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Let's say there is a right to repair and it gets perfectly enforced, doesn't this change the current business model of certain products which heavily relies on

Let's say there is a right to repair and it gets perfectly enforced, doesn't this change the current business model of certain products which heavily relies on repair to profit? Wouldn't it just make those products more expensive to purchase?

lukevp 5y ago
Well, with automotive, the main profit center of dealerships is the service dept. the manufacturer and the dealer are different, and can adapt to the demand of each of the respective roles. More demand for cars but more self-repair means a bigger manufacturer and smaller/fewer dealerships, not that the product cost itself needs to change. I think similarly a company’s size if it’s based on selling support is based around the demand for that support plus the profitability that’s possible to sell it for before there is competition for 3rd parties to provide that support. Kinda like red hat, they made money off of support but anyone could support Linux or red hat systems, so there was a market force keeping them from charging too much for support because other vendors could undercut them.
commoner 5y ago
Not necessarily. If a device were repairable, users would be more likely to repair it when it breaks instead of replacing it with a new one. This reduces demand for new devices and pushes the price downward. On the other hand, a device that is repairable has a longer lifespan than the same device if it were not repairable. The longer lifespan adds utility and perceived value to the repairable device, which would increase demand and push the price upward. It's hard to say whether the net result would be a higher or lower price. It would depend on the product and the market.
- lupire 5y ago
  > This reduces demand for new devices and pushes the price downward. That's not right. In the common case of a multivendor industry where production is not limited by resource constraints, reduced demand raises prices due to economy of scale.
  - toast0 5y ago
    What sorts of repairable goods aren't limited by resource constraints in today's marketplace. The most common constrained resource being integrated circuits.
    - Robotbeat 5y ago
      Moore's Law depends on continued demand growth for integrated circuits. So calling it a constrained resource is backwards, even if it can behave that way in the short term.
      - advael 5y ago
        Moore's Law isn't a physical law of the universe, it's an observation of what is ultimately a short window of progress extrapolated into a guiding principle. More like an aspirational metronome than a "law" per se. And some observers have claimed that it's no longer bearing out
        Robotbeat 5y ago
        Right, it is a consequence of continued demand. As demand for ICs grew, increasing investments into fabrication technology allowed Moore’s Law to continue. As demand stops growing, Moore’s Law slows. It’s a socio/techno/economic phenomenon.
Proven 5y ago
That goes without saying. Not only will many products become more expensive - some will become unavailale because sellers will realize there's no market for them at higher prices. Higher cost of ownership (even with self-repair), fewer choices, and a lower standard of living because most people don't want or can't fix broken crap. The fake "right" to fix your iPhone doesn't mean you can or want to fix it; it only means that the phone will be more expensive to cover the cost of meeting idiotic legislative acts. Edit: there's no reason why manufacturers who want to acommodate such customers couldn't put a "Self-Repairable" label on their products. But voluntary exchange in a free market isn't acceptable to statists, so there have to be legislative acts, inconveniences and useless costs across the board, including the ever growing taxes & state's compliance/policing system.

lukevp 5y ago

Well, with automotive, the main profit center of dealerships is the service dept. the manufacturer and the dealer are different, and can adapt to the demand of each of the respective roles. More demand for cars but more self-repair means a bigger manufacturer and smaller/fewer dealerships, not that the product cost itself needs to change. I think similarly a company’s size if it’s based on selling support is based around the demand for that support plus the profitability that’s possible to sell it for before there is competition for 3rd parties to provide that support. Kinda like red hat, they made money off of support but anyone could support Linux or red hat systems, so there was a market force keeping them from charging too much for support because other vendors could undercut them.

commoner 5y ago

Not necessarily. If a device were repairable, users would be more likely to repair it when it breaks instead of replacing it with a new one. This reduces demand for new devices and pushes the price downward. On the other hand, a device that is repairable has a longer lifespan than the same device if it were not repairable. The longer lifespan adds utility and perceived value to the repairable device, which would increase demand and push the price upward. It's hard to say whether the net result would be a higher or lower price. It would depend on the product and the market.

lupire 5y ago
> This reduces demand for new devices and pushes the price downward. That's not right. In the common case of a multivendor industry where production is not limited by resource constraints, reduced demand raises prices due to economy of scale.
- toast0 5y ago
  What sorts of repairable goods aren't limited by resource constraints in today's marketplace. The most common constrained resource being integrated circuits.
  - Robotbeat 5y ago
    Moore's Law depends on continued demand growth for integrated circuits. So calling it a constrained resource is backwards, even if it can behave that way in the short term.
    - advael 5y ago
      Moore's Law isn't a physical law of the universe, it's an observation of what is ultimately a short window of progress extrapolated into a guiding principle. More like an aspirational metronome than a "law" per se. And some observers have claimed that it's no longer bearing out
      - Robotbeat 5y ago
        Right, it is a consequence of continued demand. As demand for ICs grew, increasing investments into fabrication technology allowed Moore’s Law to continue. As demand stops growing, Moore’s Law slows. It’s a socio/techno/economic phenomenon.

Proven 5y ago

That goes without saying. Not only will many products become more expensive - some will become unavailale because sellers will realize there's no market for them at higher prices. Higher cost of ownership (even with self-repair), fewer choices, and a lower standard of living because most people don't want or can't fix broken crap. The fake "right" to fix your iPhone doesn't mean you can or want to fix it; it only means that the phone will be more expensive to cover the cost of meeting idiotic legislative acts. Edit: there's no reason why manufacturers who want to acommodate such customers couldn't put a "Self-Repairable" label on their products. But voluntary exchange in a free market isn't acceptable to statists, so there have to be legislative acts, inconveniences and useless costs across the board, including the ever growing taxes & state's compliance/policing system.