4 ms·

Monopolists are winning the repair wars

34 points by tmfi 5y ago

alexfromapex 5y ago
Monopolists are slowly destroying society as we know it, when will this be addressed? Do we need to go out in the streets? This is a real gem from the article: "In 2014, a pair of American political scientists published a groundbreaking peer-reviewed paper analyzing 30 years' worth of US policy-making that compared policy outcomes to public polling results. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B#authors-details https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-poli... They concluded that general public sentiment had almost no impact on US policy making – but the political preferences of wealthy people and large corporations were hugely predictive of what laws and regulations we'd get."
- avmich 5y ago
  > Do we need to go out in the streets? Unfortunately, it's not that simple. We should get used to the idea that the work continues around the clock - it's not nearly enough to get to the streets (unless you're getting a full-scale revolution, with entering government buildings, choosing representatives right there, on the streets, giving them the mandate for changes etc. - that's a different story). We need to keep the work with convincing "silent majority", lobbying for changes at existing representatives and promoting those new deputies which maintain that they'll work to make those changes into laws. It's a lot of work, patient, tedious work, but it's something which can and should be done in developed democracies of the day to further improve the life of people. We still have class wars, and different sides have different strong sides.
avgDev 5y ago
I recently switched to iPhone from samsung because I was tired of samsung ads and only 2 years of OS updates. However, Apple really rubs me the wrong way when it comes RTR. Recently, I tried replacing my wifes scratched screen on her iphone. I purchased an OEM refurbished screen. I was able to replace the screen and then was greeted with a message saying, the screen is not original. I would prefer to buy an original screen and replace myself but I cannot. It isn't rocket science, but manufacturers make it seem like it is extremely difficult. Also, I would never purchase a Tesla. Obtaining parts is extremely difficult or impossible. They blacklist cars from supercharging network etc. If you want to rebuild a crashed Tesla, you are better off getting a 2nd car for parts. Every single product should come with a manual with all the part numbers, and manufacturers should be forced to have those parts or produce them for a certain period of time. However, this isn't as profitable as selling something new every few years and servicing it through a manufacturers repair center. If no action is taken against Tesla and Apple, other companies will follow as they are leaving money on the table.
- skinnymuch 5y ago
  Can you use the iPhone? Does the message persist? That’s pretty disconcerting. The vast majority of Apple users within distance of an Apple store will already go to Apple first and foremost for repairs. Pretty sad that they are fighting this hard against a small minority of their user base or people in countries without Apple support. I’ve taken a few MacBooks from friends over the years and did the basic repairs needed to fix them again. Usually some minor corrupted computer part. Hard drive being the most likely. The over priced repairs with Apple who don’t even want to deal with older computers, or their partners, are crazy too.
  - avgDev 5y ago
    The message stays on the lockscreen for 14 days, then shows up in settings forever. You can use the phone as normal but won't be able to trade it in, as carriers won't accept a device with that message.
    - skinnymuch 5y ago
      That’s awful. M
- Proven 5y ago
  May I recommend PinePhone Pine64 to you? I notice you change the phone supplier, by the way. Would you agree that the characterization of mobile phone devices being a monopolistic market (in article title) is complete garbage?
CivBase 5y ago
Some quick misconceptions I want to get out in front of: - Right to Repair is NOT about asking people to repair their own devices. Customers should be able to repair their own devices, but they should also have the options to purchase new devices or seek repair services from a third party. - Right to Repair is NOT just about a few companies. Most major manufacturers in most industries fight against consumers being allowed to repair their devices or seek repair from an independent third party. - Right to Repair is NOT about making manufactures re-design products to be easier to repair. The onus is on owners and independent repair providers to acquire the equipment and skills required to perform repairs. Right to Repair seeks to protect owners and independent repair providers from legal recourse for repairing a devices. - Right to Repair is NOT about making manufacturers provide parts or repair services. It seeks to protect consumers and independent repair providers from legal recourse for distributing parts and schematics essential to support repairs. Those parts and schematics may be purchased from the manufacturer, purchased from a third party supplier, developed independently, or sourced from used devices. - Right to Repair is NOT a partisan issue. Neither the Democrat nor Republican party have strong stances on the subject and lawmakers on both sides have objected and supported it. - We do not currently have Right to Repair just because independent repair shops still exist. Most shops in the US/Europe can only offer very limited services due to the existing legal landscape. Some of them have to perform questionable or even outright illegal actions to secure the parts and schematics necessary to facilitate all but the simplest of repairs. Right to Repair seeks to undo this problem by granting legal protection for repairs. - Authorized repair programs (ARPs) are not a substitute for Right to Repair. Such programs do not exist for the benefit of device owners. The FTC has found no evidence that ARPs improve quality or safety of repairs[0]. ARPs usually put cumbersome restrictions on independent repair providers in exchange for meager parts catalogs at exorbitant markups. They exist to extract money and control from independent repair providers and encourage consumers to seek alternative services or replacements directly from the manufacturer. [0] https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/nixing-fix-ftc-report-congress-repair-restrictions/nixing_the_fix_report_final_5521_630pm-508_002.pdf https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/nixing-fi...
Proven 5y ago
Another junk article about the fake right to repair. Simple facts: 1) There's no monopoly, phones are available from multiple phone manufacturers 2) There are phones that let you self-repair repair them and retain the right to get part replacements 3) You always have the right to repair - or break - your phone. What you don't have is the right to compel the manufacturer to help you with that at their expense. 4) Techno-socialists keep posting this junk because what they really want is for customers to have fewer choices and be unable to afford mobile phones. Meanwhile very few of these geniuses have shared with us how they switched to the self-repairable Pine64 despite it being readily available. I wonder why that is.
neuralRiot 5y ago
I think something like the automotive market would be a huge step, you can buy a part from Ford or GM and even if it’s something that need programming you can pay a small fee ($40 per VIN valid for 2 years for GM) and program it yourself with any J2534 compliant VCI, you can also pay to access technical info like wiring diagrams and TSBs however if you want to repair an electronic device you have to resort to fake/ stolen/ refurbished parts pirated schematics and shady software tools.

34 points by tmfi 5y ago

Monopolists are slowly destroying society as we know it, when will this be addressed? Do we need to go out in the streets? This is a real gem from the article: "In 2014, a pair of American political scientists published a groundbreaking peer-reviewed paper analyzing 30 years' worth of US policy-making that compared policy outcomes to public polling results. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B#authors-details https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-poli... They concluded that general public sentiment had almost no impact on US policy making – but the political preferences of wealthy people and large corporations were hugely predictive of what laws and regulations we'd get."

avmich 5y ago
> Do we need to go out in the streets? Unfortunately, it's not that simple. We should get used to the idea that the work continues around the clock - it's not nearly enough to get to the streets (unless you're getting a full-scale revolution, with entering government buildings, choosing representatives right there, on the streets, giving them the mandate for changes etc. - that's a different story). We need to keep the work with convincing "silent majority", lobbying for changes at existing representatives and promoting those new deputies which maintain that they'll work to make those changes into laws. It's a lot of work, patient, tedious work, but it's something which can and should be done in developed democracies of the day to further improve the life of people. We still have class wars, and different sides have different strong sides.

avgDev 5y ago

I recently switched to iPhone from samsung because I was tired of samsung ads and only 2 years of OS updates. However, Apple really rubs me the wrong way when it comes RTR. Recently, I tried replacing my wifes scratched screen on her iphone. I purchased an OEM refurbished screen. I was able to replace the screen and then was greeted with a message saying, the screen is not original. I would prefer to buy an original screen and replace myself but I cannot. It isn't rocket science, but manufacturers make it seem like it is extremely difficult. Also, I would never purchase a Tesla. Obtaining parts is extremely difficult or impossible. They blacklist cars from supercharging network etc. If you want to rebuild a crashed Tesla, you are better off getting a 2nd car for parts. Every single product should come with a manual with all the part numbers, and manufacturers should be forced to have those parts or produce them for a certain period of time. However, this isn't as profitable as selling something new every few years and servicing it through a manufacturers repair center. If no action is taken against Tesla and Apple, other companies will follow as they are leaving money on the table.

skinnymuch 5y ago
Can you use the iPhone? Does the message persist? That’s pretty disconcerting. The vast majority of Apple users within distance of an Apple store will already go to Apple first and foremost for repairs. Pretty sad that they are fighting this hard against a small minority of their user base or people in countries without Apple support. I’ve taken a few MacBooks from friends over the years and did the basic repairs needed to fix them again. Usually some minor corrupted computer part. Hard drive being the most likely. The over priced repairs with Apple who don’t even want to deal with older computers, or their partners, are crazy too.
- avgDev 5y ago
  The message stays on the lockscreen for 14 days, then shows up in settings forever. You can use the phone as normal but won't be able to trade it in, as carriers won't accept a device with that message.
  - skinnymuch 5y ago
    That’s awful. M
Proven 5y ago
May I recommend PinePhone Pine64 to you? I notice you change the phone supplier, by the way. Would you agree that the characterization of mobile phone devices being a monopolistic market (in article title) is complete garbage?

CivBase 5y ago

Some quick misconceptions I want to get out in front of: - Right to Repair is NOT about asking people to repair their own devices. Customers should be able to repair their own devices, but they should also have the options to purchase new devices or seek repair services from a third party. - Right to Repair is NOT just about a few companies. Most major manufacturers in most industries fight against consumers being allowed to repair their devices or seek repair from an independent third party. - Right to Repair is NOT about making manufactures re-design products to be easier to repair. The onus is on owners and independent repair providers to acquire the equipment and skills required to perform repairs. Right to Repair seeks to protect owners and independent repair providers from legal recourse for repairing a devices. - Right to Repair is NOT about making manufacturers provide parts or repair services. It seeks to protect consumers and independent repair providers from legal recourse for distributing parts and schematics essential to support repairs. Those parts and schematics may be purchased from the manufacturer, purchased from a third party supplier, developed independently, or sourced from used devices. - Right to Repair is NOT a partisan issue. Neither the Democrat nor Republican party have strong stances on the subject and lawmakers on both sides have objected and supported it. - We do not currently have Right to Repair just because independent repair shops still exist. Most shops in the US/Europe can only offer very limited services due to the existing legal landscape. Some of them have to perform questionable or even outright illegal actions to secure the parts and schematics necessary to facilitate all but the simplest of repairs. Right to Repair seeks to undo this problem by granting legal protection for repairs. - Authorized repair programs (ARPs) are not a substitute for Right to Repair. Such programs do not exist for the benefit of device owners. The FTC has found no evidence that ARPs improve quality or safety of repairs[0]. ARPs usually put cumbersome restrictions on independent repair providers in exchange for meager parts catalogs at exorbitant markups. They exist to extract money and control from independent repair providers and encourage consumers to seek alternative services or replacements directly from the manufacturer. [0] https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/nixing-fix-ftc-report-congress-repair-restrictions/nixing_the_fix_report_final_5521_630pm-508_002.pdf https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/nixing-fi...

Proven 5y ago

Another junk article about the fake right to repair. Simple facts: 1) There's no monopoly, phones are available from multiple phone manufacturers 2) There are phones that let you self-repair repair them and retain the right to get part replacements 3) You always have the right to repair - or break - your phone. What you don't have is the right to compel the manufacturer to help you with that at their expense. 4) Techno-socialists keep posting this junk because what they really want is for customers to have fewer choices and be unable to afford mobile phones. Meanwhile very few of these geniuses have shared with us how they switched to the self-repairable Pine64 despite it being readily available. I wonder why that is.

neuralRiot 5y ago

I think something like the automotive market would be a huge step, you can buy a part from Ford or GM and even if it’s something that need programming you can pay a small fee ($40 per VIN valid for 2 years for GM) and program it yourself with any J2534 compliant VCI, you can also pay to access technical info like wiring diagrams and TSBs however if you want to repair an electronic device you have to resort to fake/ stolen/ refurbished parts pirated schematics and shady software tools.