We have a right to repair!

This week Adam went solo — talking to Kyle Wiens, Founder and CEO at iFixit, about all things Right to Repair. They discussed the latest win here in the US with Oregon passing an electronics Right to Repair law to allow owners the right to get their stuff fixed anywhere as well as limit the anti-repair practices of parts pairing. They also discussed the history of the DMCA, the challenges posed by Section 1201, the challenges of recycling products with glued-in batteries, the need for producer responsibility, the future of repairability, repair scoring systems to inform consumers, and so much more. Did you know that iFixit funds its advocacy work through the sale of its tools and parts? So cool.

Discussion

2024-03-17T17:48:05Z ago

Great episode. The air pods battery expiry and garbage truck fires issues were new to me, which was devastating in combination with my very recent listening to the “Behind the Bastards” podcast episodes on Steve Jobs.

Luckily, my dabbling with Apple gear during lockdown was ironically eased by iFixit kits and videos letting me fully load the RAM and SSD on my Mac mini purchase during lockdown, without just giving Apple free money. So a huge thanks to Kyle! As a software developer, I’ve deliberately switched between Androids and IOS over the years, just to see what is going on, and my current 2019 iPhone Max 11 will probably be my last Apple purchase.

I realise that unregulated capitalism encourages all tech companies to behave badly, which is why I think we need to strongly support legislation which ensures our right to repair, upgrade, modify, and recycle our own property.

2024-03-22T20:41:45Z ago

Such an important episode, thanks!