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back in the 1980s companies realized that by selling direct to consumer spare parts and giving manuals would increase their profits in the 2000s apple realized

back in the 1980s companies realized that by selling direct to consumer spare parts and giving manuals would increase their profits in the 2000s apple realized that by disabling ANY repairability by anyone, even sometimes apple, they can increase their profits by forcing customers to just buy brand new full priced hardware with no other options. In the 80s most electronics were not computer controlled, so changing a capacitor or mechanical part could not really be stopped. Today since software is such a critical aspect, they can deny repairs via software and anti-tampering tech.

teawrecks 4y ago
Which I think we can all agree is fundamentally anti-consumer, and we should unify in a decision to discourage that behavior. Personally, I don't think market pressure by responsible consumers is enough. Especially in a world where tech moves so fast and you don't get much choice in what device or service you use, it just has to be compatible with what someone else is already using. Therefore I think the only real solution is for us to agree on government regulation. Now if only we had our govt's ears as tightly as these same corporations have their purse strings...
dnissley 4y ago
> in the 2000s apple realized that by disabling ANY repairability by anyone, even sometimes apple, they can increase their profits by forcing customers to just buy brand new full priced hardware with no other options What was the lock in mechanism? Why didn't people just switch to windows?
- lotsofpulp 4y ago
  The amortized cost of the Apple device is less than the alternatives. “Forced”.
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    And the device’s value after 3y or whatever is pretty good because they have lots of parts to harvest for resale. Source: have recouped 60-70% of my MacBook Air upgrade costs by parting out my old unit (not accounting for my time/expertise in taking it apart).
- Bloating 4y ago
  > What was the lock in mechanism? being a hipster
- vikramkr 4y ago
  Repairability isn't the only factor that goes into a purchase decision
  - SoftTalker 4y ago
    Many did. Apple used to own audio and video production. A lot of studios use Windows now.

teawrecks 4y ago

Which I think we can all agree is fundamentally anti-consumer, and we should unify in a decision to discourage that behavior. Personally, I don't think market pressure by responsible consumers is enough. Especially in a world where tech moves so fast and you don't get much choice in what device or service you use, it just has to be compatible with what someone else is already using. Therefore I think the only real solution is for us to agree on government regulation. Now if only we had our govt's ears as tightly as these same corporations have their purse strings...

dnissley 4y ago

> in the 2000s apple realized that by disabling ANY repairability by anyone, even sometimes apple, they can increase their profits by forcing customers to just buy brand new full priced hardware with no other options What was the lock in mechanism? Why didn't people just switch to windows?

lotsofpulp 4y ago
The amortized cost of the Apple device is less than the alternatives. “Forced”.
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  And the device’s value after 3y or whatever is pretty good because they have lots of parts to harvest for resale. Source: have recouped 60-70% of my MacBook Air upgrade costs by parting out my old unit (not accounting for my time/expertise in taking it apart).
Bloating 4y ago
> What was the lock in mechanism? being a hipster
vikramkr 4y ago
Repairability isn't the only factor that goes into a purchase decision
- SoftTalker 4y ago
  Many did. Apple used to own audio and video production. A lot of studios use Windows now.