The movement for the right to repair continues to gain momentum. Microsoft and iFixit have announced a new partnership that make it easier for independent technical services to repair Microsoft Surface devices.
The agreement provides that independent iFixit Pro repairers, Microsoft authorized service providers, their experience centers, and their business customers can purchase Microsoft service tools for Surface devices directly from iFixit.com.
Expanding the range of tools available to independent repairers will help reduce the number of Surface devices that fall into the trash after damage or other problems. And is that one of the big problems that hardware technicians face is the lack of OEM tools and they are needed when manufacturers use proprietary or proprietary technology in their manufacturing process, making device repair difficult.
The first tools that Microsoft will provide are those destined to separate the frame from the screen (and those stickers); battery cover and screen removal. In addition to promising more tools in the future, even more important is the Microsoft’s commitment to the right to repair, when until now it had been placed against it, supporting the strategy led by other technology companies such as Apple.
Precisely, Apple, took a 180 degree turn in this matter by recently announcing a program that will provide spare parts, tools and manuals to users who want them for iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and Mac with ARM chips. It will start next year in the United States and will expand to other regions. A turnaround that we applaud.
The right to repair
Microsoft has now taken a similar step forward. And it is the right way. There is great pressure from consumers, independent repairers and governments, to promote this right that incomprehensibly cannot be exercised. Consumers don’t want to have to throw away their expensive hardware because something basic breaks. Too often the repair will cost more than buying the new one due to restrictive manufacturing, lack of access to proper tools, and difficulty in obtaining parts.
The European Union has established an ambitious Plan to move towards the ‘right to repair’, which will force manufacturers to create products that last longer and can be easily recycled or repaired. The objective is clear in the face of an already unsustainable situation:
“The linear growth model of ‘take, make, use and discard’ has reached its limits. With the growth of world population and consumption, this linear model pushes us closer and closer to a resource crisis. The only way forward is to decouple economic growth from the extraction of primary resources and their environmental impacts »
The new law will prescribe eco-friendly design for laptops, phones and tablets and will establish certain technical standards regarding repairable and replaceable parts. Generally speaking, the standard wants to restrict single-use products, address “premature obsolescence” (when not planned) and ban the destruction of unsold durable goods, so that sustainable products become the norm.
In the United States, Biden is also committed to promoting this movement and has ordered the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to draft policies that promote the so-called ‘right to repair’, giving consumers greater freedom to repair their devices themselves. electronics or in repair shops independent of those of the manufacturers.
Steps in the right direction that not only benefit consumers and independent repairers. Our planet will appreciate reducing the very serious problem of electronic waste.
