The normal neoliberal solution is to wait for a new company with a new design to meet the demand for repairable, open devices. This is already happening, and I

The normal neoliberal solution is to wait for a new company with a new design to meet the demand for repairable, open devices. This is already happening, and I am convinced will eventually replace ALL proprietary blobs and silicon. This is especially true as the barriers-to-entry keep lowering. The only way this won't happen is if government and the tightly coupled industrial interests prevent it by fiat. This is more likely than you think, since control of these devices is far, far more important than most people realize. Smartphones are crucial for the tracking and control of both large populations and also problematic individuals. In theory they could lead to perfect law-enforcement, which should terrify everyone. Letting the space open up is to give up central authority's invaluable tactical and strategic advantage over distributed authority.