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April 22, Earth Day

Mark Phillips Events April 22, 2022 Leave a reply

Copper mine superimposed on London

Today is Earth Day. But it is not just one day.

Our desire electronic for electronics is literally eating the earth. The weight of material extracted and processed is often hundreds of times greater than the finished product. Much of it ends up as toxic waste, further damaging the planet.

Zeke Magazine Spring Issue features stories on environmental issues from around the world, including ‘Unbroken:Repair is Essential”.

For Earth Day 2022, we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet.

We can all do something positive, keep our devices for longer, or get them repaired, or give them a second life through reuse, or simply donate them to charities to provide to others. Just keeping your device for one more year can have a significant positive impact.

Today is Earth Day. But it is not just one day. It is a day to change, for the good.

Getting in to your device, to repair it

Mark Phillips News, Opinion April 20, 2022 Leave a reply

Breaking into some devices often requires specialist tools

“Sometimes, when you want to repair something, it almost falls apart, and sometimes it is impossible to open it without destroying it. … And once you have it all apart, it can be quite tricky to reassemble everything because you forgot how everything fits together.” This short article by Stefan in Medium explains How to take things apart without breaking it too much. There are some useful tips in this article.

Understanding how to get into your device is often the first step to repair. You might simply need to clean it or or change the battery or replace a component.

For more information on ‘teardowns’ check out the iFixit website. And for those interested, a list of all the different types of screw drives used by manufacturers … (there are a lot): screw drives

If you are interested in repair, a useful way to learn (without destroying your precious devices) is to practice on old devices that are deemed beyond economic repair. Most repair technicians and students learn this way. Taking things apart and then (trying) to put them back together. Those skills once learned are with you forever, so do not look upon it as wasted time.

For more information and help about repair, check out the Resources page, with links to self-repair, community repair and more.

Self-repair and the Right to Repair

Mark Phillips News April 18, 2022 Leave a reply

Despite the recent claims made, most products are still made with deliberate ‘anti-repair’ designs.

Two phones – one uses 8 simple Phillips screws. The other 2 security screws, 55 Phillips screws in 6 different sizes, a glued screen and glue strips to hold the battery.

Apart from the security screws and fixings, and glued in parts, there are other challenges. First, is access to affordable parts. Software and serialised components can cause the replacement part to not be recognised by the device and will not work. Or may have some features disabled.

Then there is the challenge of how comprehensive the self-repair program is. Apple’s repair program has only been launched, and only in the US. Samsung’s program is currently limited to a few models (Galaxy S20, S21 and Tab S7 devices).

There is a danger that such programs simply buy manufacturers more time. Then continue their current practices and defer the adoption of real right to repair. It is good news that manufacturers are, at last, collaborating with repair experts at iFixit. But advocates for repair are not yet out of a job.

So, whilst, the proposed moves are a step in the right direction, it’s a small step. Without continued pressure little real progress will be made.

Progress on Repair

Mark Phillips News April 9, 2022 Leave a reply

Two bits of encouraging news about repair and our rights appeared in the last couple of days.

First: In the European Parliament MEPs want more durable and more easily repairable products. On Thursday 7 April, Parliament adopted its demands for an upcoming European Commission proposal on the right to repair planned for later in 2022, with 509 votes in favour, 3 against and 13 abstentions.

Second: iFixit and Google are Launching a Genuine Pixel Parts Program. Google is the latest manufacturer to partner with DIY repair specialists iFixit to offer spare parts for its devices. It should make it far easier for customers to get parts to repair their own Pixel smartphone if it breaks. Parts like batteries, displays, and cameras will be available to purchase in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and other European countries. Google says that parts will be available to purchase “later this year”.

Whilst these are both encouraging, there is still a long way to go before we have meaningful rights to repair and manufacturers embrace repairability.

Self-repair programs are not a real right to repair victory. It doesn’t guarantee you will be able to fix your phone.

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