5 ms·

> You're forgetting that the spare part also needs similar logistics, shipping, support, etc. around it, so you would expect ordering one of every part separate

> You're forgetting that the spare part also needs similar logistics, shipping, support, etc. around it, so you would expect ordering one of every part separately to cost far more than ordering a single machine even before they put any further markup on it. This seems like a problem that could be solved by standardizing the parts among multiple models (possibly between different brands), so if legally mandating availability of replacement parts encourages that, it might not be a bad thing.

rrdharan 5y ago
Why even have multiple brands? Why not just have the government enforce a single manufacturer for each type of item and standardize everything? They could plan if all centrally and… oh wait.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago
  Why have any rules about what the manufacturers must do at all? Let them sell us autonomous cars for $1,000 which need a $5,000 subscribtion to drive. Oh, you want to put child i a car, the car won't start unless you add a child add-on. Oh, you need to go to the hospital, because your wife is giving birth, that will be extra $5,000 one-time fee.
  - adhesive_wombat 5y ago
    I can hear Amazon's self driving car division furiously taking notes.
- adhesive_wombat 5y ago
  The point is, if you don't want to support spares for your device, you have the option of using standard parts. If you want your own part, you have to either make it available, or you have to make it reliable enough that you don't need to. That would remind the incentive to have parts that fail be profitable. Making unreliable and unserviceable devices should cost you more.
  - thfuran 5y ago
    Just mandate reasonably long warranty to force things to be reliable.
judge2020 5y ago
Ask any Detroit auto design shop and they’ll tell you an auto maker’s parts bin (parts they can throw into every new vehicle to avoid needing to set up more logistics pipelines) often hurts more than it helps in terms of improving on pain points in building and using cars; Tesla’s octovalve is the testament to what can be improved when you don’t have to use existing parts to fulfill a function with headroom for improvement in terms of weight and efficiency.
- galangalalgol 5y ago
  This makes total sense. Rewriting code is often easier than reuse. The purpose written code doesn't have to fulfill use cases that don't apply to it, it can make optimizations because of that. The old code doesn't have to start supporting use cases it was never designed for too, so it can stay simpler. Don't repeat yourself, but its ok to speak in original sentences rather than use somewhat applicable quotes for everything you want to convey. For physical parts the number of ways an old part might fail to meet new use cases seems vastly larger than in software, so I'd guess its even more applicable.
- dpierce9 5y ago
  Tesla doesn’t buy the octovalve from other suppliers but it uses the same module in every model they make.
bombcar 5y ago
If you search appliance parts you’ll discover that’s already being done - the part for your dishwasher will fit fifty other dishwashers from a very surprising cross section of brands.
- ethbr0 5y ago
  At this point, "brands" are just the multiple marketing face of conglomerates.
  - beebeepka 5y ago
    3 years ago I was tasked with buying a cheap TV for an older relative. After spending an afternoon checking what's available, I realized virtually all low end models look the same and have the exact same menus. Not terribly surprising but I didn't expect everything to be exactly the same across that many know and unknown brands
    - bombcar 5y ago
      TVs are down to three panel manufacturers if I recall correctly - so it’s literally the chrome and maybe the bundled apps that differ. This can be an advantage as sometimes you can flash default firmware to turn a cheap yumcha monitor into a better one.
      - coolso 5y ago
        Not entirely true. Some manufacturers / more expensive product lines have access to higher quality panels. Furthermore anti-reflective coatings, backlights, and wide angle view coatings can all vary widely.
- syshum 5y ago
  This is one of the reasons I still buy dumb appliances. I recently just more or less rebuilt my cloths dryer for less than $75, New element, new belts, new sensors, etc... Of course the sheet metal frame, motor, and controls are the same but on a dumb appliance those rarely fail. on a "Smart" appliance those the replacement "smart" controls can be more costly than the entire replacement unit

rrdharan 5y ago

Why even have multiple brands? Why not just have the government enforce a single manufacturer for each type of item and standardize everything? They could plan if all centrally and… oh wait.

ClumsyPilot 5y ago
Why have any rules about what the manufacturers must do at all? Let them sell us autonomous cars for $1,000 which need a $5,000 subscribtion to drive. Oh, you want to put child i a car, the car won't start unless you add a child add-on. Oh, you need to go to the hospital, because your wife is giving birth, that will be extra $5,000 one-time fee.
- adhesive_wombat 5y ago
  I can hear Amazon's self driving car division furiously taking notes.
adhesive_wombat 5y ago
The point is, if you don't want to support spares for your device, you have the option of using standard parts. If you want your own part, you have to either make it available, or you have to make it reliable enough that you don't need to. That would remind the incentive to have parts that fail be profitable. Making unreliable and unserviceable devices should cost you more.
- thfuran 5y ago
  Just mandate reasonably long warranty to force things to be reliable.

judge2020 5y ago

Ask any Detroit auto design shop and they’ll tell you an auto maker’s parts bin (parts they can throw into every new vehicle to avoid needing to set up more logistics pipelines) often hurts more than it helps in terms of improving on pain points in building and using cars; Tesla’s octovalve is the testament to what can be improved when you don’t have to use existing parts to fulfill a function with headroom for improvement in terms of weight and efficiency.

galangalalgol 5y ago
This makes total sense. Rewriting code is often easier than reuse. The purpose written code doesn't have to fulfill use cases that don't apply to it, it can make optimizations because of that. The old code doesn't have to start supporting use cases it was never designed for too, so it can stay simpler. Don't repeat yourself, but its ok to speak in original sentences rather than use somewhat applicable quotes for everything you want to convey. For physical parts the number of ways an old part might fail to meet new use cases seems vastly larger than in software, so I'd guess its even more applicable.
dpierce9 5y ago
Tesla doesn’t buy the octovalve from other suppliers but it uses the same module in every model they make.

bombcar 5y ago

If you search appliance parts you’ll discover that’s already being done - the part for your dishwasher will fit fifty other dishwashers from a very surprising cross section of brands.

ethbr0 5y ago
At this point, "brands" are just the multiple marketing face of conglomerates.
- beebeepka 5y ago
  3 years ago I was tasked with buying a cheap TV for an older relative. After spending an afternoon checking what's available, I realized virtually all low end models look the same and have the exact same menus. Not terribly surprising but I didn't expect everything to be exactly the same across that many know and unknown brands
  - bombcar 5y ago
    TVs are down to three panel manufacturers if I recall correctly - so it’s literally the chrome and maybe the bundled apps that differ. This can be an advantage as sometimes you can flash default firmware to turn a cheap yumcha monitor into a better one.
    - coolso 5y ago
      Not entirely true. Some manufacturers / more expensive product lines have access to higher quality panels. Furthermore anti-reflective coatings, backlights, and wide angle view coatings can all vary widely.
syshum 5y ago
This is one of the reasons I still buy dumb appliances. I recently just more or less rebuilt my cloths dryer for less than $75, New element, new belts, new sensors, etc... Of course the sheet metal frame, motor, and controls are the same but on a dumb appliance those rarely fail. on a "Smart" appliance those the replacement "smart" controls can be more costly than the entire replacement unit