside and decides to take it to an Apple store afterward, the company will refuse to repair it. Apparently, Apple also argued in court for “safe and reliable” repairs that follow “proper safety and repair procedures” using “genuine Apple parts and tools”, which sounds like something that would be possible if they actually sold their own repair parts.
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While these legal arguments might sound like they have nothing to do with end users, they actually do! As long as companies like Apple continue to have the legal right to make their devices difficult to repair, they have no incentive to change their ways. Until they do, end-users will be forced to deal with the same anti-consumer options they're given right now. It's going to take legislation and a united consumer base to change their mind, and Right to Repair advocacy groups are working towards that goal right now.
Fixing Your Own Device
Apple's not the only manufacturer of popular electronics, and other companies are being much more consumer-friendly with their repair policies. Valve, Samsung, and now Google have all partnered with iFixit to offer official channels for users to purchase replacement parts and tools. Even Apple announced a plan to offer replacement parts through its own distribution channels by "early 2022". These developments are surprising, but make sense with the impending arrival of legislation that may force companies to offer third-party replacement options.
A 2021 French law that requires companies to reveal how repairable their devices are (using a score of 1-10) right next to the price tag is also credited with accelerating the arrival of more accessible repairs. That same law inspired a survey that found 80% of respondents would give up their brand loyalty to purchase a phone with a higher repairability score. In short, thanks to lawmakers and consumer buying power, the age of repairable phones should be arriving soon which bodes well for end-user repair options.
How will the future of Right to Repair affect end-users?
Access to Resources
The Right to Repair doesn’t just entail the right for end-users to repair their own devices; in fact, the vast majority of end-users probably won’t attempt a repair on their own even when given that option. What Right to Repair actually does is provide better resources for local third-party repair shops that are servicing those users’ devices. When instructions and parts are made available cheaply to those shops, their savings will be passed on to end-users paying them for repairs. And, for the small percentage of people willing to attempt their own repairs, they can save even more money doing everything themselves.
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Environmental Effects
The Right to Repair will also lead to much more environmentally-friendly designs. As of now, perfectly-functioning components are thrown away because of anti-repair designs. For example, when certain parts of Apple’s logic boards fail on their laptops or phones, the easy and cheap thing to do is to replace the entire board. With more repairable designs, individual components could be serviced and replaced without the need to toss out an entire board, thus creating far less e-waste around the world.
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Both of these effects will lead to consumers being able to make more informed decisions about the devices they buy, and will hopefully lead to devices lasting longer than they currently do. While that might not affect how end-users interact with their devices on a daily basis, it will certainly affect purchasing decisions and the experience of deciding whether to repair or replace a broken device.
Conclusion
To finally answer the question of how the prevention of end-user repairs affects how those users interact with their devices, we only need to look at how buying power is influencing manufacturers’ decisions. Right now, because almost no manufacturers are designing repairable phones, end-users don't have much of a choice in how repairable their devices are. But, since the 2021 French law that required companies to reveal how repairable their devices are was passed, the industry has learned that 80% of consumers will give up their favorite brand to purchase a more repairable device. In the wake of that reveal, Google, Samsung, and Valve have all begun offering replacement parts and instructions for their most popular devices via third-party retailers, and Apple is doing the same through their own stores.
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While repairability might not affect how end-users use their devices in their day-to-day lives (in fact, perceived obsolescence actually plays a much larger role), it does affect the decisions that go into purchasing and eventually upgrading from those devices. Thankfully, that’s what manufacturers are taking notice of. Buying power has always belonged to end-users, and if they start to fight back against manufacturers’ impossible-to-repair designs, the industry is going to race to a new end goal: who can design the most repairable devices.
