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The Verge is so bad they have me defending Apple [video]

362 points by mikece 4y ago

Aunche 4y ago
Good on Rossmann for calling out bullshit on his own side. Legitimate issues often get hijacked by do-nothing whiners, yet all too often they get ignored or even encouraged for the sake of prioritizing short term political gain.
- sokoloff 4y ago
  Agree. I think politics overall would be aided if more people called out bullshit from their own side. It’s easy to see when some “other side” spouts BS, but often harder to see and/or have the courage when it’s someone who is mostly pulling in a direction you want to go, but has an idiotic idea or is spouting bullshit. When that step is skipped, weak or outright incorrect thoughts, ideas, and plans are allowed to propagate and become part of the movement, either in fact or via association. When you take that step, you might offend someone whose idea was on the weak-to-bullshit spectrum, but you also hone your group’s ideas and help align the broad group of people who previously never had an opinion but are willing to get behind strong, sensible ideas.
olliej 4y ago
I generally don't like "man rants at camera" style videos but I think this is actually really good - I had assumed it would be just complaining about the size/weight/etc of the repair equipment[1], but it was mostly calling out how their reporting makes it sound like the right-to-repair folk are assholes, and how their reporting doesn't actually touch on any of the stuff that isn't repairable. [1] which does seem big, but I recall the difference in effectiveness, robustness, and weight of a high end crimper vs some cheap $20 one so I'm guessing Apple did the maths on repair failures to get this type of equipment
- KennyBlanken 4y ago
  Rossmann loves to rant at the camera about a lot of shit he knows nothing about. He's kind of turning into the Joe Rogan of tech. He lost an incredible amount of credibility for me when he acted like he was a victim of Big Bad Apple siccing their lawyers on him for "selling parts." Apple didn't go after him because he was "selling parts", they went after him because he was selling laptop and phone batteries with the Apple logo on them - labels printed to look exactly like the original parts. Something that implies to sellers that the parts meet Apple's standards, was made by an Apple OEM, etc. A lot of aftermarket replacement batteries are shit. They have higher internal resistance so they don't charge as fast / heat up more when charging, don't have the same capacity, or they degrade faster, or all of the above. One of Apple's big successes with the circa-2013 Macbook Pro was that they used a battery that could survive thousands of cycles and only lose about 80% of its capacity. Far as I know, none of the replacement MBP batteries, save those used by Apple in their replacement program, are anywhere near as long-lasting. Lot of aftermarket parts in general are pretty shit. Look around on the phone repair web boards and sub-reddits and you'll see talk about different grades of replacement parts. Screens, for example, can range from being terrible (poor graphics quality and poor digitizer performance) to "indistinguishable from OEM." The difference is usually at most $10, but a lot of phone repair places want that extra $10 of profit. They don't necessarily correctly program the replacement displays, they don't necessarily replace the gasket that keeps the phone waterproof, etc. The mobile phone repair business is a shitshow full of scammers. When you realize how difficult it is to buy a used iPhone that hasn't been butchered by some clown 'refurbisher' or repaired with substandard parts, you start to appreciate why Apple engages in stuff like having screens programmed to match the mainboard.
  - dm319 4y ago
    > Apple didn't go after him because he was "selling parts", they went after him because he was selling laptop and phone batteries with the Apple logo on them Mind if I have a source for this?
    - philliphaydon 4y ago
      He has no source because the batteries were seized as counterfeit despite being refurbished.
- pabs3 4y ago
  In the video he explains that the equipment is simply what Apple uses internally, seems reasonable that customers get access to the same equipment and use it if they want or use something cheaper if not.
  - olliej 4y ago
    yeah - it was a reasonable "you're attacking apple providing the same equipment it uses internally, rather than apple not providing [other info/equip that would actually be useful]" argument
laserlight 4y ago
[0] is the HN discussion of the Verge article Rossmann is talking about. [0] Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31456763 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31456763
de6u99er 4y ago
Remember The Verge's PC build video? https://youtu.be/2lmfF0k2UcU https://youtu.be/2lmfF0k2UcU
- sakarisson 4y ago
  The host redeemed himself on LTT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKzmYsySGFQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKzmYsySGFQ
- dvhh 4y ago
  I think it was admitted that the editing made things worse than it already was
  - zamalek 4y ago
    He did a follow up video with LTT explaining everything (while building a PC). He got the script on/near to the day and it made no sense to him either. He may have made some mistakes under the pressure, but Verge was to blame for 90% of that train wreck.
    - the_only_law 4y ago
      I’d be very listed and eager for some compensation. That guy was dragged pretty bad in many internet circles.
- chx 4y ago
  They just reviewed the ugreen nexode , a 200w six port USB C charger. What you can't find in this review is a comparison to the two other six port solutions at a similar wattage, that being the SlimQ F240 + their tiny DC extender and the EGO Exinno 240W. (Not to mention the famous ;) chx-hack of using the Lenovo tip version of the AS-240 GaN+SiC charger, the Lenovo 4X90U90620 slim tip splitter and two SlimQ DC extenders :P although I use only one, I use the 170W leg of the splitter to feed my beastly X1E4.) They clearly are not well versed in this.
  - 4y ago
goodguyamerikan 4y ago
I've said it before and I'll say it again-- verge is long form tabloid. They are deliberately contrarian (in the hope of appearing smart) and provocative (in the hope of getting eyeballs). Except polygon, the entire group of publications is pure sleaze.
- rvz 4y ago
  > They are deliberately contrarian (in the hope of appearing smart) and provocative (in the hope of getting eyeballs). Yes. It is no different to the Daily Mail as they deliberately have clickbait headlines that bring in outrage and have their brainless commenters regurgitating the same manufactured nonsense by the views of the editor; especially when not all of their articles enable the comments. Rarely do you get someone calling them out for their inaccurate reporting in the contents of the article. If one highlights an inaccuracy, their army of muppets will scream at you for not having the same views as them or the editor. They should just stick to tech reviews or buyers guides. Anything on politics, tech news, crypto, law-suits, etc steer clear from it.
michaelnoguera 4y ago
I have tried to faithfully summarize the video here. If you notice a mistake or omission, please correct me. Rossmann’s main message: “to complain about something that is an option rather than complain about all of the options that are missing misses the forest for the trees”. Key points: 1. For certain repairs, Apple’s repair program has “made availiable the exact same OEM parts and tools that they use” via rental. Renting these tools is optional and not required; Rossmann recognizes that while he (and in his opinion, most people) will likely not use these tools, their availability is a non-issue. 2. Sean Hollister’s article in The Verge was highly critical of the entire self-repair process, and called out the weight and price of this completely optional tool rental. Per Rossmann, “part of the problem with tech journalism in general is… focusing on the things that are easy rather than focusing on the things that matter”. 3. Rossmann reminds us that the right-to-repair fight is far from over. Board schematics and individual components are still not available even to authorized repair shops. He argues that these would enable him to more efficiently perform repairs. 4. Rossmann: While the tech press’s complaints are “making the right to repair people look like… fools”, “it is important to [know] that they don’t represent us [normal repair shops and average users]”.
- fock 4y ago
  thanks, now I've skimmed the verge piece and read your summary and have to admit: wasn't the main point of the verge that it's absolute ridiculous that the "apple approved"-way of fixing things requires two peli-cases of custom tools. This doesn't scale FOR THEM and one of the main points of criticisim in the verge revolved around that! The whole process is just designed so that in 3-4 years Apple will go to their favorite congress critters and say: "look, noones using this and it's expensive!!!". Then fast-forward to Rossmanns point 3.
  - turbinerneiter 4y ago
    The article made it seem like Apple is forcing anyone to get these tools, when they are not. The article heavily falls into the exactly that trap.
    - 4y ago
Fuhrer01 4y ago
Louis is doing god's work in right to repair. Hope he succeeds. I wonder what Hunter Thompson would say about Verge today.
- curiousgal 4y ago
  Honestly, I miss it when he used to just make technical repair videos. Luckily Northridge Fix[0] fills that gap now. 0.https://youtube.com/c/NorthridgeFix https://youtube.com/c/NorthridgeFix
- donthellbanme 4y ago
  I've never said this about anyone in tech, but I feel Louis Rossman should run for the Senate, or the House. I've kept an eye on him for years, and think he's honest, and trustworthy. He does not appear to be a sellout in the slightest. Becomming a politician doesn't sound like the life he wants, but we need guys like Louis running our country. (It's not that crazy. A few years ago Zuck thought he had a chance in politics. His yes men put him on tractors in the midwest with a cowboy hat. I even think they had him sucking on a stick of wheat? All I knew is they picked the wrong guy. Zuck was a joke on so many levels though, --even then. How a young man can make so many ugly decisions so quick is beyond me. I guess that's why he's a 1 percenter? Nice fair people don't become wealthy. He was just about his money, and his narcisstic life. Louis seems just honest, and cares about what's fair. He never asked to be the spokesman for Right to Repair. He was just, like I was, irritated over pricy items we can't fix.)
  - alangibson 4y ago
    Someone once said Zuck has all the charm of a talking parking meter. Truer words, etc. </hatering>
  - samatman 4y ago
    > 1 percenter Zucc has 2% of all wealth owned by American Millennials. Singlehandedly. The other 98% is owned by everyone else in his generation. 1 percenter? Yeah technically he's in the 99th percentile, but technically he's in the 50th percentile as well.... Edit: Rossman, a successful business owner and YouTube personality, is clearly a 1 percenter as well. Just to further illustrate what a silly thing that is to say about the Zucc.
FounderBurr 4y ago
Shadonototra 4y ago
the verge won't miss an opportunity to shoot at Apple they have a preference for microsoft products, if you read them everyday (spoiler: i do), then you'll notice it
- nikau 4y ago
  Things must have changed in the last year or so then, they were always referred to as iVerge due to their massive Apple bias.
- saynay 4y ago
  What? No they don't, they consistently and heavily praise all Apple hardware, and pretty much the entire staff uses Apple devices for at least work. Just because they can be critical of Apple's business practices, doesn't mean they hate Apple.
n3storm 4y ago
We should have t-shirts of stallman and rossman side by side
Ekaros 4y ago
I think issue is that they come from different view points. Rossman runs a company offering these services and he sees issues what they are allowed and can do about repairs. And he has essentially trained and skilled labour to do it. On other hand Verge look it from consumer standpoint. Who might do one of repair every few years. From that view devices should be much simpler and easier to repair by unskilled owners. Nothing wrong on either side, but I might go with viewpoint that devices should be easily customer repairable without shipping special tools, with massive deposit.
- omegabravo 4y ago
  How do you get ever thinner phones without the tooling designed to dismantle it? It's no different in other industries. Small and compact requires special tools. You (and I) being willing to compromise on size to have better ability to repair the device doesn't represent the market at all. These complex engineered systems are going to continue to trend towards costly tools for repair. In a similar way, ICs are also impossible to repair compared to decades ago when you could lift out a faulty memory chip and replace it. It's far more important for companies like apple to accept 3rd party replacements and provide access to parts than worry about the speciality tools required unless they're there to be difficult. It certainly doesn't appear to be the case here. A repair shop would buy these tools, because otherwise they risk damaging the ($1k) phone trying to save a few bucks. Phones are going to be too complex for reliable home repair. I also don't repair my compressor in the AC, nor do I repair the wingdings in my vacuum cleaner. I just replace the part. I think the compromise here is fine, they're not plastic welded, they're sealed with adhesive.
  - makeitdouble 4y ago
    > How do you get ever thinner phones without the tooling designed to dismantle it? This all issue made me think about the SIM tray: the SIM card contacts could also be sealed and recessed between the battery and the motherboard, and you’d go to an Apple Store to change the card whenever you need it. But you don’t, no one would accept having to get a phone serviced every time a SIM change is needed, even if some people never ever change it after purchase. So it’s designed in a way that you just push a thin bar in it and it pops out, you put your card, push it back, and your phone is still thin and waterproof. I genuinely think Apple could come up with a similarily elegant solution if they were making way more money by having easy to repair phones than having people give up and buy new phones instead.
ProtoMathics 4y ago
When Rossman started to make Luke Smith style videos ?
Fnoord 4y ago
I dislike the title of this video. It doesn't describe the content, it only describes the surface of a conflict ('X is so bad [...]') in an emotional way, putting themselves on a high horse. The title is a prime example of what's wrong with the advertisement industry though. I find it rather ironic, given the content although one could say the same about my comment.
sudden_dystopia 4y ago
Vox media for ya. Now just imagine the bs they are spouting when it comes to actual important issues.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
  I don't usually read them but I sometimes watch their videos. I'm center-right and I don't see the issue.
Ecstatify 4y ago
The Verge is honestly terrible, incredibly biased. They're essentially a PR firm targeting certain companies competitors. You pay $$$, you get positive coverage. They're the Yelp of tech news.
- btmiller 4y ago
  Is this true? And if so, how long has The Verge been like this? I was always fond of the quality of their video productions (to make no judgment of their reviews).
  - izacus 4y ago
    The Verge is regularly criticized for their pro-Apple bias in Android community which shows how much those complaints really matter ;)
- havelhovel 4y ago
  My personal opinion of The Verge writers is that they are mostly liberal arts majors LARPing as tech experts to make ends meet. The general resentment for the ascendancy of tech is palpable. Maybe someone in their 18th Century English lit class called them a geek at some point, so they honestly think they know what they’re talking about relative to the general public, but the average commenter on HN has greater context on almost anything The Verge churns out. I’m okay with non-technical people in journalism roles, but I do take issue with presenting these people as authoritative sources that can express their subjective opinions as unchallenged fact, and that’s what The Verge is all about as of late.
ngcc_hk 4y ago
I think the key is to have 3rd party that can do it. I am a hobbyist but after a break of my macmini due to fat finger, I paid for a repair shop to upgrade the memory since. Getting in is a professional job. Just not necessarily apple job.
gabrielblack 4y ago
I totally agree with Rossmann: the more important thing is that you can lease the equipment from Apple but there is no obligation. The equipment is intended to do a job compliant with Apple standard but, if you don't care to replace the water proof sealant, etc, you can use tools you already have or more cheap from your regular sources ( hardware stores, ebay, etc). The right to repair is a serious matter, without activist like Rossmann, who spent his time to speak to the US Congress, we wouldn't even have the spare parts from Apple: this is the real vantage, not the possibility to lease the tools.
prepend 4y ago
I read the article and felt similarly. That the verge was just whining and presenting in a really negative light. The whole time I read It, I couldn’t help thinking “what do you want here? What’s the right thing?” The product is complex and hard to work on. It would be nice if they were designed to be easier to work on, but they’re waterproof and meant to be drop resistant, etc. I think it’s great they make these kits available and previously didn’t. That should be lauded. Would we rather Apple not release these handbooks and equipment?
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
  > The single most frustrating part of this process, after using Apple’s genuine parts and Apple’s genuine tools, was that my iPhone didn’t recognize the genuine battery as genuine. “Unknown Part,” flashed a warning. Apparently, that’s the case for almost all of these parts: you’re expected to dial up Apple’s third-party logistics company after the repair so they can validate the part for you. That’s a process that involves having an entirely separate computer and a Wi-Fi connection since you have to reboot your iPhone into diagnostics mode and give the company remote control. Which, of course, defeats a bunch of the reasons you’d repair your own device at home!
- Brian_K_White 4y ago
  “what do you want here? What’s the right thing?” Parts, and not having the thing artificially brick itself. These tools do no harm other than the indirect and unprovable sort of harm suggested by the article, but they do no good either. They are irrelevant, in that lack of these tools is not what prevents repairing Apple products. What prevents repairing Apple products is Apple using the US government to seize harvested 2nd hand parts they no longer have any moral right to control at the border by lying and claiming they are counterfeit, forcing component makers to exclusive deals where they are not allowed to sell custom chips to anyone but Apple, and Apple doesn't sell them, and no other manufacturer can make them since they are proprietary without published specs. And artificially bricking devices for no actual techical or security reason. No one makes Apple do those things, and it costs Apple nothing to simply not do that. Well, nothing they have any right to in the first place.
pcmoney 4y ago
As I have said before: Its the verge and they are a joke now. They have one article lately and its “tech company bad”. They basically pander to people who want to think they know about tech but aren’t in tech and likely couldn’t make it in tech. Feels like a bunch of bitterness and copium. I just ignore them now but miss their old good tech coverage.
dhosek 4y ago
Why on earth is this a video and not a blog post? Do people really prefer to watch the dude walking around a park ranting rather than just reading what he has to say? Or am a grumpy old man yelling at clouds?
- SAI_Peregrinus 4y ago
  He has a Youtube channel already, and not a blog. So his audience uses Youtube's subscription notifications. Most of his content (showing component-level PCB repair) works far better via video than text.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
  > Why on earth is this a video and not a blog post. Money. You also can't in practice build a large following strictly from text blogging. Let the algorithm work with you, not against you.
gamblor956 4y ago
Wow, the level of Stockholm syndrome the author must have to think that shipping 79 pounds of equipment is somehow a reasonable way to deal with self-repair instead of just making the damn phones repairable with the tools everybody already has! I'm embarrassed for the author. Someday, he'll be embarrassed by this video too.
vldr 4y ago
This bizarre set of tools is like the cookie wall solution. Make the solution so unusable for the end user but technically/legally correct (well, not sure actually) that you "comply" while also attempting to show how ridiculous the requirement is.
roberthanry79 4y ago

362 points by mikece 4y ago

Good on Rossmann for calling out bullshit on his own side. Legitimate issues often get hijacked by do-nothing whiners, yet all too often they get ignored or even encouraged for the sake of prioritizing short term political gain.

sokoloff 4y ago
Agree. I think politics overall would be aided if more people called out bullshit from their own side. It’s easy to see when some “other side” spouts BS, but often harder to see and/or have the courage when it’s someone who is mostly pulling in a direction you want to go, but has an idiotic idea or is spouting bullshit. When that step is skipped, weak or outright incorrect thoughts, ideas, and plans are allowed to propagate and become part of the movement, either in fact or via association. When you take that step, you might offend someone whose idea was on the weak-to-bullshit spectrum, but you also hone your group’s ideas and help align the broad group of people who previously never had an opinion but are willing to get behind strong, sensible ideas.

olliej 4y ago

I generally don't like "man rants at camera" style videos but I think this is actually really good - I had assumed it would be just complaining about the size/weight/etc of the repair equipment[1], but it was mostly calling out how their reporting makes it sound like the right-to-repair folk are assholes, and how their reporting doesn't actually touch on any of the stuff that isn't repairable. [1] which does seem big, but I recall the difference in effectiveness, robustness, and weight of a high end crimper vs some cheap $20 one so I'm guessing Apple did the maths on repair failures to get this type of equipment

KennyBlanken 4y ago
Rossmann loves to rant at the camera about a lot of shit he knows nothing about. He's kind of turning into the Joe Rogan of tech. He lost an incredible amount of credibility for me when he acted like he was a victim of Big Bad Apple siccing their lawyers on him for "selling parts." Apple didn't go after him because he was "selling parts", they went after him because he was selling laptop and phone batteries with the Apple logo on them - labels printed to look exactly like the original parts. Something that implies to sellers that the parts meet Apple's standards, was made by an Apple OEM, etc. A lot of aftermarket replacement batteries are shit. They have higher internal resistance so they don't charge as fast / heat up more when charging, don't have the same capacity, or they degrade faster, or all of the above. One of Apple's big successes with the circa-2013 Macbook Pro was that they used a battery that could survive thousands of cycles and only lose about 80% of its capacity. Far as I know, none of the replacement MBP batteries, save those used by Apple in their replacement program, are anywhere near as long-lasting. Lot of aftermarket parts in general are pretty shit. Look around on the phone repair web boards and sub-reddits and you'll see talk about different grades of replacement parts. Screens, for example, can range from being terrible (poor graphics quality and poor digitizer performance) to "indistinguishable from OEM." The difference is usually at most $10, but a lot of phone repair places want that extra $10 of profit. They don't necessarily correctly program the replacement displays, they don't necessarily replace the gasket that keeps the phone waterproof, etc. The mobile phone repair business is a shitshow full of scammers. When you realize how difficult it is to buy a used iPhone that hasn't been butchered by some clown 'refurbisher' or repaired with substandard parts, you start to appreciate why Apple engages in stuff like having screens programmed to match the mainboard.
- dm319 4y ago
  > Apple didn't go after him because he was "selling parts", they went after him because he was selling laptop and phone batteries with the Apple logo on them Mind if I have a source for this?
  - philliphaydon 4y ago
    He has no source because the batteries were seized as counterfeit despite being refurbished.
pabs3 4y ago
In the video he explains that the equipment is simply what Apple uses internally, seems reasonable that customers get access to the same equipment and use it if they want or use something cheaper if not.
- olliej 4y ago
  yeah - it was a reasonable "you're attacking apple providing the same equipment it uses internally, rather than apple not providing [other info/equip that would actually be useful]" argument

laserlight 4y ago

[0] is the HN discussion of the Verge article Rossmann is talking about. [0] Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31456763 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31456763

de6u99er 4y ago

Remember The Verge's PC build video? https://youtu.be/2lmfF0k2UcU https://youtu.be/2lmfF0k2UcU

sakarisson 4y ago
The host redeemed himself on LTT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKzmYsySGFQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKzmYsySGFQ
dvhh 4y ago
I think it was admitted that the editing made things worse than it already was
- zamalek 4y ago
  He did a follow up video with LTT explaining everything (while building a PC). He got the script on/near to the day and it made no sense to him either. He may have made some mistakes under the pressure, but Verge was to blame for 90% of that train wreck.
  - the_only_law 4y ago
    I’d be very listed and eager for some compensation. That guy was dragged pretty bad in many internet circles.
chx 4y ago
They just reviewed the ugreen nexode , a 200w six port USB C charger. What you can't find in this review is a comparison to the two other six port solutions at a similar wattage, that being the SlimQ F240 + their tiny DC extender and the EGO Exinno 240W. (Not to mention the famous ;) chx-hack of using the Lenovo tip version of the AS-240 GaN+SiC charger, the Lenovo 4X90U90620 slim tip splitter and two SlimQ DC extenders :P although I use only one, I use the 170W leg of the splitter to feed my beastly X1E4.) They clearly are not well versed in this.
- 4y ago

goodguyamerikan 4y ago

I've said it before and I'll say it again-- verge is long form tabloid. They are deliberately contrarian (in the hope of appearing smart) and provocative (in the hope of getting eyeballs). Except polygon, the entire group of publications is pure sleaze.

rvz 4y ago
> They are deliberately contrarian (in the hope of appearing smart) and provocative (in the hope of getting eyeballs). Yes. It is no different to the Daily Mail as they deliberately have clickbait headlines that bring in outrage and have their brainless commenters regurgitating the same manufactured nonsense by the views of the editor; especially when not all of their articles enable the comments. Rarely do you get someone calling them out for their inaccurate reporting in the contents of the article. If one highlights an inaccuracy, their army of muppets will scream at you for not having the same views as them or the editor. They should just stick to tech reviews or buyers guides. Anything on politics, tech news, crypto, law-suits, etc steer clear from it.

michaelnoguera 4y ago

I have tried to faithfully summarize the video here. If you notice a mistake or omission, please correct me. Rossmann’s main message: “to complain about something that is an option rather than complain about all of the options that are missing misses the forest for the trees”. Key points: 1. For certain repairs, Apple’s repair program has “made availiable the exact same OEM parts and tools that they use” via rental. Renting these tools is optional and not required; Rossmann recognizes that while he (and in his opinion, most people) will likely not use these tools, their availability is a non-issue. 2. Sean Hollister’s article in The Verge was highly critical of the entire self-repair process, and called out the weight and price of this completely optional tool rental. Per Rossmann, “part of the problem with tech journalism in general is… focusing on the things that are easy rather than focusing on the things that matter”. 3. Rossmann reminds us that the right-to-repair fight is far from over. Board schematics and individual components are still not available even to authorized repair shops. He argues that these would enable him to more efficiently perform repairs. 4. Rossmann: While the tech press’s complaints are “making the right to repair people look like… fools”, “it is important to [know] that they don’t represent us [normal repair shops and average users]”.

fock 4y ago
thanks, now I've skimmed the verge piece and read your summary and have to admit: wasn't the main point of the verge that it's absolute ridiculous that the "apple approved"-way of fixing things requires two peli-cases of custom tools. This doesn't scale FOR THEM and one of the main points of criticisim in the verge revolved around that! The whole process is just designed so that in 3-4 years Apple will go to their favorite congress critters and say: "look, noones using this and it's expensive!!!". Then fast-forward to Rossmanns point 3.
- turbinerneiter 4y ago
  The article made it seem like Apple is forcing anyone to get these tools, when they are not. The article heavily falls into the exactly that trap.
  - 4y ago

Fuhrer01 4y ago

Louis is doing god's work in right to repair. Hope he succeeds. I wonder what Hunter Thompson would say about Verge today.

curiousgal 4y ago
Honestly, I miss it when he used to just make technical repair videos. Luckily Northridge Fix[0] fills that gap now. 0.https://youtube.com/c/NorthridgeFix https://youtube.com/c/NorthridgeFix
donthellbanme 4y ago
I've never said this about anyone in tech, but I feel Louis Rossman should run for the Senate, or the House. I've kept an eye on him for years, and think he's honest, and trustworthy. He does not appear to be a sellout in the slightest. Becomming a politician doesn't sound like the life he wants, but we need guys like Louis running our country. (It's not that crazy. A few years ago Zuck thought he had a chance in politics. His yes men put him on tractors in the midwest with a cowboy hat. I even think they had him sucking on a stick of wheat? All I knew is they picked the wrong guy. Zuck was a joke on so many levels though, --even then. How a young man can make so many ugly decisions so quick is beyond me. I guess that's why he's a 1 percenter? Nice fair people don't become wealthy. He was just about his money, and his narcisstic life. Louis seems just honest, and cares about what's fair. He never asked to be the spokesman for Right to Repair. He was just, like I was, irritated over pricy items we can't fix.)
- alangibson 4y ago
  Someone once said Zuck has all the charm of a talking parking meter. Truer words, etc. </hatering>
- samatman 4y ago
  > 1 percenter Zucc has 2% of all wealth owned by American Millennials. Singlehandedly. The other 98% is owned by everyone else in his generation. 1 percenter? Yeah technically he's in the 99th percentile, but technically he's in the 50th percentile as well.... Edit: Rossman, a successful business owner and YouTube personality, is clearly a 1 percenter as well. Just to further illustrate what a silly thing that is to say about the Zucc.

FounderBurr 4y ago

Shadonototra 4y ago

the verge won't miss an opportunity to shoot at Apple they have a preference for microsoft products, if you read them everyday (spoiler: i do), then you'll notice it

nikau 4y ago
Things must have changed in the last year or so then, they were always referred to as iVerge due to their massive Apple bias.
saynay 4y ago
What? No they don't, they consistently and heavily praise all Apple hardware, and pretty much the entire staff uses Apple devices for at least work. Just because they can be critical of Apple's business practices, doesn't mean they hate Apple.

n3storm 4y ago

We should have t-shirts of stallman and rossman side by side

Ekaros 4y ago

I think issue is that they come from different view points. Rossman runs a company offering these services and he sees issues what they are allowed and can do about repairs. And he has essentially trained and skilled labour to do it. On other hand Verge look it from consumer standpoint. Who might do one of repair every few years. From that view devices should be much simpler and easier to repair by unskilled owners. Nothing wrong on either side, but I might go with viewpoint that devices should be easily customer repairable without shipping special tools, with massive deposit.

omegabravo 4y ago
How do you get ever thinner phones without the tooling designed to dismantle it? It's no different in other industries. Small and compact requires special tools. You (and I) being willing to compromise on size to have better ability to repair the device doesn't represent the market at all. These complex engineered systems are going to continue to trend towards costly tools for repair. In a similar way, ICs are also impossible to repair compared to decades ago when you could lift out a faulty memory chip and replace it. It's far more important for companies like apple to accept 3rd party replacements and provide access to parts than worry about the speciality tools required unless they're there to be difficult. It certainly doesn't appear to be the case here. A repair shop would buy these tools, because otherwise they risk damaging the ($1k) phone trying to save a few bucks. Phones are going to be too complex for reliable home repair. I also don't repair my compressor in the AC, nor do I repair the wingdings in my vacuum cleaner. I just replace the part. I think the compromise here is fine, they're not plastic welded, they're sealed with adhesive.
- makeitdouble 4y ago
  > How do you get ever thinner phones without the tooling designed to dismantle it? This all issue made me think about the SIM tray: the SIM card contacts could also be sealed and recessed between the battery and the motherboard, and you’d go to an Apple Store to change the card whenever you need it. But you don’t, no one would accept having to get a phone serviced every time a SIM change is needed, even if some people never ever change it after purchase. So it’s designed in a way that you just push a thin bar in it and it pops out, you put your card, push it back, and your phone is still thin and waterproof. I genuinely think Apple could come up with a similarily elegant solution if they were making way more money by having easy to repair phones than having people give up and buy new phones instead.

ProtoMathics 4y ago

When Rossman started to make Luke Smith style videos ?

Fnoord 4y ago

I dislike the title of this video. It doesn't describe the content, it only describes the surface of a conflict ('X is so bad [...]') in an emotional way, putting themselves on a high horse. The title is a prime example of what's wrong with the advertisement industry though. I find it rather ironic, given the content although one could say the same about my comment.

sudden_dystopia 4y ago

Vox media for ya. Now just imagine the bs they are spouting when it comes to actual important issues.

2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
I don't usually read them but I sometimes watch their videos. I'm center-right and I don't see the issue.

Ecstatify 4y ago

The Verge is honestly terrible, incredibly biased. They're essentially a PR firm targeting certain companies competitors. You pay $$$, you get positive coverage. They're the Yelp of tech news.

btmiller 4y ago
Is this true? And if so, how long has The Verge been like this? I was always fond of the quality of their video productions (to make no judgment of their reviews).
- izacus 4y ago
  The Verge is regularly criticized for their pro-Apple bias in Android community which shows how much those complaints really matter ;)
havelhovel 4y ago
My personal opinion of The Verge writers is that they are mostly liberal arts majors LARPing as tech experts to make ends meet. The general resentment for the ascendancy of tech is palpable. Maybe someone in their 18th Century English lit class called them a geek at some point, so they honestly think they know what they’re talking about relative to the general public, but the average commenter on HN has greater context on almost anything The Verge churns out. I’m okay with non-technical people in journalism roles, but I do take issue with presenting these people as authoritative sources that can express their subjective opinions as unchallenged fact, and that’s what The Verge is all about as of late.

ngcc_hk 4y ago

I think the key is to have 3rd party that can do it. I am a hobbyist but after a break of my macmini due to fat finger, I paid for a repair shop to upgrade the memory since. Getting in is a professional job. Just not necessarily apple job.

gabrielblack 4y ago

I totally agree with Rossmann: the more important thing is that you can lease the equipment from Apple but there is no obligation. The equipment is intended to do a job compliant with Apple standard but, if you don't care to replace the water proof sealant, etc, you can use tools you already have or more cheap from your regular sources ( hardware stores, ebay, etc). The right to repair is a serious matter, without activist like Rossmann, who spent his time to speak to the US Congress, we wouldn't even have the spare parts from Apple: this is the real vantage, not the possibility to lease the tools.

prepend 4y ago

I read the article and felt similarly. That the verge was just whining and presenting in a really negative light. The whole time I read It, I couldn’t help thinking “what do you want here? What’s the right thing?” The product is complex and hard to work on. It would be nice if they were designed to be easier to work on, but they’re waterproof and meant to be drop resistant, etc. I think it’s great they make these kits available and previously didn’t. That should be lauded. Would we rather Apple not release these handbooks and equipment?

2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
> The single most frustrating part of this process, after using Apple’s genuine parts and Apple’s genuine tools, was that my iPhone didn’t recognize the genuine battery as genuine. “Unknown Part,” flashed a warning. Apparently, that’s the case for almost all of these parts: you’re expected to dial up Apple’s third-party logistics company after the repair so they can validate the part for you. That’s a process that involves having an entirely separate computer and a Wi-Fi connection since you have to reboot your iPhone into diagnostics mode and give the company remote control. Which, of course, defeats a bunch of the reasons you’d repair your own device at home!
Brian_K_White 4y ago
“what do you want here? What’s the right thing?” Parts, and not having the thing artificially brick itself. These tools do no harm other than the indirect and unprovable sort of harm suggested by the article, but they do no good either. They are irrelevant, in that lack of these tools is not what prevents repairing Apple products. What prevents repairing Apple products is Apple using the US government to seize harvested 2nd hand parts they no longer have any moral right to control at the border by lying and claiming they are counterfeit, forcing component makers to exclusive deals where they are not allowed to sell custom chips to anyone but Apple, and Apple doesn't sell them, and no other manufacturer can make them since they are proprietary without published specs. And artificially bricking devices for no actual techical or security reason. No one makes Apple do those things, and it costs Apple nothing to simply not do that. Well, nothing they have any right to in the first place.

pcmoney 4y ago

As I have said before: Its the verge and they are a joke now. They have one article lately and its “tech company bad”. They basically pander to people who want to think they know about tech but aren’t in tech and likely couldn’t make it in tech. Feels like a bunch of bitterness and copium. I just ignore them now but miss their old good tech coverage.

dhosek 4y ago

Why on earth is this a video and not a blog post? Do people really prefer to watch the dude walking around a park ranting rather than just reading what he has to say? Or am a grumpy old man yelling at clouds?

SAI_Peregrinus 4y ago
He has a Youtube channel already, and not a blog. So his audience uses Youtube's subscription notifications. Most of his content (showing component-level PCB repair) works far better via video than text.
2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
> Why on earth is this a video and not a blog post. Money. You also can't in practice build a large following strictly from text blogging. Let the algorithm work with you, not against you.

gamblor956 4y ago

Wow, the level of Stockholm syndrome the author must have to think that shipping 79 pounds of equipment is somehow a reasonable way to deal with self-repair instead of just making the damn phones repairable with the tools everybody already has! I'm embarrassed for the author. Someday, he'll be embarrassed by this video too.

vldr 4y ago

This bizarre set of tools is like the cookie wall solution. Make the solution so unusable for the end user but technically/legally correct (well, not sure actually) that you "comply" while also attempting to show how ridiculous the requirement is.

roberthanry79 4y ago