What is “repairability”?

I believe repairability applies not only to the ease with which something can be repaired, but also to the accessibility and cost of repairs. If something can only be repaired by the company or specific authorized service providers, and you do not have easy access to either, then that thing is not repairable. If the repair is unreasonably costly, that thing is also not repairable. If the repair takes a long time as a result of any factor, that is not repairable. 

Something that is ideally repairable can be repaired locally, with as little “downtime” (the amount of time something is not in use because it is being repaired) as possible, and at the lowest cost possible. 

Why is the Right to Repair important?

In short, the Right to Repair is important because the computers, cars, tools, and many other things that may need repair are important to us. Our devices foster connections between people, facilitate work, and enable recreation. Our cars allow us to travel independently and to new places. The tools we use can help us do jobs, both for employment and personal projects. Their useful longevity is dependent on their repairability, and despite the “throwaway” mindset we are accustomed to, it is often better to fix things rather than replace them.

The Right to Repair may seem like it benefits only “tinkering-minded” people who are interested in fixing something for themselves. That is not the case; the right to repair benefits anyone who needs a repair (which is just about everyone, at some point in time!), as well as those who want to complete the repair themselves, and third-party businesses who complete repairs. 

Having the Right to Repair can mean the difference between a quick, cost effective repair done locally by a third-party and a repair only doable by the company that made the device, which can be more expensive, take longer, and be less convenient. It can also open the door to repair at ALL; sometimes repairs are not possible from the company that made it. For example, Apple does not repair iPads. Full stop. They only offer trade-in options to replace them, then recycle the broken device you traded in. However, with parts currently available through third-party vendors I was able to repair the broken charging port on my iPad Pro, saving myself more than $600. There is great end-user benefit to not needing to fully replace an item when it breaks–it’s cheaper, and there is often no need to transition (copy files, etc.) between devices. There is also benefit to the world in using devices for longer when possible; more devices in use for longer means fewer devices thrown away.

In a softer sense, in the same way that tinkering with something makes a device more your own, the ability to repair a device and make it last longer is an agency that gives you greater ownership of your device. Your phone, computer, car, or any other device you own do not belong to the company that made it. They belong to you, and it is your right to repair them.

As a tinkerer with the skills and tools to repair a lot of my devices, one of my biggest frustrations has been having those repairs stymied by the unavailability of custom parts and companies’ unwillingness to release the information needed to make repairs.  I am not alone in this frustration, and over the next few posts I want to share some information on the Right to Repair movement. 

Before I launch into my main discussion, here are a few important definitions:

• End user – that’s me or you! The end user is someone who uses a phone, laptop, or other piece of technology or tool
• First party – the company that made a product ex. Apple or John Deere
• Third party – someone (in this context, normally an independent repair company) who is not the company that made the product or sold the product and is also not the end user. 

What is the “Right to Repair”?

The right to repair refers to a movement to make the devices and tools we use last longer by enabling repairs by end users and third parties.. To achieve this, the Digital Right to Repair Coalition calls for five main rights to be established: 

“Information: The documentation, software, and legal ability we need to repair our own products — or choose someone we trust to do it for us.

Parts + Tools: Fair access to service parts and tools, including diagnostics.

Unlocking for Repair and Reuse: We should be able to unlock and modify the software and firmware that is required to operate our products.

Unencumbered Resale: We should be able resell our products (including the software needed to operate them).

Repairable Products: Designers should integrate design for repair and recycling principles into product development.”

What is the repair situation now?

Just to be clear, the current capacity to repair is not zero. In high school, I led a company that repaired everything from the school-issued Chromebooks to student and faculty owned phones and laptops. We could replace batteries on iPhones and screens on laptops. Ignoring the actual difficulty in completing the repair–phones are small, complicated, fragile and glued shut, making simply opening them up very difficult– we experienced increasing limitations on our abilities to repair, mostly in the form of part availability (or rather, part unavailability). In many cases, the group would have happily repaired a device, but because we could not source a part, repair through us was a non-starter. 

Why is repair so difficult?

Devices are also becoming more complicated as technology moves forward, and as they shrink, devices are also becoming less modular. The most “modular” form of a consumer computer is a full-size desktop, where every part is swappable and interchangeable with other compatible parts. Unfortunately, phones and laptops, largely by necessity of their size, need custom-designed parts that are much less easily interchangeable.

There are benefits that come from a more tightly integrated and customized system as well. By custom-designing a part, you can suit it to fit the exact need of the device that part will be a part of. You sacrifice repairability for better performance and more elegant designs. Without a willingness to move away from a fully modular system, it is unlikely that we would have devices in the form factors we have them today–comparatively miniscule handheld phones, tablets, and even laptops. 

Cynically, companies do also benefit from the control that complicated repairs offer them. If only the company that made the product has the necessary information, diagnostic software, parts, or tools to complete a repair, then customers who need repairs have no choice but to return to that company. And if repair is impossible altogether, the only option is to fully replace that device. 

To be continued next week. Same bat time, same bat blog.