Clicky

  • Login
  • Register
  • Submit Your Content
  • Contact Us
Monday, August 19, 2024
World Tribune
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food
Submit
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food
No Result
View All Result
World Tribune
No Result
View All Result

The Right to Repair movement won its biggest victories in 2023

December 27, 2023
in Technology
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
The Right to Repair movement won its biggest victories in 2023
0
SHARES
ShareShareShareShareShare

It’s been a banner year for the Right to Repair movement as supportive bills are signed into law across the US and abroad. Apple shocked the world, too, as it backed California’s bill and urged for a countrywide equivalent. In the EU, regulators mandated the use of USB-C as a standard charging socket for most small devices, and are now turning their attention toward anti-repair tactics. But, while the movement’s leaders should enjoy a glass or two of the good stuff, these victories aren’t total, despite how hard-won they were. To misquote Winston Churchill, this isn’t the beginning of the end, it’s very much the end of the beginning.

In the last year we’ve seen bills enacted in New York, Colorado, Minnesota and California. New York’s was famously watered down by late-in-the-day politicking which neutered some of its key provisions. That included protections for existing devices (instead, it kicks in for hardware made after July 1, 2023), obligations to supply individual parts rather than bundles and it now omits any coverage for enterprise-grade electronics like those used in schools and hospitals. Minnesota’s survived with more teeth, albeit with generous carve-outs to manufacturers of farm equipment, games consoles and cars.

READ ALSO

Waymo’s sixth-generation autonomous fleet has fewer sensors ‘without compromising safety’

Google apologizes over its Pixel influencer demands

The Right to Repair movement won its biggest victories in 2023
NICOLAS TUCAT via Getty Images

California’s bill which, interestingly, won Apple’s backing, kicks in next year with the company saying it’ll support its provisions countrywide. And given that support, you should expect to see this bill pushed as the model for any future federal legislation. It broadly covers consumer tech and appliances, but exempts games consoles and security equipment. Key provisions require companies to sell components under “fair and reasonable terms” to owners and third-party repair shops long after the last model leaves the factory. Devices with a wholesale price between $50 and $99.99 need to have parts, tools and repair guides available for at least three years after the last new model is made. For gear costing more than $100, the parts need to stick around for “at least seven years” regardless of individual warranty periods. Similarly, tools and documentation need to be made available on a similarly "fair and reasonable" basis. There are carve-outs, including protections on trade secrets and source code, but the bones of the bill are solid enough.

Elizabeth Chamberlain, Director of Sustainability at iFixit, told Engadget it’s “the strongest'' bill passed in the US, and one of the most comprehensive. (That’s less of a compliment given the paucity of alternative legislation also enacted.) The requirements for parts to remain available for so long after purchase ensures “people have the repair materials they need when they need them.” Not to mention enabling independent repair stores to get “original parts for a huge range of things without having to sign up for invasive and limiting manufacturer programs.” Nathan Proctor of the Public Interest Research Group, before the bill passed, said it would also end the onerous conditions Apple used in its Independent Repair Program. An Engadget investigation showed that while Apple’s IRP looked like a good idea on the surface, it was full of hidden charges and restrictive clauses. And as much as the iPhone 14 won plaudits for being far more repairable than its predecessors, it also used parts pairing — is a process of locking a part to a specific device, preventing users from swapping it out without the manufacturer’s approval. Sadly, California’s bill also does nothing to prevent parts pairing, which may explain why it won Apple’s backing in the first place.

In the last few years, the European Union has assumed the mantle as the major regulator of big tech, albeit with many critics. The bloc has now mandated a common charger, USB-C, for all mobile devices sold by the end of 2024, and all laptops by spring 2026. In November, regulators began looking at ways to encourage repairs and refurbishment over replacement for new gear. That includes people’s right to access spare parts, documentation and tools at a “reasonable cost” – even when the device is outside its warranty period. More importantly, the draft seeks to prevent manufacturers using “contractual, hardware or software technique” to block repairs which would seem to indicate parts pairing.

Anyone feeling triumphant about these wins should bear in mind the broad latitude these terms offer tech companies. Last year, Apple enabled end users to repair their own devices, but not in a way that made it easy, affordable or worthwhile. As The New York Times found out, replacing a component required flight cases full of factory-grade hardware and a hefty deposit. It’s a lot better now, but you’ll still need to pay to loan the high-end gear and shoulder the risk if any of it goes missing.

Similarly, these bills do nothing to prevent the company’s replacement-as-default strategy when you visit a store. After a bike accident this summer, the front and back glass of my iPhone 11 Pro Max was smashed, but it was otherwise functional. Sadly, my local Genius Bar told me the only thing I could do was… buy a replacement at full cost. That’s before we mention the iPhone 15 which, despite Apple’s pledges to be more repair-friendly, is still loaded with parts pairing. It means that, despite all of the sweet words about sustainability in the last few years, you can still only fix a part with Apple’s direct and explicit blessing. As Elizabeth Chamberlain said, “upselling is such a ubiquitous problem and really hard to stop,” but noted that the EU may have a fix for it. Its draft rules would “require manufacturers to offer repair first, before replacement, as long as it’s cheaper” (for the consumer).

Upton Sinclair once wrote that a person won’t grasp something if their salary relies upon them not understanding it. The tech industry’s organizing principle, after all, is to sell you a new piece of gear every few years to keep its profits high. Stretching out the life of a device is bad for their bottom line (at least in the short term) which explains much of their resistance. It’s why, as much as we can hope for better terms and more repairable devices, we must also be vigilant and not rest upon our laurels. The risk is that people get the right to repair their devices, but no way to actually exercise it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-right-to-repair-movement-won-its-biggest-victories-in-2023-143010331.html?src=rss
Credit: Source link

ShareTweetSendSharePin
Previous Post

Ja Morant taking heat in Grizzlies celebration controversy

Next Post

Zulily announces shutdown months after CEO left, citing ‘financial instability’

Related Posts

Waymo’s sixth-generation autonomous fleet has fewer sensors ‘without compromising safety’
Technology

Waymo’s sixth-generation autonomous fleet has fewer sensors ‘without compromising safety’

August 19, 2024
Google apologizes over its Pixel influencer demands
Technology

Google apologizes over its Pixel influencer demands

August 19, 2024
Dyson’s non-weird headphones and Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Technology

Dyson’s non-weird headphones and Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon

August 17, 2024
The Plucky Squire expertly transforms old ideas into something new
Technology

The Plucky Squire expertly transforms old ideas into something new

August 16, 2024
Our favorite ThermoWorks instant-read thermometer is on sale for  right now
Technology

Our favorite ThermoWorks instant-read thermometer is on sale for $79 right now

August 16, 2024
Congress asks Zuckerberg why drug dealers are advertising on Facebook and Instagram
Technology

Congress asks Zuckerberg why drug dealers are advertising on Facebook and Instagram

August 16, 2024
Next Post
Zulily announces shutdown months after CEO left, citing ‘financial instability’

Zulily announces shutdown months after CEO left, citing 'financial instability'

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What's New Here!

Mets’ contract talks with Francisco Alvarez hit roadblock

Mets’ contract talks with Francisco Alvarez hit roadblock

July 25, 2024
NASA’s Perseverance rover found a rock on Mars that could indicate ancient life

NASA’s Perseverance rover found a rock on Mars that could indicate ancient life

July 26, 2024
Meta’s Reality Labs posts .5 billion loss in second quarter

Meta’s Reality Labs posts $4.5 billion loss in second quarter

July 31, 2024
When adult kids move back home: How to cope

When adult kids move back home: How to cope

August 3, 2024
Fed rate cut: Jerome Powell is about to drop a huge hint

Fed rate cut: Jerome Powell is about to drop a huge hint

July 28, 2024
Ryan Reynolds-Blake Lively household wins at U.S. box office with top 2 films

Ryan Reynolds-Blake Lively household wins at U.S. box office with top 2 films

August 12, 2024
Netflix’s new gaming boss is a former Epic Games exec

Netflix’s new gaming boss is a former Epic Games exec

July 24, 2024

About

World Tribune is an online news portal that shares the latest news on world, business, health, tech, sports, and related topics.

Follow us

Recent Posts

  • Millennial says hiring manager asked her to change out of shorts
  • Google IPO banker tracks two-decade journey from Silicon Valley upstart to $2 trillion
  • Waymo’s sixth-generation autonomous fleet has fewer sensors ‘without compromising safety’
  • Colt McCoy retires after 14 years, joins NBC as college analyst

Newslatter

Loading
  • Submit Your Content
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • DMCA

© 2024 World Tribune - All Rights Reserved!

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food

© 2024 World Tribune - All Rights Reserved!

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In