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It's weird that repairability (either right to repair, or simply technical feasibility) has been a huge topic for at least 10 years in cars, mobile phones, home

by bsaul 7y ago

It's weird that repairability (either right to repair, or simply technical feasibility) has been a huge topic for at least 10 years in cars, mobile phones, home appliances, etc. And yet i haven't seen any end-user product really advertising it. Worse, the trend seems to be even more toward cheap black boxes that you'll change entirely whenever they break. As another example of things going the wrong direction: a few months ago i saw a video about a Tesla test, and the car's engine refused to start. The owner had to turn it off and on again so that they could start the engine and begin the test. As a software engineer, that made me feel so bad... Is there any solution toward better quality products, aka : having the benefits of cheap electronics and advanced functionalities, but with the longevity and ability to repare and customize of the old mechanical technology ? Is it a business model problem ? a technical one ? a supply chain / pricing one ? marketing ? I keep wondering.

Tepix 7y ago
Apple is super successful with un-repairable products. With the latest iPhones they try to prevent you from going to a non-authorized repair service to exchange the battery, a part that is known to deteriorate after two years leading to decreased performance. Maybe people do not care because smartphones have been rapidly improving in the past. On the other hand when considering household appliances, Miele is able to fetch premium prices due to their perceived longevity.
kube-system 7y ago
> It's weird that repairability (either right to repair, or simply technical feasibility) has been a huge topic for at least 10 years in cars, mobile phones, home appliances, etc. And yet i haven't seen any end-user product really advertising it. 99% of people don’t want to repair their appliances. They either “don’t want it to break”, or want it to be repaired by someone else. A product labeled “commercial grade! 10 year warranty!” will always massively outsell a product labeled “user serviceable! Schematics included!”

by bsaul 7y ago

Tepix 7y ago

Apple is super successful with un-repairable products. With the latest iPhones they try to prevent you from going to a non-authorized repair service to exchange the battery, a part that is known to deteriorate after two years leading to decreased performance. Maybe people do not care because smartphones have been rapidly improving in the past. On the other hand when considering household appliances, Miele is able to fetch premium prices due to their perceived longevity.

kube-system 7y ago

> It's weird that repairability (either right to repair, or simply technical feasibility) has been a huge topic for at least 10 years in cars, mobile phones, home appliances, etc. And yet i haven't seen any end-user product really advertising it. 99% of people don’t want to repair their appliances. They either “don’t want it to break”, or want it to be repaired by someone else. A product labeled “commercial grade! 10 year warranty!” will always massively outsell a product labeled “user serviceable! Schematics included!”