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posted by janrinok on Monday January 29 2018, @02:35AM   Printer-friendly
from the and-so-it-begins dept.

A number of states are considering right to repair bills, legislation which if passed would make it easier for individuals and repair shops to replace or repair electronics parts. Repair.org reports that 17 states have already introduced bills this year and while most aim to make repair parts and manuals accessible, Washington's proposed legislation would straight up ban electronics that prevent easy repair. "Original manufacturers of digital electronic products sold on or after January 1, 2019, in Washington state are prohibited from designing or manufacturing digital electronic products in such a way as to prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider," says the bill. "Preventing reasonable diagnostic or repair functions includes permanently affixing a battery in a manner that makes it difficult or impossible to remove."

[...] Naturally, tech groups have jumped to make their opposition clear. In a letter to Morris, groups such as the Consumer Technology Association, the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Computer Technology Industry Association said the bill was "unwarranted" and added, "With access to technical information, criminals can more easily circumvent security protections, harming not only the product owner but also everyone who shares their network."

Source: Engadget


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by looorg on Monday January 29 2018, @06:38AM (4 children)

    by looorg (578) on Monday January 29 2018, @06:38AM (#629727)

    So Washington State, home to Microsoft; Amazon and Boeing and a few others, are going to be like Amish country soon then cause I seriously doubt manufacturers are about to change the way they make electronics these days so that you can repair them at home. A lot of items that was previously mechanical in nature and usually then fixable -- you replaced one defective component and the machine usually ran again -- are not the same as modern electronics, unless you have soldering skills with robotic precision otherwise you replace large boxes filled with various systems (even if only one of them broke). Sure it's both "repairing" but not really in the same spirit. Sure I could repair my phone if by repair they mean replace the entire motherboard (or whatever they are called for phones) with all the components and then be done even tho there was perhaps just one component that was broken. That isn't really repairing in my mind. But then perhaps we just have slightly different ideas about what entails repairing.

    I talked to my Dad about it some time ago, he spend part of his life repairing cars and is basically now of the idea that you don't really repair cars anymore unless its an obvious mechanical issue instead when something breaks you hook it up to a diagnostics machine that just tells you which box you should replace. You order said box, take out the old, insert new and then done. In essence you have now probably repairs many times the amount of systems compared to the one that was actually broken. This is then in comparison to his old cars that he still repairs such as his Ford Thunderbird -- he can repair more or less everything in that, and only repairing what actually breaks. But then the amount of electronics and computers in it are quite slim to none.

    prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider

    What is reasonable again? If companies that make them no longer even repair them but instead of just swap them then what is reasonable? Having things repairable might just go against current miniaturization trends. It's not that I would mind, its was easier when the phone fit in the hand instead of just becoming smaller and smaller but then I guess now that trend has reversed on its own since you want more and more screen area.

    Preventing reasonable diagnostic or repair functions includes permanently affixing a battery in a manner that makes it difficult or impossible to remove.

    So they are not allowed to brick devices by filling them with epoxy of some kind any more. Question becomes then how many and which components are required to have this "easy" switch and swap mechanics? Battery seems to be one. I guess they'll just plan obsolescence around that then and make it so that the thing that holds the battery can only survive one or two swaps before that breaks to and have to be replaced and that sucker is just soldered one right next to the cpu or some battery of components making it hell on earth to replace.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by frojack on Monday January 29 2018, @07:14AM (1 child)

    by frojack (1554) on Monday January 29 2018, @07:14AM (#629735) Journal

    People need to replace screens, batteries, and maybe a push button or some such.
    Beyond that it is board level subcomponent replacement as you explain.

    And once the cost of parts exceeds the purchase price of a new phone nobody is going to buy those parts except hobbyists.
    Not sure the right to repair should be expanded to mean perpetual support to hobbyists.

    --
    No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 29 2018, @08:37AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 29 2018, @08:37AM (#629746)

      And why not? You say yourself that once the cost of parts start exceeding the cost of a new replacement people will just buy the replacement. Meaning this won't change anything in the long run except help an extra segment of the population for anything over a certain degree of repair. But everyone else would benefit from the lesser repairs that would be required to be made user-possible.

  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 29 2018, @09:44AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 29 2018, @09:44AM (#629757)

    Firstly, fuck the miniaturization trends.

    Secondly, why the hell are you so mad when there are still plenty of stuff you can repair? Are you an Apple representive?

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 29 2018, @04:35PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 29 2018, @04:35PM (#629861)

    I live in Washington. I read this news as meaning I’ll soon have to drive to Canada to buy an iPhone.
    Washington’s government is totalitarian in the sense that it tries to pervade and regulate every facet of life: the state leaves nothing beyond its power. I can’t wait to find a job back in America.