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Comment by mensetmanusman | Hacker News Reader

Apple would be half the size it is if people could easily repair their devices. What’s good for the environment is not good for profits.

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My anecdote: I bought Dell Latitude and there are instructions how to disassemble the entire laptop on the Dell website. I did not see circuit schematics, though I'm not skilled enough to make any use of it, but it's something at least. I easily upgraded RAM and installed SSD. That was one of the factors of choosing this specific laptop for me, I wonder how many people consider it. I had terrible experience with Apple Macbook when I realized that disassembling it is extremely hard with glued battery, extremely tiny and fragile connectors, and so on. I tried to repair charger and replace a cable which ended up poorly, because charger case was glued and I broken it. I routinely perform simple repairs on a more repair-friendly devices, it's not like I'm completely clueless. So I decided not to buy that kind of computer ever again, despite the fact that I prefer macOS to Windows or Linux.

But then you have to have a laptop that looks and feels and works like a Dell Latitude.

That fixability has a cost in ugliness and weight and usability.

No thanks.

I wonder what the closest comparison of weight for a repairable vs unpreparable laptop would be - a Latitude 5320 is lighter than a 13" MBP but that's largely due to plastic vs aluminum. Maybe the 2015 to 2016 13" MBP is a good comparison at .5 Lbs difference?

That's not really true. Using screws instead of glue and adding 1mm and 50g to the laptop isn't the same as becoming a Dell Latitude.

Dell Latitudes look like what they look like mostly for cost and durability reasons, not repairability.

The no thanks attitude might be at odds with a healthier environment. It’s like the tragedy of the commons.

Making components user replaceable rather than soldered in requires more connectors so more waste.

Shops in China can replace iPhone components with soldering using the proper equipment.

Great! So what’s the problem?

Probably the fact that Apple arrests the people building/distributing these machines without punity.

Apple doesn’t allow or release parts.

So go to Apple or an authorised servicer to get it repaired?

Apple has made it illegal to obtain parts, people doing this have obtained the parts from other people who are breaking the law/contracts they signed.

Apple also uses software to disable replacing parts.

Apple, nor any other tech company, doesn't have the power to make something illegal and they don't artificially disable parts. They disable portions of the device that rely on those parts for integrity or security reasons. Stop lying.

I recommend you open any internet browser, go to the search bar, and type "lobbying". Even better, search for "apple lobbying" and you might find extensive examples of apple influencing policymakers for their own benefit. You seem to have repeatedly missed the point in this thread.

This is absurd. That is absolutely tiny connector which produces negligible amount of waste and could easily save the entire device from being dumped in trash.

Why would you dump the device in the trash? That's a bizarre thing to do with valuable components.

Take it to Apple or an authorised repairer, or have it recycled.

Many components are disabled from reuse with software.

Apple refurbishes or recycles those components for you.

They do so with such large profit margins it turns consumers towards new devices. Apple prevents third parties from doing so.

There is a broad spectrum between a fully modular fat and ugly laptop and a glued shut light and shiny one. Also right to repair is not only about how trivial a repair steps should be, but how easy it is to get spare parts and schematics to do proper repairs at all.

I'd like to see evidence supporting that.

The reason _I_ buy apple products is because they actually fix my machine when I bring it in for repair and don't do what HP, Dell and ASUS used to do which is hide behind: "please resend", "works for us", "we've had it for 18 weeks and now the warranty period is over" stuff.

I use apple mainly now, but my dell repair experiences were fantastic. They always sent a tech to me to do the repair. Support was always my #1 reason for choosing dell.

I've had good luck getting them done on-site in the business context, but otherwise they required shipping it or simply recommended Geek Squad since I live in a far-out suburb.

They also seem to be surprisingly long lived, every Macbook and iMac I've purchased in the last decade is still in use somewhere in my extended family. One or two have had batteries replaced by Apple, and one has had a new keyboard but they're all still chugging along.

So what?

Apple profits are not good for society as a whole. I don't see why we should optimize for Apple's profits.

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