Born poor shopped at Salvation army or Kmart all my life, repaired clothing learned to sow and iron patches, with the toss-buy new all the time economy, buying used barely old stuff is how I keep up. I wait a good 2-4yrs after something comes out and then buy the overstock or someone already tossing their perfectly good used items at 1/2-1/10 the original marketed price. I've a degree schooling in computer IT and electronics but the hassle and I my skill makes taking the time to repair something anyway a hassle. For my cat to have a 24/7 4cats nature vids playing I will fix up a dirt cheap notebook fix sound jack or made a franken monster of a working screen onto a working HDD keyboard for a ACER. My cats attack the birds and mice/fish breaking 2 already over 4-5yrs for only $50 spent.☺
While I agree that repairability can be immensely boosted by a cultural shift, I don't understand why these companies that are making such efforts don't sell to a market that is virtually untapped and hungry for such products. iFixit, Framework are missing out on a HUGE market by not selling to the entire continent of ASIA. The culture already exists there, but these companies aren't selling and the market has been captured by other brands that are aggressive with making their products available to the customers in there. Despite that, there's still a huge demand for repairable and customizable products in Asia because most people want to squeeze the most out of everything they use. It's like they don't even know this part of the world exists.
None of these reasons are even a tiny bit valid. As a customer, i do not and should not care how and why you can't produce a device with user replaceable battery in this year while you could 10 years ago. I have no obligation to be understanding and accommodating, i want my repairable device now and i will shame, mock and recommend everyone against any company as long as they do not produce it.
A vintage Thinkpad was designed by IBM, a company that at the time was still very focused on big metal; then they sold the laptop business to Lenovo, a Chinese company. Even then my Yoga 2 Pro, possibly the ugliest laptop in a 20 mile radius, still keeps chugging... But like myself it's a little creakier than ten years ago.
Oh yeah, my trustworthy x220t from 2011 still serves me loyally and I thanks to my cat's and my own clumsyness it saw quite a few repairs. But still running smoothly for everything but games
Electronics engineer here. I'm really grateful to be working for a company that mostly works for other companies and not consumers. Companies tend to not want to replace equipment they just got last year, so my design goals are durability-durability and durability. If it cant last at least 5 years (usually we aim for 10+) with no repairs in a hot or freezing environment, it doesn't pass mustard. Its nice designing something with no planned obsolescence.
I’m not here to make enemies, but the term you’re looking for is “muster,” it’s a military term, for when you gather in formation and receive an inspection
@@kaielwyn On no, thank you for the the correction. I'm not a native English speaker and while i do get by, i have holes in my vocabulary. I always assumed it came from cooking, as in someone fucked up making mustard in a professional kitchen.
Personally, I like the phrase "doesn't pass mustard" better. There are way more people that use mustard than have been to military boot camp, so I vote we change it.
@@Waldohasaskit210 To me it feels like it could be a cross between "doesn't pass muster" and "doesn't cut the mustard", which mean pmuch the same thing in this context anyways so it makes sense to mix them like that to my mind ^^
In the engineering slots I occupied, over and over and over I had conversations that went: accounting: "you over-design things, it costs too much" me: "my shit doesn't break. Kindly compare and contrast with my peers." accounting: "grumble" But as you say, I don't think I ever worked for a consumer products company, arguably. Laser engraving machines, maybe. So that's one out of 25 or 30 jobs I've had.
I bought a Framework laptop just because it was repairable, three to four years ago. I bought the low end board and maxed the RAM. It does everything that I want it to. I went back to their website recently and noticed that they have cases so you can continue to use old motherboards when you upgrade.
I tried to buy one a month ago but couldn't pay it. They refused my card and had no other options that work outside the Netherlands. Ended up with tuxedo due to linux support must have. Hopefully they have fixed these issues in a few years when I need a new one (tuxedo at least offers spare parts if not upgrades)
I've had my Intel i7 FW coming up on 3 years in Feb. I bought the bare metal version and installed Linux. I added my own 2tb nvme SSD and 64gb of RAM. I love the repairability and upgradeability of it.. I have no reason to upgrade CPU at this time, but it's nice to know I can upgrade/everything inside the case including the case if I want to.. I have a M1 MacBook Air as well. Sure, it feels higher quality in looks and tactile feel, but when something bigger breaks, it's going to be a good looking, expensive paperweight. It's the sleek exotic sports car to the Framework truck that can be kept alive indefinitely and upgraded to remain relevant.
@@telcobilly I basically did the same thing, bare bones, 64gb ram, 2tb drive, and Linux. I picked up the i5 though and I do not see a need to upgrade either.
I was impressed when I visited Japan how good the secondary market was for, well, most anything. Culturally there is value placed on items and they don't become useless as they get old. It made it more clear to me than ever the disposable culture of the US. I did not see it well until I visited somewhere that was different.
I see what you mean but I have a bit of a differing opinion, Japan has a good secondary market for things because they are looked after not because people value older things with the exception of tradition ("the physical world is scared and worthy of respect, anything that fills you with wonder or awe can be a kami" idk who I'm quoting). Items that are well looked after and lack sentimental value end up on the secondary market they are sold because I believe in Japanese culture people prefer newer objects, because the items are taken care of by the majority of people they can't charge as much for them compared to the west due to an abundance of good second hand items. Shinto beliefs about rebirth and renewal are part of this the Ise Jingu grand shrine is torn down and rebuilt every 20 years, If I was to build a watch smash it throw it away and have it rebirthed as I build a new one I wouldn't call that valuing the original item but someone might.
The housing market is the direct opposite. In most parts of the world, you’ll be able to sell your old house for more than you paid for it. Not so in Japan: People view old homes as “used” and outdated, so values drop over time, until they’re torn down and new ones are built in their place. There are complex cultural and historic issues involved (the frequency of earthquakes is part of it), but older houses are very much looked down on.
They don't become useless as they get old? In Japan? They have a whole concept of perfectly good stuff that nobody wants - 'gomi'. Perhaps it depends on which class you're hanging out with.
Because new technology in Japan is often more expensive than the US, at least before covid it was. So more people bought used and older tech. With cars, generally Japan has a more robust used car market, probably because fewer people need to drive and people aren't as hard on their cars as people in the US. So the market has more supply than demand The US does have a robust market for used goods too, antique shops are everywhere and so are thrift stores. But alot of the tech gets recycled or bought by collectors.
One of my biggest gripes is with headphones. Whenever they break, it's just some solder coming off, an extremely easy repair. But since these things are made of rigid plastic, no (outside) screws, this means that taking it apart equals breaking it up. I hate those plastic shells.
Agreed. Modern headphones are built like crap, unlike the old Koss and David Clark variety. I literally am in the process of replacing the ear pads and headband cushions on two different headphones that decided to self destruct at the same time. Luckily you can get replacement ear pads for a lot of headphones, but nobody offers replacement parts for the headband. Unless you are the lucky owner of the famous Sony 7506s, which you can actually get all the replacement parts for, and install them yourself. Bravo to Sony! Of course that product is aimed at working pros who like things to...work. I just got back from JOANN fabrics with some material to cover my two flaking headphones. "Pleather" is the lying word they created for "fake leather that falls apart." BTW I listened to this video with my daily drivers, a pair of Mario Bellini-designed Yamahas. Bought them about 40 years ago and they still sound good. The leather headband deteriorated about 10 years ago, so I removed it and wrapped some tape around the cross piece. Works fine. Next, I gotta try out those 45-year-old Stax that I haven't used in a while. They were made of metal and leather. Haven't fallen apart. They were the cheapest Stax then, the new "cheap" Stax ($500) are plastic. Will they be around in 5 years? Headphones should last a LONG time. Stax had almost perfect sound way back when because of their electrostatic design, which has stood the test of time. And the Yamahas are the more affordable alternatives. My desk came from Design Research in the late 1970s, along with the Aalto stool I am sitting on. Design junkie here, can ya tell? Just replaced my 14-year-old iMac with a "too-thin" iMac M3. Gorgeous screen...too bad Apple will "obsolete" this in 5 years. I think that kind of thinking is obsolete. What is so "woke" or "progressive" about designing stuff to go straight into a landfill so shareholders can be pleased? Nothing. Disposability is past its "sell-by" date. My longest-lasting product: a pair of bright orange Fiskars I bought 50 years ago, and still work great. I don't baby them either. Could they last 100 years? The trick is to care about what you buy, but not about what anybody else thinks about your choices. You decide for you. Better to have fewer, but better things. My 2 cents.
Let me introduce you to Grado. A company that makes 200$+ headphones that have worse build quality than 0.99$ gas station earbuds. Low quality non-replaceable cables that will break in 4 different locations. Plus they are so heavy that they will eventually break the SOLDER connections on the driver board all by themselves. Worse part is if you live anywhere that's not in the U.S.A. it'll take 6 months+ to get them repaired and shipped back to you (if they even bother to honour your warranty).
For this very reason, the Sennheiser HD25 is one of the timeless gems of headphone design, in my opinion. Super simple design, fully modular, so you don't need anything except for a screwdriver to take it apart, every single element is replaceable, and most importantly, it is made from flexible plastic, so it is nearly impossible to break. Even when operating fully wasted - which is probably why it has been a DJ's favourite for 30+ years now lol
I have a Framework, and the difference is immediately visible. It feels surprisingly solid, but not absolutely perfect next to my Macbook. Those spacers next to the trackpad aren't perfectly flush, even after reseating a few times. The switches for the mic/webcam are both hard to move and lose-feeling at the same time. The keyboard feels fine, but squishy next to the Mac. While the dimensions are similar on paper, it feels bulkier and definitely heavier. But I have a number pad, one of the light-up ones. The trackpad is centered under the keyboard (so, it's weirdly to the left, which feels great but I can't imagine a designer would ever put it there). It has exactly the ports I want, and none I don't. And those switches do actually completely disable the mic and camera -- the OS sees it as the camera being a USB device that gets unplugged when I flip that switch. It arrived with some assembly required (they included the screwdriver needed!). But it has a little credits list printed inside the case of the people who built it, and there are tons of instructions, QR codes, and "This battery is replaceable!" notices printed on components inside the device! So the look and feel really do emphasize repairability and customizability in a way that's as obvious as Apple products are about sleekness.
I wouldn't have a Framework device myself but I love the design philosophy; right to repair, modular components etc. Very commendable. Older electrical devices often used to come with a little schematic inside if you did happen to disassemble them (or your favourite Mr Fixit tech did) or indeed a Service Manual bundled in, or at least very easy to get from the manufacturer. I think this was all in the name of getting the maximum amount of use from your purchase, less waste. It amazes me that in this day and age when carbon footprints and green living are apparently all the rage, we're in an era of some of the most user hostile company practices including eschewing right to repair. You can eat all the kale you want but it doesn't change that, does it? 😂
Honestly, I don't get the obsession so many people have with ultra slim designs and much prefer devices that actually fit in my hand to something that feels like a pane of glass with rounded edges... And to that end, while I was annoyed when my phone company forced me to replace my ~8 year old flip phone that was working just fine because they were dropping support for 3G devices, I was quite pleased the flip phone I have now is decently hefty, probably the best phone from an ergonomics stand point this side of cordless lan lines of the 90s.
I completely agree with you on this one. I own a 12 year old Panasonic Toughbook for a reason. Those old timers were right about stuff not being made like it used to be.
I might be confused about terminology due to the fact old fashioned telephones were part of a household/businesss/etc.'s local area network back in the days of dial-up and how often cable, internet, and phone service was bundled from the same company in the days before Internet streaming took over from cable television and people stopped having non-mobile phones.
25:27 Ah, so per usual over the last 20 years or so, Europe is able to create laws that affect US companies, while here in the US we continue to backslide into dystopia. Wonderful.
European corporations (BMW for one here in Spartanburg county, SC... Greer i think is the town the factory is in) don't have any qualms benefitting from America's semi-feudalistic labor laws though. I guess it's better in europe because the people insisted?
So Americans get all the benefits of the European regulations, without the European regulations that have kept Europe's economy shrinking as a % of world GDP since the 50s.
At 15:00, I flew into a rage and starting typing up an essay about why camera lenses are wildly different to computer components - then remembered what channel I'm watching and continued with the video. You addressed all my objections and more, and added a bunch of context specifically from your industrial design experience. Your content is just too damn good, I can't even...
I think it’s just a good idea in general to listen to someone’s position in full before trying to argue against them, at least in the sake of fairness if you want them to listen to yours, regardless of who the speaker is
Sure, society is partially responsible. But a company giving their low end devices only two years of security updates while also locking down their firmware to make 3rd party support impossible... That is 100% corporate greed and needs to be regulated out of existence immediately.
I have been using phones with old OS for years without being hacked. Old features phones don't get OS updates but they lasts forever. Most of the time OS updates either brick or slow a phone down anyway.
It's also ARM architecture not being as backwards compatible as x86. At one point vendors have to suport a large numbers of incompatible versions of chips and they just drop support
I have been a professional electronics engineer for 25 years. I can tell you that technically it's absolutely NOT difficult to make a product repairable. Also not from a bigger company point of view. There are some very few exceptions, but I wouldn't count most consumer products for this. That being said, you have to keep in mind that doesn't mean all repairs will be easy to do and will require skilled people. Btw being obsessed by new stuff is mostly engrained in western culture and is something companies like to abuse big time. There are plenty of cultures out there where this isn't a thing at all. There are also plenty of healthy growing companies out there that don't focus on these things and where products are (relatively) easy to repair.
I mostly agree with this; it's sad how companies like modern Apple have resorted to using strong adhesive and other practices like riveting laptop keyboards in for mass production, adding lots to the difficulty curve of repairing devices. Then when they were forced to comply with Right To Repair, they did it in the most user hostile style that they could legally get away with, to the point where it's still barely worth it for a skilled third-party technician to source parts direct from Apple and go through all the hardware pairing hoops, so essentially Apple have maintained unrepairability through loophole abuse. The "advantage" of having a highly paid legal team I suppose.
yup, in my job service, repair, low cost, reliability, etc. are at the core of what we do and we are cost competitive in our market as well. It's far easier and more affordable to build things to last and be fixable in many cases. and it builds customer loyalty and trust. I love my job.
I tried doing a masters design project on exactly this topic. I felt so hopeless that I physically fell ill and burned out and had to quit the program. The points you raise are spot on. The realisation that most people do not care about this stuff (as much as they think) was heartbreaking. I still feel there is scope to aid designers in decision making within their CAD programs… so might revisit this… wish me luck lol
The other company in computing, other than Framework, people should be looking at is: Fairphone. They seem to be miles ahead of Framework (they started much earlier).
There is a good reason why people don't care about this stuff, electronics generally get cheaper and better overtime. The reason why some tech types (like cameras) are more repairable than others is an inherent feature of how that technology works and evolves. A phone lasting more than 5 years is over engineered, period. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have the right to repair it, but it also means that the company shouldn't go out of their way to make it repairable. Sacrificing features most people care about to appease a small segment of consumers is illogical.
With very few exceptions all of my tech products have lasted longer than I would want to use them. I used a Galaxy S3 until 2019 when I replaced it with an S9. All my old laptops still work. As someone here has already pointed out the right to repair crowd is a tiny tiny minority and even most of them dont buy products that match their stated views. The market has already provided either way. Buy a framework laptop
@@loukasfrantzolas6494 "A phone lasting more than 5 years is over engineered, period. " Stupid opinion. There is no reason for a phone to stop working. Battery wears out, change the battery.
@@aluisious Most people change their phones way before that. Go ahead and see how much an 8 gb ram, 256 ssd phone used to cost back in 2019, and you'll see the reason for this. The average replacement cycle is around 2.6 years for smartphones.
Yeah, he’s the angry man behind this one. While that’s okay when an important aspect of our lives is being ignored, I think we need to move past that to implementation, and so we need more level-headed advocates.
OMG, you hit the nail on the head! I've been working for big corporations for almost 2 decades. Bureaucracies and incentives, or lack thereof, are the main reason we can't have nice things. Something seemingly super trivial can be a nightmare to implement, not because of technologies, but because of regulations, politics, etc. You don't get credit for making invisible improvements to products. You get credits for delivering new products and fancy features. Designers, engineers, and management are not necessarily bad people. They just respond to the incentives.
Hi John- I just wanted to say that I think you are doing such incredible work with these videos. It seems like I can hear the same 2 takes on every topic from every source and then I watch one of your videos and you address the basic arguments, and then expand the perspective on these really complicated and nuanced issues. It is such amazing work and I think you should be proud. I hope your channel continues to grow into the new year! Keep up the great work!
Listen, if someone didn't like me because of the phone I use, then they aren't the one for me. The only things I do with my phone: 1: Phone calls (rare) 2: Text messages (semi-rare) 3: Watching TH-cam videos on break at work (common) 4: Taking photos of things (rare) 5: Taking photos of people (extremely rare if not non-existent) 6: Taking notes (rare) I don't need the all new top-of-the-line smartphone. I just need a phone that works for what I need, and isn't slow and unresponsive.
Same. I have a 5 year old Samsung Galaxy that I mostly use as an e-book reader, a notepad, a web browser and occasionally for making calls. I actually managed to completely break the display by slamming it in my car door (oops), but instead of throwing the entire phone out, I decided to get an aftermarket display installed and keep using it. I genuinely don't NEED a new phone. The biggest issue I've been running into is forced obsolescence bullshit, where certain apps that worked fine before suddenly refuse to work because the devs decided they're no longer supporting my version of Android and I can't update because newer versions of Android don't support my phone.
They hate you because you don't spend tons of money for a phone like them. You know that in today's world, spending money for useless stuff is considered as being rich?
Title: "It's Not Corporate Greed." #1 on list of reasons: "Corporate Greed." (0:33) That there are also other reasons doesn't mean that's not the main reason. It is.
You are absolutely right, he's full of crap. His reasons are just excuses. "The company didn't plan for it to be repairable, so they can't change it now, is too late", yeah then why not plan for repairable from the start? Or "would need more lawyers", absolutely trash, if they cared would make it happen. It's not worth watching the rest of this video, he likely lead with his best...
I don't understand the timestamp. It says the hardware is sold at a loss so it would make more sense for them to be repairable. That's the exact opposite...
@amazinggrapes3045 that reasoning doesn't, but they just want it to be cheap. Designing something to be repairable and stocking repair parts costs more.
Hey, here is a short story about how this channel influenced my life. about two years ago i was working as a mechanical engineer wich was okay but i wasn't happy, because i didn't feel any passion in this job. Then i stumbled along one of your videos and thougt: Hey, Industrial design sounds interesting. So i digged deeep in to your channel and watched every video. two years later i switched country from swizzerland to germany to study industrial design in the town and university of my dreams. i am 3months in by now and i just know that it is the perfect thing for me and my future career I cant describe how happy and grateful i am to be able to say that. because i know what it means to be unsure and insecure about my own future, i had that problem for the two years, before i found out about your channel. Your passion was the sign to the door of my career as an designer and it really is that way. Thank you very much for that. i am 3months into my studying by now and i just know that it is the perfect thing for me and my life.
are you studying for a Bachelor degree? i'm asking because there are also some schools for this that offer a 2 year program, named "Berufskolleg für Produkt-Design" (at least in a south-west town in Germany where i live), but this seems to be, somewhat, only preparatory for the next step, for example „Industrial-Design“ as "Studiengang" at a university.
I think it's awesome that you can now approach industrial design from a mechanical engineering perspective though! Mechanical engineering might not have been the right fit for you, but it makes you an even more valuable designer because you can understand the mechanical needs of the product while designing it so the design is not impractical.
I'm planning to study mechanical engineering next year, but if I had to choose an second option I would choose industrial design, and it's because of this channel
This reminds me of my Wii U, I still use it regularly. Its HDMI port just failed after 10 years of use about a month ago. Thankfully it has a component slot that works with an HDMI adapter otherwise that is about 100+ dollar repair. A used Wii U cost less than the repair.
@@sonickrnd Uh, YES WAY! I have a 2nd-Gen SE iPhone with a failed Lightning Cable port…bought refurbished and the port had been failing since Day 1. This was quoted as at least an $85 replacement…thankfully the 2nd-Gen SE also had wireless inductive charging as a feature, so instead of spending $85 on a port that I only use for charging, I spent $17 on a portable inductive charger from Wal-Mart which I still use to this day. That $85 quote was from 2023, probably be a bit more now… Port replacement can DEFINITELY be expensive, don’t be calling bunk until you’ve checked it for yourself!
My husband uses a flip phone (he's 29, I'm 25) and honestly I've only ever thought highly of him because of it. He's used it since before I met him, and I like it because I felt he was so much more present when we hung out because he wasn't absorbed into his phone. That phone statistic just feels so weird and vapid to me.
Sounds like he's in good habits - be there in the moment, don't doom scroll on your phone kind of thing. Back to basics. There is a trend among younger generations starting to come through whereby they are going back to old audio standards we used to take for granted like vinyl and cassette, and "dumb" phones which only offer the most basic of features. As someone who is increasingly tired of big companies abusing the notification feature of their apps to distract you constantly (and a lot of them you can't disable ones that don't interest you properly) which is just more noise when you're trying to stay in contact with people, I can definitely see the appeal, in the same way I've always seen the appeal of vinyl - as long as your turntable spins, the stylus is good and your amp and speakers work, you'll get many happy years of music from it.
Thank you sooo much for making this video! I commented on one of your previous videos about how I wanted to hear your thoughts on this specific topic and so glad you covered this! I liked what you said about incentives - that the main incentive is to sell new products not repair, otherwise, they'd make repair seamless - that's something I haven't thought about, until now. There is a relevant video by Johnny Harris about why McDonalds ice cream machines are always broken - that's precisely the case of a company whose main profit is maintenance (the ice cream machine company) - because of that they make the machine extremely glitchy and breakable and block out any user except "certified technician". So yeah, if companies made money through repair, they'd damn ensure you need to repair your products A LOT.
Not being able to get into these products is not the problem. That's a skill issue. Not being able to put new replacement parts, or acquire those parts, or reprogram those parts to be able to complete the repair, that's the issue.
Apple needs to take a play out of caterpillars book. Try buying parts to fix your bulldozer .... They'll sell you any part for any machine they've ever made. But holy hell get ready to bend over
The difference is that heavy construction vehicles *start* in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, they could charge $10k for a part and it would still be more economical to repair than to buy a whole new bulldozer. The same is not true of phones, there’s much less of a threshold to jack up parts prices before the customer is better off just buying a new phone.
I work in K-12 tech, and let me tell ya... I HATE things that can't be repaired. I wish my school would go K-12 with Chromebooks, but that would make our district look "poor." It's a status symbol everyone wants to say "oh look our students have iPads." But then when little Billy smashes his iPad they gawk at the $300 bill sent home to the parents because guess what? We can't repair iPads or the keyboard cases on site. It has to go back to Apple, and if it's worse than just a screen guess what? They don't want it. The best we can do is resell it at a fraction of what we paid. AND THE F*CKING CASES! OMG! They're utter trash. Everything is glued down between layers of crap. If one key goes bad on the keyboard cases... that's it. There's no fixing it. The whole case is worthless now. And yeah, in theory we're supposed to be able to swap keyboards on the cases but the failure rate of the case half compared to the keyboard half makes that feature absolutely pointless. I'd have hundreds of case uppers without keyboards by now. And beyond the issue of tech not being durable and not being repairable... kids and parents a like just dgaf if they break it. Don't get me wrong, plenty of parents and kids are protective of the devices. But there's a shockingly large number of people who have zero respect for devices or property of any kind. Especially if it's given to them for basically free. I remember my mom buying me a calculator for $100 when I went into middle school and she threatened to rip me to pieces if I broke or lost it. I have ADHD. Do you realize how terrified I was of losing that thing??? I graduated high school with that calculator. Hell, I still have it in my memory box with all my grad stuff from the early 2010s. By making it mandatory that students have devices for their education, we've allowed them to disregard the value of those devices because no matter how many they break, we'll keep giving them more.
Why are students given Chromebooks or iPads in the first place? They won't learn computers that way! You have to give them a Windows or Linux machine or you'll have tech illiterate kids.
@@MsZiomallo School board makes those decisions. Not me Oddly enough, the tech department as a whole is rarely consulted for these sorts of large arching decisions. We're just the lackeys that make the board's decisions work. It broke my heart pulling the last of the Windows PCs out of the computer science lab. But my district doesn't want to pay for Windows 11 at scale, and with Microsoft shutting down Windows 10 in 2025, going all Apple looked better financially. So I get it, but you're absolutely right. A vast majority are users and nothing more. As for the bigger why? Supposedly they do better. They have access to learning apps and services in mass that are designed to help kids review where they're weakest. So lets say you're doing a math review, and they do it on their learning software. Billy in theory gets more time where he needs it because the review software will give him more problems he got wrong previously. While little Susie gets more of a different kind of problem. All of that is great. But I personally feel the benefits fall off from there. Kids have awful hand writing even into HS. They don't have any sense of perseverance. If an experience isn't on rails for them, like a video or learning module, they zone out and do anything else. Asking kids to skim documents is pointless. They'd rather input the question into google than read the section headings and fill in the blanks of a study guide that literally matches the structure of the document or chapter etc. I've seen kids literally cry because they didn't want to read an article. They wanted the teacher to just tell them the synopsis instead of creating their own. I hope I'm just in my "old man yells at sky" phase of life, but I worry that people aren't ringing the alarm bells about this new wave of tech saturation in schools
A separate USB keyboard is fairly inexpensive. I am not well versed in Apple products and the compatibility with existing keyboards. It takes up more space because you're essentially putting a keyboard in front of another keyboard. However, a ruined external keyboard is far easier to replace and more cost-effective.
One of the incentives for repairability was brand loyalty, not only for the consumer, but the retailers that would have to cover the initial warranty period. But that only really applies when there is competition and honest (ahem) dealings inter-business. Conglomeration contributes massively to disposable culture.
As an engineer, who has designed some complex stuff (autonomous robots), one of the most uninteresting/painful process of design was to make it repairable. I support RTR, but it just is very very hard to meet engineering, manufacturing constraints, forget making it easy for someone who doesn’t understand the product completely be able to repair it. I totally agree on not making something irreparable, but most things, like electronics boards with very mundane microcontrollers become complex, fast.
Having spent my working lifetime in the manufacture of such products, I have seen the sheer difficulty of keeping a product repairable. These devices contain components from a myriad of manufacturers, all of which can cease production of the part you need at short notice. In fact they can often disappear off the market shortly before your product starts volume manufacture. Highly complex microcircuits have a short manufacturing life, they are only economic to make when there are bulk purchases. You can get round this by keeping a dev team redesigning and manufacturing new replacement parts but it gets hellish expensive because the sales are relatively low. Framework laptops have a market because there are enough enthusiasts who love taking apart their machines and updating them, and the desktop PC market still features highly configurable machines in huge cases. It remains to be seen what will happen as x86 architecture is phased out.
@@rogermuggleton8127 x86 isn't being phased out, in fact the opposite happens, x86 manufacturers have just recently started an advisory group to standardise x86, which may in future become ISO/IEC x86
Understanding how to repair a product before buying it is important. I’ve had my current car for 12 years with over 305,000 miles on it. I was considering getting a brand new vehicle. But inflation has put a damper on things, so I still have my car and I hope I can hang onto it for a littler longer. I didn’t initially realize that the entire front bumper needs to be removed in order to replace the headlights. I don’t have the tools, the know-how nor the desire to replace those myself. So I’ve always gone to the mechanic after I’ve let all but one bulb go bad. Each time it’s been at least a $200 job to replace the high beams and low beams. Well, with this new vehicle I was looking at, I asked the salesman if I can replace the headlights myself and how much it’ll cost. He said no one’s ever asked him that before and he started promoting the three year warranty (like I’m not supposed to keep my car for more than three years…give me a break!) Because LED’s are a thing now, each assembly would cost over $600. You can’t just buy the bulbs alone. I guarantee you, most people aren’t considering how they will replace pieces on their brand new car and how much it’ll cost in the long run. I’ve had mine for so long and have put in a lot of work to keep it running, so I’m more aware of what can potentially go wrong now. I want to be prepared for whenever I get a new (or newer) vehicle, because IT WILL break down at some point. The sad part is, even if I did know what was wrong, I still might not be able to repair it because everything's a computer nowadays.
I love seeing a well maintained, well-worn high-quality bike. It’s definitely a status symbol because the owner was able to put so many kilometers on it. It signals both commitment and purpose.
From my days working in a sea port I know "every part on a shipping container can and will break". Shipping containers aren't high tech, but repairable by any craftsman in a third world country to at least workable condition. Or by unskilled workers with some duct tape, silicone, a big hammer and a random plank of wood in a emergency. Sophiceset to say that most shipping containers look like patch works after 15 years, but are objectively in fully serviceable condition.
I still have the occasional use of a netbook as a typewriter to this day. It's old, it's slow, it can't do much at all... but it can process words, and it's small and portable. Modern tech to do that is surprisingly expensive.
You failed to mention Fairphone - I fixed my 2019 Fairphone with a new charger module last year, when it by my mistake was drowned in wine... They get 10/10 on fixit.
Thanks for mentioning. I personally hate replacing electronics like phones... my phone, my pcs... once I get them set up just how I want them on every little detail.. they are like extensions of my brain... Not a think I want to start part of from scratch without verrrry good reason lol. Hoping I can keep my now 4 or 5 year old phone going many more years, but when it does die if that place is still around I'll be highly considering them.
What OS does fairphone run, and where can you get a case for them does fairphone sell them or do any other companies support them? (I'm looking into buying one now because of this video just need some more info)
@@TheLostGamer9070 Android, and they guarantee certain years of updates (check the specific phone model), my 2019 3+ still gets updates, think it was launched in 2018. They had a case for my version as well as guerilla glass for the screen, check their website for newer models and accessories/life support program. If you are looking for a top shelf performance, this is not for you - this is tried and stable mid-range hardware, but the repairability weights that up ten fold 😊 For everyday use (browsing, TH-cam, email, music and calling etc) my old version is still fine. Still think you can get batteries for the original Fairphone and version 2 (those are old!).
@@TheLostGamer9070 it comes with an almost stock android, for which they bring out updates regularly. they seem to be pretty open and have lots of information on the forums for running different ROMs, but my impression is to be sure to read about re-locking the bootloader beforehand as some apps (like for banking) don't trust an unlocked bootloader. there are official cases sold by several retailers, but i've only seen a few other companies sell their own. i have a Fairphone myself but i haven't dabbled with custom ROMs yet
One way to fight the "social pressure" is to have unique devices. I choose distinct products that I plan to keep for a while (like amobile phone), that is why I bought ZFlip phone and Edge before that. It takes a while for others to catch up (and iPhone never will) or it stays unique forever. Also keeping it pristine and clean helps immensly... I can have 5 years old phone, but it is still scratchless and clean like freshly unpacked. I also keep the original boxes so when I resell my stuff eventually it has everything original, people are shocked that the device has been extensively used and not just recently unpacked.
The problem with Oculas making money on the apps is... it's not a console, it's a different kind of screen + input device. The fact that different VR devices are incompatible with one and other is just another major reason hardly anyone has one.
The quest is one of the better compatible headsets out there, you can play both wired and wireless to your pc. Quest 2 and 3 cover over 55% of the steam VR HW survey. Pico, Steam, PSVR and Quest players can play multiplayer with each other, it depends on the developer. The Quest, Pico, and other XR chip-based products are just as much a console as the Nintendo switch or DS with a screen. As i had the quest1, 2 and now 3 i can say they are quite durable as i use them for weekly workout since each released. All are still in working condition. As any technology there are a certain percentage of defect units, these owners will be the loudest online. No many other VR manufacturers for the past six years seem to make a lot of progress with their products except the super high end, that's when Meta progressed and got cheap enough for more gamers to try them out. The quest1 is simply too weak for modern games, it can still be used on a pc, but you will have to endure the screen door effect. " hardly anyone has one", The quest2 alone has sold over 20million units.
I actually am not wearing it right now. If I'm about to go surfing I usually wear a different jacket because I don't want to leave it in the car (don't want it to get stolen while I'm out)
I still use a switch 1.0 that I got in 2018 for games that came in 2024 (about 6.5 years later!) I fixed my Nintendo switch so many times - cleaning, changing sticks and screws and even moved the entire interior of a controller to another. it's extremely satisfying knowing you didn't break your device but instead you fixed a problem.
Great video. Totally agree with you. People kinda look funny at me for using a old Thinkpad but I don't mind, it's certainly a badge of honor for the ones in the know. ♥️🎩
Changing the definition of beauty and visual design to include time (durability)... ...at least for products you expect to not be obsolete for 10+ years.
Informative and engaging as usual. An Interesting design idea is the "hard points" used by the automotive industry. Essentially those is where the engine goes, the chassis, etc, so the designers will adapt their designs to that
This is why I always buy desktop PC's, I'm used to swapping out parts whenever something is broken or I want to upgrade. It's not that hard, it's like Lego, each part only fits one way. With a little help from TH-cam anyone can repair almost any PC.
One thing to note about 3D printers at 13:43 is that the market is shifting towards more "premium" feeling machines with more custom parts and close-sourced software. It isn't a completely bad thing because the consumers were tired of companies like Creality providing low-effort clones of their own products and new printers developed by Bambu Lab have become a new generation of workhorse machines. These new machines are generally quite repairable for most situations with affordable first-party parts and cheaper third party alternatives, but many of the components don't use standardized and off-the-shelf components. Moreover, we can't be completely sure how long these companies are willing to support these new machines. With the influx of users that want a machine that "just works", it'll be interesting to see if the 3D printer market follows the same trends as other tech industries.
I'm ngl I deeply judge people in the opposite direction - the more their purchasing decisions are clearly swayed by whatever they saw on tiktok or whatever, the less I respect them as a person. I can't imagine buying something because someone paid to force you to waste time out of your life to watch an ad. Like they didn't even pay you, they paid someone else? Tf? "Please, sir, feed me more slop, I love seeing loud annoying adverts designed to make me feel terrible about myself" it's actually so embarrassing. I can't believe a significant number of people are like this.
I feel that. I also judge people when I see that they always cave into the newest trend items or the typical regurgitated ad-speak for the cheapest items possible being promoted as premium. Guys at work get these hilarious mega-cheap chinese flashlights and are like “dude its wireless charging and does 7000 lumens and its got adjustable focus”. Then a week later they have another because it broke.
@EvilSantaTheTrue hahaha yeah basically. Everytime I show up to work I see some monstrosity on our little shared storage space. Some bright red anodized baseball bat sized flashlight that uses like 6x 18650s
Apple dictating the paradigm for how smartphones are designed is easily what bothers me the most. We could be living in a world where some smart phones take after the design of the nintendo DS where the screens are protected by a clamshell design, but with actual hinges instead of doing the stupid thing where the screen itself folds which sounds like a recipe for even worse durability.
One point missing is the slow destruction of electronics through software updates. For example smartphones: Features disappearing, UI getting slower/laggy, ever increasing apps and system size (instead optimization), camera getting worse photos and getting laggy each update, random errors appearing (specially lost connectivity, wifi and mobile network). Meanwhile the hardware is just as good as new, but you will have to get a new phone! When will this abuse get recognized?
one great thing about repairability is that it goes hand in hand with customizability. Repairing and customazing are really just the exact same thing, swapping out or changing some parts for different ones that suit your needs better, in the case of repairing ones that work at all.
I've followed this channel for a couple of years now, back when he had maybe 5K subscribers, and it's been a genuine pleasure to watch it grow from basic slideshow type videos into deep dives which cover the good and the bad of design. More recently the channel has started to show a social conscience, and it's inspiring to watch. John is informative and educational, a great content maker.
Easy: make something Difficult: make something modular Very difficult: make something modular on industrial scale Extremely difficult: make something modular at scale and backwards compatible God level: make something modular, backwards and forwards compatible, at scale that random, unskilled people can cost effectively repair ... like lego
"God level: make something modular, backwards and forwards compatible, at scale that random, unskilled people can cost effectively repair" this is what I do at my job every day 😀. glad my work is appreciated so highly. Ironically, designing this way is more cost effective too.
The God level is entirely unnecessary though. I.e. we don't need to have products repairable by unskilled people. Cars for example need skilled mechanics to repair and that's okay. Let's not put unnecessary constraints in the repairability of products.
@@InTimeTraveller Wrong. Cars used to be repaired, and still are, by unskilled people all teh time. and plenty of "mechanics" out there are still unskilled too. Why wouldn't a homeowner want to be able to easily fix their appliances? They do. I am a Mechanical engineer designing cutting edge technology. But the people who build the design in the factory, and service them at the customer site, are unskilled manpower type workers. Like it or not, 90% of the world's population that builds and services most things, are "unskilled" in the things they are working on. Where I work, we call it "designing for Gomer". And even engineers screw up things at times during testing. And then we use that as a valuable lesson for new engineers to learn that everyone screws things up eventually, no matter what. I love designing for Gomer, and it's not that difficult nor expensive for most products.
@@SoloRenegade cars are never repaired by people who have no idea about cars, they are not designed that way and it's ok. In fact there are memes about your "friend who can do it cheaper" and with your car that's asking for trouble. The time when you could just repair a car by yourself at home was when the cars were relatively simple with very few interconnected systems compared to today, basically during the '50s or sth. Modern day cars are way too complex and integrate way too much electronics in order to be able to do that. And with electronic devices that's basically impossible if you have no electronics knowledge. Having an unskilled person being able to repair a device is a nice to have but not a must have. It's a luxury problem. Let's first get to the point where most of our modern devices are repairable by repair shops and then worry about whether unskilled people can do it. BTW in factories either you have very strict procedures for operators or you train the operators first or both to manufacture or assemble the products. For repairs you actually have trained engineers.
"not an evil scheme, just bad incentives" who instates those incentives? who enforces those incentives? if it's bad for their overall business, why do they continue these incentives? if a criminal were in charge of a corporation, would they not do everything to make themselves as much of the profit as they can? isn't that the definition of greed? ever bullet point under "corporate greed" is not an individual illness on its own, it's a symptom of the illness of greed; treat the illness and the symptoms go away. so, nah bruh, it all come down to greed. stop making excuses for evil people.
You are exactly the type of people might cause the problems you hate. You don't want to understand the intricate nature of these problems, just act upon your entitlement of what should be the case, and anyone dare to dismiss is instantly labeled as "evil" in your logic, exactly as these people - why waste energy to do something that many won't appreciate, just whiny about?
I think some technophiles have a non-conscious need to idolize tech billionaires: "He didn't MEAN to do it! Let me explain..." This video comprises great detailed information with a biased conclusion.
@@dayelu6028you entirely missed the point of his comment. It is both systemic and individual. And while the system is important, there's no reason to pretend that immoral people aren't also involved.
This isn’t a top down problem. It’s bottom up. Most people don’t repair anything in America. Literally nothing. That’s means that the market doesn’t value repairability. So the companies don’t focus on it. It’s that’s simple. It will only change when we, the consumers as a collective, decide to change it.
I adored the channel before, but I absolutely love it now! Thank You for making such incredible content and talking about such important topics. Keep up the amazing world. Thanks again
I still use a flip phone to this day! I might make the switch soon, not because I dislike flip phone technology, but because the internet is leaving me behind. It's a struggle to even check emails on the darn thing thanks to new interfaces and layers of security checks. Captchas also regularly screw me over. The worst is, of course, when mobile websites don't actually let you use the website, and refuse you access unless its through the mobile app.
More and more corporates use even penal laws to prevent people from repairing products. One of them is, contemporary legal scholars have discovered, a purchase does not necessarily constitute property. A licence for use is enough, whenever a product has feature, available only by subscription. Modifying or repairing such a product ist like manipulating a rental car. Furthermore, we have the DMCA. Whenever a component is protected by a commercial encryption, breaking it constitutes a crime. Since legal departments decide more and more things within corporates, things get even worse. Until we will run out of ressources within a couple of decades.
Everybody is superficial in some aspects of their life. E.g. while I know and care enough about several technical topics to be able to teach them, I don't even want to know the details of how you run a hotel or a store - I want to be able to trust those people to do a good job. I can totally get why a non-techie just parrots the "Shiny Apple good, old flip-phone bad" attitude from TV - I do the same: hotel X has good reviews, I'll book it. I have a lot of very sophisticated friends who don't give a flip about why I think Linux is better than Windows or Mac - I don't want to unfriend them, they are (otherwise) good people.
All I'm asking is that they make parts available to repair shops and get rid of those warranty voiding stickers inside their products so you can have your system repaired without voiding your warranty. Then the repair shops can figure out how to fix the products regardless of difficulty level. That's all I'm asking for.
Very good points, and a nuanced take on the issue. As a design engineer I see these issues from the manufacturing side and making things repairable is not always easy. From the consumer side, two personal experiences: 20 years ago I considered buying a titanium mountain bike frame. If I had, that frame would have still been in great condition, but it would be too small, the angles would be wrong and it would not fit modern wheels or forks. It would have been "unrepairable", not becuse it was technically impossible, but because the design of mountain bikes has moved on. The other example is my Concept II rowing machine. I have a 1980's model (I think) that I bought second hand. WHen I needed spare parts, I went on their website and found that they still stock parts for my machine. 30 years on! I will never buy another brand if I can find a Concept II next time I need on. Of course, that may take a while since I can keep it running...
I worked with somebody who used a dumb phone, Nokia 1100 sort of thing. I really really respected him for that. I think those stats about old phones are going to change, as smart phones have become a commodity item. The industry isn't bringing anything really interesting to the table, more and more people that I talk to don't see any value in newer phones. OTOH, they do complain that phones are too large now and...a non-trivial number are with me on wishing that phones with keyboards would come back. I MAY self-select likeminded people >_>
There are so many channels where I feel like ive Just been exploited for Attention and for playing ads etc. But this channels Just feels so right and great to Watch. I love your charakter so much. Ty for uploading Videos like this.
There is an interesting study which shows that up to 20% of the new price of a product is the upper limit of what a repair is allowed to cost psychologically. E.g.: as a new washing machine costs ~350$ hourly wage of the repair man is going over this treshold. This is why repair no longer an alternative to replace. Robert Pirsig said it correctly in Zen and the Art of Motercycle Maintanance: you only think about the value of an object you own once it has broken down. The only option companies can viably offer is to offer the modules with the highest failure risk only, at below this 20% cost treshold, and to make these self-replacable. The washing machine company should thus only offer the motor module, the pump module and maybe the PCB as a self contained module.
Dude, excellent insight! You got yourself a new subscriber. Your analysis of this topic covers everything from business theory to human psychology, and opened my eyes to perspectives I had never considered. Thank you!
I feel something that shows the devaluing of repairability overall in American culture is peoples ability to mend clothes. Most people don't know how to sew or have very limited knowledge (i include myself in this). I like punk culture because overall people value repair. Having something you fixed or modified is better then getting something new. though i feel we both don't have as much time to do repairs in the modern day and clothes are made cheaply so it is not seen as worth it to repair most clothes.
The thing about repairability is this: I own a 50s vintage tube-radio. As repairable as you can possibly get, only the most basic tools required, most parts are either commonly available or basically indestructible, you even have a printed schematic of the circuit pasted to the inside. But even back then repairs were done mostly by professionals. You took your radio to a shop to have it serviced. For your TV, there even were dedicated technicians on call. An 80s TV, still with mostly discreet components, still being servicable mostly with basic tools and common parts, absolutely required the attention of a specialist, and even then complete board-swaps were done by lower-skilled technicians. What I'm trying to say: modern devices are so complex, and simply by virtue of integration and size requires specialized tools (I'm not talking about pentalobe screws or their ilk, but merely tiny screws an the screwdrivers required, or the means to perform precise, miniscule soldering with sensitive components), so most repairs must be done by trained specialists. And simple economics, even with perfectly accessible supply-chains and publicly available manuals, will make repairs nearly as expensive as replacement, as technicians will demand the highest price they can.
I'm a little delirious from being sick...I thought I clicked on a video with John Travolta was hosting for a moment as soon as I saw that flip-phone together with that leather jacket and hairdo look.
Im actually running into this right now with an Acer Nitro 5. Apparently it is OBSCENELY common for the power MOSFET to burn up because it doesn't have a heatsink. And because it's soldered directly to the motherboard it takes the entire board with it (Unless you are a wizard with a hot air rework station). This problem plagued even my generation despite about a dozen prior board revisions! I call it "Defective by design" and am currently trying to build my own heatsink for the sucker out of scrap aluminum sheet
One of the most educative videos I have ever watched. I was transfixed by the logical way the story was told, and it made me pause and examine the things I do and buy. I am sending the link to as many of my colleagues who would appreciate the thoughtfulness and care that went into the video. Subscribed.
1. Lenovo, or rather, the ThinkPad line of products, have a long history of being repairable. For 20 or so years, they have been publishing the hardware maintenance manual for their ThinkPad products. Through it, I have been able to repair and replace parts (if they fail at all), over the past decades. 2. Lenses are far simpler than hardware. It is easy to shim old lenses to new bodies. It is practically impossible to say, make an old ISA port compatible with Thunderbolt 4.
21:44 I would argue this is a weakly-supported dichotomy that most engineers have, that a product will compromise UX or cost if repair is given too much priority. Might be time for a culture change, so long as your business model can profit from selling spare parts, you will create the internal incentive structure necessary for good designs and efficient manufacture of the product.
I doubt most companies can make a profit from selling spare parts. It’s inherently a low-volume market (your company has way bigger issues if it isn’t), and stocking old parts isn’t free. The companies that do have good aftermarket parts service are likely taking a small financial hit in the name of customer loyalty. And even then that’s more likely to be in the realm of B2B products where the sticker cost is MUCH higher.
I feel there’s an odd fascination of showing no screws to make a product appear more clean but then use a shit Ton of adhesive to make them inconvenient to fix now. The old galaxy active phones had removable backs and were still waterproof and they had headphone jacks. Now we got one port and no memory card slots.
This video is very very good, one chapter would be itself an entire video from another youtuber, you really made an excellent paper, you went to all corners, excellent writing
The "product architecture" timestamp is a very good point. It doesn't make much sense to think about repairability for products that are in a rapidly evolving domain, since they're essentially prototypes, and nobody bothers to repair a prototype - it's usually outlived it's purpose long before it breaks. So I'd argue that repairability can only be reasonably expected of product domains that are established and stable. Such as phones, laptops, computers, cameras, vehicles, etc. And I think it's already pretty neat that at least the latter 4 care about repairability to some extent or other. I would mention fairphone but they're a tiny player. That being said, I mostly disagree with your view that thinness and lack of manufacturing marks make for 'higher quality' feeling products only because that's what companies have conditioned you to think. Thinness and lightness are hugely important for portability, so it makes sense that phones and laptops aim to be as thin and light as possible. And while a lack of visible manufacturing marks is in many ways an aesthetic criteria (I, personally, *love* seing the nuts and bolts of how something is assembled so it certainly doesn't work on me) it's also very important for dust and water proofing. And because those devices have to be packed so tight in order to make them thin and light, which is, as I said, a practical advantage, they're hard fo repair go begin with, so making concessions to water and dust proofing just to make them slightly less impossible to repair makes little sense in my opinion. So yes, I love repaiable stuff, but I don't quite think phones should be our main focus when talking about repairability. Now, I may be wrong and there might indeed be ways to have great repairability *and* performance, I just doubt it very much.
I'm very proud to be watching this on a Framework 16. I'm really hoping my next phone will be something repairable, but the only real options are Fairphone and Pixel, which both have their own drawbacks. I'm totally willing to spend the money on ethical products that will last longer. I just wish they were more popular. Same reason I stick with Prusa for my 3D printing stuff. They're just more forward-thinking when it comes to being consumer-first. My best friend has used a 16GB iPhone SE from 2016 up until the start of this year where it got too slow to load her bus app. Anyone who can make that work has my entire undivided attention. I must be one of the only people who looks at someone with the newest, most expensive iPhone and judge them negatively on it. To me, people using old gear are smart. People who must have the latest and greatest are just to accepting of the dystopian reality we live in.
Big thanks for yet another stellar video! Ever since reading The design of everyday things, industrial design only seems to get more and more interesting. Really cool to learn more about all the choices that play a part in getting to a final design, not just functionality and aesthetic. Your videos are great fun to watch all while learning a ton, thanks a lot! Would love to hear your thoughts on everyday objects or designs that have lasted long (mayby due to tradition or "okay enough" mentality) but might have become dated and could use an update or alternative.
Just wanted to say I thought that this video was remarkably fair-minded, and credible because you have real-world experience. Your best one yet. Thank you. Semi-seriously: can you also do an exploration about our health care system? Boy, do we need one of those, especially after the disturbing events of the past week. We all need to slow down and think.
In a world where there is a critical shortage of nuance and reason, what a breath of fresh air this is. There is now a total of ONE video I would recommend to anyone who misunderstands why, e.g., phones don't have removable batteries anymore.
1:59 this basically sums it up really well. Most people work 9-5 (some people work more, odd hours) and prioritize whatever gets them promo as soon as possible, usually stuff like a11y and cleaning technical debt gets you nothing at all, heck it might even make you easier to lay off.
Great video in many ways! I am both a DIYer but also getting older and "I just want it to work," so you have helped me better appreciate the tension at all levels, especially with incentives. Un/Sustainability is really growing on me: every time I open a can, or toss a plastic container, I'm thinking "I don't want to throw this away, but I really can't keep it either: I wish we could go back to reusable containers and such" (a similar problem with similar elements). It's very much our society, BUT our society is all of us. I would love to see a "Woods the Owl" campaign to help shift our mindset into more sustainable ways. You're right about the specialized tools and skill required to repair consumer electronics these days (I've designed and supported computer products before). I am shifting my lifestyle to try to make what I own last longer (like only charging my phone to 80% of battery capacity (instead of 100%) in order to help it last for it's multi-year software support period). AND I'm simply keeping my 2008 car in good repair so (hopefully) it will be my last vehicle (I'm in my sixties now). Anyway! Awesome video - I learned a lot, and I'm already an architect & engineer in a tech field! 😊💜😊💜😊
As a RtR advocate, I think it needs to be said that Louis and RtR group in general is not interested in controlling how companies build things. You don't even need to supply parts yourself. Just don't go out of your way strangling suppliers to make sure they are not selling parts to 3rd parties. Also, stop "circuit board is IP" BS. It can be the most unrepairable thing ever with underfills, glues-galore, and everything paired to every other part exponentially. As long as parts can be bought, schematics and pairing tools are available, it passes what RtR wants.
Holy moly, I was not expecting such an in-depth and thorough explainer from this video. I thought I knew a lot about right to repair but much of your information seems to be first-hand research. Amazing work!
Another very influential reason for repairability is also manufacturing. It's already complex to design a product; now you gotta consider how to make that design scalable for production. Designers sometimes forget that their grand designs should make sense in manufacturing. Then there's the fact that products sometimes are never intended to be touched by human hands. That's why they are so delicate cuz a machine can easily handle them and solder in the exact precise points required AND the reason for them to be so delicate is cuz people won't buy bulky products. Still, we let companies get too confortable and of course they took advantage of it. Why wouldn't they? It started as us not giving a crap about repairability but if we care they are gonna care eventually when we put pressure on them.
I'm about halfway through your video and to be honest, your arguments that non repairability is not about corporate greed are pretty much just semantics. You could probably argue that on the individual level, most corporations are not conspiring to rob their consumers blind, but at the large-scale level, that is essentially what's happening. KPI's are set by corporations. Corporate structure is set by corporations. They decide to draw the line of when a design is finished just before it becomes repairable, and they also decide whether their replacement products are going to be accessible to purchase, in your own words, based on how much money it can make. In other words, greed. They are also the ones that make the multi-million dollar advertisements that tell people that having a shiny new phone is the coolest thing and that you're a loser if you don't have one. They could just as easily market that their products are sturdy and capable, so therefore if your boyfriend has one, it means he's a modern day cowboy. If there's any point that you're really converging on, it's that the system of capitalism itself sets the rules that all of these corporations have to go by and also promotes the kind of greedy behavior that lets the worst kind of people rise to the top.
This is a very difficult topic that most right to repair advocates won't discuss fully. Even though it can be fun to rage at companies and their greedy practices, it's important to fully address the real issues with repairability- especially when it's partially our own fault, too. Thank you for another insightful essay.
Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video! Download unlimited stock media at one set price with Storyblocks: storyblocks.com/designtheory
Born poor shopped at Salvation army or Kmart all my life, repaired clothing learned to sow and iron patches, with the toss-buy new all the time economy, buying used barely old stuff is how I keep up. I wait a good 2-4yrs after something comes out and then buy the overstock or someone already tossing their perfectly good used items at 1/2-1/10 the original marketed price. I've a degree schooling in computer IT and electronics but the hassle and I my skill makes taking the time to repair something anyway a hassle. For my cat to have a 24/7 4cats nature vids playing I will fix up a dirt cheap notebook fix sound jack or made a franken monster of a working screen onto a working HDD keyboard for a ACER. My cats attack the birds and mice/fish breaking 2 already over 4-5yrs for only $50 spent.☺
While I agree that repairability can be immensely boosted by a cultural shift, I don't understand why these companies that are making such efforts don't sell to a market that is virtually untapped and hungry for such products. iFixit, Framework are missing out on a HUGE market by not selling to the entire continent of ASIA. The culture already exists there, but these companies aren't selling and the market has been captured by other brands that are aggressive with making their products available to the customers in there. Despite that, there's still a huge demand for repairable and customizable products in Asia because most people want to squeeze the most out of everything they use. It's like they don't even know this part of the world exists.
Liberals try to not whitewash capitalism challange (impossible).
Yes Fonzie. ;-)
None of these reasons are even a tiny bit valid. As a customer, i do not and should not care how and why you can't produce a device with user replaceable battery in this year while you could 10 years ago. I have no obligation to be understanding and accommodating, i want my repairable device now and i will shame, mock and recommend everyone against any company as long as they do not produce it.
Vintage thinkpads being uterly indestructable or simple to fix makes me apreciate good design ngl
I've broken quite a few ThinkPads beyond repair...
It’s a brick compared to anything now
thinkpads suck today, new and old ones for different reasons
A vintage Thinkpad was designed by IBM, a company that at the time was still very focused on big metal; then they sold the laptop business to Lenovo, a Chinese company. Even then my Yoga 2 Pro, possibly the ugliest laptop in a 20 mile radius, still keeps chugging... But like myself it's a little creakier than ten years ago.
Oh yeah, my trustworthy x220t from 2011 still serves me loyally and I thanks to my cat's and my own clumsyness it saw quite a few repairs.
But still running smoothly for everything but games
Electronics engineer here. I'm really grateful to be working for a company that mostly works for other companies and not consumers. Companies tend to not want to replace equipment they just got last year, so my design goals are durability-durability and durability. If it cant last at least 5 years (usually we aim for 10+) with no repairs in a hot or freezing environment, it doesn't pass mustard. Its nice designing something with no planned obsolescence.
I’m not here to make enemies, but the term you’re looking for is “muster,” it’s a military term, for when you gather in formation and receive an inspection
@@kaielwyn On no, thank you for the the correction. I'm not a native English speaker and while i do get by, i have holes in my vocabulary. I always assumed it came from cooking, as in someone fucked up making mustard in a professional kitchen.
Personally, I like the phrase "doesn't pass mustard" better. There are way more people that use mustard than have been to military boot camp, so I vote we change it.
@@Waldohasaskit210 To me it feels like it could be a cross between "doesn't pass muster" and "doesn't cut the mustard", which mean pmuch the same thing in this context anyways so it makes sense to mix them like that to my mind ^^
In the engineering slots I occupied, over and over and over I had conversations that went:
accounting: "you over-design things, it costs too much"
me: "my shit doesn't break. Kindly compare and contrast with my peers."
accounting: "grumble"
But as you say, I don't think I ever worked for a consumer products company, arguably. Laser engraving machines, maybe.
So that's one out of 25 or 30 jobs I've had.
I bought a Framework laptop just because it was repairable, three to four years ago. I bought the low end board and maxed the RAM. It does everything that I want it to. I went back to their website recently and noticed that they have cases so you can continue to use old motherboards when you upgrade.
I tried to buy one a month ago but couldn't pay it. They refused my card and had no other options that work outside the Netherlands. Ended up with tuxedo due to linux support must have. Hopefully they have fixed these issues in a few years when I need a new one (tuxedo at least offers spare parts if not upgrades)
I've had my Intel i7 FW coming up on 3 years in Feb. I bought the bare metal version and installed Linux. I added my own 2tb nvme SSD and 64gb of RAM. I love the repairability and upgradeability of it.. I have no reason to upgrade CPU at this time, but it's nice to know I can upgrade/everything inside the case including the case if I want to..
I have a M1 MacBook Air as well. Sure, it feels higher quality in looks and tactile feel, but when something bigger breaks, it's going to be a good looking, expensive paperweight. It's the sleek exotic sports car to the Framework truck that can be kept alive indefinitely and upgraded to remain relevant.
@@telcobilly I basically did the same thing, bare bones, 64gb ram, 2tb drive, and Linux. I picked up the i5 though and I do not see a need to upgrade either.
It's funny. The people who tell us they're making more jobs, don't want more jobs.
I was impressed when I visited Japan how good the secondary market was for, well, most anything. Culturally there is value placed on items and they don't become useless as they get old. It made it more clear to me than ever the disposable culture of the US. I did not see it well until I visited somewhere that was different.
I see what you mean but I have a bit of a differing opinion, Japan has a good secondary market for things because they are looked after not because people value older things with the exception of tradition ("the physical world is scared and worthy of respect, anything that fills you with wonder or awe can be a kami" idk who I'm quoting). Items that are well looked after and lack sentimental value end up on the secondary market they are sold because I believe in Japanese culture people prefer newer objects, because the items are taken care of by the majority of people they can't charge as much for them compared to the west due to an abundance of good second hand items. Shinto beliefs about rebirth and renewal are part of this the Ise Jingu grand shrine is torn down and rebuilt every 20 years, If I was to build a watch smash it throw it away and have it rebirthed as I build a new one I wouldn't call that valuing the original item but someone might.
The housing market is the direct opposite. In most parts of the world, you’ll be able to sell your old house for more than you paid for it. Not so in Japan: People view old homes as “used” and outdated, so values drop over time, until they’re torn down and new ones are built in their place.
There are complex cultural and historic issues involved (the frequency of earthquakes is part of it), but older houses are very much looked down on.
They don't become useless as they get old? In Japan? They have a whole concept of perfectly good stuff that nobody wants - 'gomi'.
Perhaps it depends on which class you're hanging out with.
Because new technology in Japan is often more expensive than the US, at least before covid it was. So more people bought used and older tech. With cars, generally Japan has a more robust used car market, probably because fewer people need to drive and people aren't as hard on their cars as people in the US. So the market has more supply than demand
The US does have a robust market for used goods too, antique shops are everywhere and so are thrift stores. But alot of the tech gets recycled or bought by collectors.
@@DaveEtchells You do know why ? Because old homes don't meet new earthquake standards.
One of my biggest gripes is with headphones. Whenever they break, it's just some solder coming off, an extremely easy repair. But since these things are made of rigid plastic, no (outside) screws, this means that taking it apart equals breaking it up.
I hate those plastic shells.
Agreed.
Modern headphones are built like crap, unlike the old Koss and David Clark variety.
I literally am in the process of replacing the ear pads and headband cushions on two different headphones that decided to self destruct at the same time. Luckily you can get replacement ear pads for a lot of headphones, but nobody offers replacement parts for the headband.
Unless you are the lucky owner of the famous Sony 7506s, which you can actually get all the replacement parts for, and install them yourself. Bravo to Sony! Of course that product is aimed at working pros who like things to...work.
I just got back from JOANN fabrics with some material to cover my two flaking headphones. "Pleather" is the lying word they created for "fake leather that falls apart."
BTW I listened to this video with my daily drivers, a pair of Mario Bellini-designed Yamahas. Bought them about 40 years ago and they still sound good. The leather headband deteriorated about 10 years ago, so I removed it and wrapped some tape around the cross piece. Works fine.
Next, I gotta try out those 45-year-old Stax that I haven't used in a while. They were made of metal and leather. Haven't fallen apart. They were the cheapest Stax then, the new "cheap" Stax ($500) are plastic. Will they be around in 5 years?
Headphones should last a LONG time. Stax had almost perfect sound way back when because of their electrostatic design, which has stood the test of time. And the Yamahas are the more affordable alternatives.
My desk came from Design Research in the late 1970s, along with the Aalto stool I am sitting on. Design junkie here, can ya tell? Just replaced my 14-year-old iMac with a "too-thin" iMac M3. Gorgeous screen...too bad Apple will "obsolete" this in 5 years. I think that kind of thinking is obsolete. What is so "woke" or "progressive" about designing stuff to go straight into a landfill so shareholders can be pleased? Nothing.
Disposability is past its "sell-by" date.
My longest-lasting product: a pair of bright orange Fiskars I bought 50 years ago, and still work great. I don't baby them either. Could they last 100 years?
The trick is to care about what you buy, but not about what anybody else thinks about your choices. You decide for you.
Better to have fewer, but better things.
My 2 cents.
Let me introduce you to Grado. A company that makes 200$+ headphones that have worse build quality than 0.99$ gas station earbuds. Low quality non-replaceable cables that will break in 4 different locations. Plus they are so heavy that they will eventually break the SOLDER connections on the driver board all by themselves.
Worse part is if you live anywhere that's not in the U.S.A. it'll take 6 months+ to get them repaired and shipped back to you (if they even bother to honour your warranty).
Meanwhile my 20 year old Sennheiser HD600 are still working fine, and I get replacement pads and parts for them easily.
For this very reason, the Sennheiser HD25 is one of the timeless gems of headphone design, in my opinion.
Super simple design, fully modular, so you don't need anything except for a screwdriver to take it apart, every single element is replaceable, and most importantly, it is made from flexible plastic, so it is nearly impossible to break. Even when operating fully wasted - which is probably why it has been a DJ's favourite for 30+ years now lol
@@johnharvey7913 Fiskars is crap now
I have a Framework, and the difference is immediately visible.
It feels surprisingly solid, but not absolutely perfect next to my Macbook. Those spacers next to the trackpad aren't perfectly flush, even after reseating a few times. The switches for the mic/webcam are both hard to move and lose-feeling at the same time. The keyboard feels fine, but squishy next to the Mac. While the dimensions are similar on paper, it feels bulkier and definitely heavier.
But I have a number pad, one of the light-up ones. The trackpad is centered under the keyboard (so, it's weirdly to the left, which feels great but I can't imagine a designer would ever put it there). It has exactly the ports I want, and none I don't. And those switches do actually completely disable the mic and camera -- the OS sees it as the camera being a USB device that gets unplugged when I flip that switch.
It arrived with some assembly required (they included the screwdriver needed!). But it has a little credits list printed inside the case of the people who built it, and there are tons of instructions, QR codes, and "This battery is replaceable!" notices printed on components inside the device!
So the look and feel really do emphasize repairability and customizability in a way that's as obvious as Apple products are about sleekness.
That sounds so great though..
I guess that the wider margins make it more durable as well.
Guess I know where I'm looking for my next laptop...
Guess I know where I'm looking for my next laptop...
I wouldn't have a Framework device myself but I love the design philosophy; right to repair, modular components etc. Very commendable. Older electrical devices often used to come with a little schematic inside if you did happen to disassemble them (or your favourite Mr Fixit tech did) or indeed a Service Manual bundled in, or at least very easy to get from the manufacturer. I think this was all in the name of getting the maximum amount of use from your purchase, less waste.
It amazes me that in this day and age when carbon footprints and green living are apparently all the rage, we're in an era of some of the most user hostile company practices including eschewing right to repair. You can eat all the kale you want but it doesn't change that, does it? 😂
Honestly, I don't get the obsession so many people have with ultra slim designs and much prefer devices that actually fit in my hand to something that feels like a pane of glass with rounded edges... And to that end, while I was annoyed when my phone company forced me to replace my ~8 year old flip phone that was working just fine because they were dropping support for 3G devices, I was quite pleased the flip phone I have now is decently hefty, probably the best phone from an ergonomics stand point this side of cordless lan lines of the 90s.
I completely agree with you on this one. I own a 12 year old Panasonic Toughbook for a reason. Those old timers were right about stuff not being made like it used to be.
I assume you meant landline, or were you just trying to rename tin can telephones? =P
I might be confused about terminology due to the fact old fashioned telephones were part of a household/businesss/etc.'s local area network back in the days of dial-up and how often cable, internet, and phone service was bundled from the same company in the days before Internet streaming took over from cable television and people stopped having non-mobile phones.
You can't expect them to lose money maintaining the 3G network indefinitely.
It's because of the marketing tactics that companies use. They basically brainwash consumers into believing that this is what they want.
> non-repairability is not due to corporate greed
> look inside
> its corporate greed
yeah he's full of it
'Could've been worded better, like "it's not just/mainly corporate greed" or something.
@@LloydDunamis Oh hey, it's the guy who posts Blue Archive OSTs. Nice to see a fellow Sensei here.
@@LloydDunamis I mean, he said exactly that in the first minute, it's pretty hard to miss
Clickbait as usual. He means it's not solely corporate greed. It's corporate greed and slimy business models driven by corporate greed.
25:27 Ah, so per usual over the last 20 years or so, Europe is able to create laws that affect US companies, while here in the US we continue to backslide into dystopia. Wonderful.
European corporations (BMW for one here in Spartanburg county, SC... Greer i think is the town the factory is in) don't have any qualms benefitting from America's semi-feudalistic labor laws though.
I guess it's better in europe because the people insisted?
Pretty much@@JimmyMatis-h9y
So Americans get all the benefits of the European regulations, without the European regulations that have kept Europe's economy shrinking as a % of world GDP since the 50s.
At 15:00, I flew into a rage and starting typing up an essay about why camera lenses are wildly different to computer components - then remembered what channel I'm watching and continued with the video. You addressed all my objections and more, and added a bunch of context specifically from your industrial design experience. Your content is just too damn good, I can't even...
It’s almost like rage comments to and from strangers on the internet aren’t necessary or effective…
I think it’s just a good idea in general to listen to someone’s position in full before trying to argue against them, at least in the sake of fairness if you want them to listen to yours, regardless of who the speaker is
@@KeiS14 couldn't agree more. Someone told me recently to, "Respond, not react." I'm working on it 😂
Sure, society is partially responsible. But a company giving their low end devices only two years of security updates while also locking down their firmware to make 3rd party support impossible... That is 100% corporate greed and needs to be regulated out of existence immediately.
Agree
At least we should be able to replace the battery if not the other parts.
🙏
I have been using phones with old OS for years without being hacked. Old features phones don't get OS updates but they lasts forever. Most of the time OS updates either brick or slow a phone down anyway.
It's also ARM architecture not being as backwards compatible as x86. At one point vendors have to suport a large numbers of incompatible versions of chips and they just drop support
I have been a professional electronics engineer for 25 years. I can tell you that technically it's absolutely NOT difficult to make a product repairable. Also not from a bigger company point of view.
There are some very few exceptions, but I wouldn't count most consumer products for this.
That being said, you have to keep in mind that doesn't mean all repairs will be easy to do and will require skilled people.
Btw being obsessed by new stuff is mostly engrained in western culture and is something companies like to abuse big time.
There are plenty of cultures out there where this isn't a thing at all.
There are also plenty of healthy growing companies out there that don't focus on these things and where products are (relatively) easy to repair.
I mostly agree with this; it's sad how companies like modern Apple have resorted to using strong adhesive and other practices like riveting laptop keyboards in for mass production, adding lots to the difficulty curve of repairing devices. Then when they were forced to comply with Right To Repair, they did it in the most user hostile style that they could legally get away with, to the point where it's still barely worth it for a skilled third-party technician to source parts direct from Apple and go through all the hardware pairing hoops, so essentially Apple have maintained unrepairability through loophole abuse. The "advantage" of having a highly paid legal team I suppose.
> There are plenty of cultures out there where this isn't a thing at all.
I want to go to there.
@@brettito grab your backpack, and see the the world!
yup, in my job service, repair, low cost, reliability, etc. are at the core of what we do and we are cost competitive in our market as well. It's far easier and more affordable to build things to last and be fixable in many cases. and it builds customer loyalty and trust. I love my job.
@@garydiamondguitarist So don't buy an Apple laptop. I haven't. This isn't a real problem.
I tried doing a masters design project on exactly this topic. I felt so hopeless that I physically fell ill and burned out and had to quit the program. The points you raise are spot on. The realisation that most people do not care about this stuff (as much as they think) was heartbreaking. I still feel there is scope to aid designers in decision making within their CAD programs… so might revisit this… wish me luck lol
The other company in computing, other than Framework, people should be looking at is: Fairphone.
They seem to be miles ahead of Framework (they started much earlier).
There is a good reason why people don't care about this stuff, electronics generally get cheaper and better overtime.
The reason why some tech types (like cameras) are more repairable than others is an inherent feature of how that technology works and evolves.
A phone lasting more than 5 years is over engineered, period.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't have the right to repair it, but it also means that the company shouldn't go out of their way to make it repairable. Sacrificing features most people care about to appease a small segment of consumers is illogical.
With very few exceptions all of my tech products have lasted longer than I would want to use them.
I used a Galaxy S3 until 2019 when I replaced it with an S9. All my old laptops still work. As someone here has already pointed out the right to repair crowd is a tiny tiny minority and even most of them dont buy products that match their stated views. The market has already provided either way. Buy a framework laptop
@@loukasfrantzolas6494 "A phone lasting more than 5 years is over engineered, period. "
Stupid opinion. There is no reason for a phone to stop working. Battery wears out, change the battery.
@@aluisious Most people change their phones way before that. Go ahead and see how much an 8 gb ram, 256 ssd phone used to cost back in 2019, and you'll see the reason for this. The average replacement cycle is around 2.6 years for smartphones.
As soon as I see anything pertaining to “right to repair” I immediately think of Louis. Thankfully, he was the first person you mentioned
Yeah, he’s the angry man behind this one. While that’s okay when an important aspect of our lives is being ignored, I think we need to move past that to implementation, and so we need more level-headed advocates.
22:32 - This is a design decision that's INTENTIONAL.
They intentionally don't offer tools to reprogram or SIGHNED firmware for chips....
OMG, you hit the nail on the head! I've been working for big corporations for almost 2 decades. Bureaucracies and incentives, or lack thereof, are the main reason we can't have nice things. Something seemingly super trivial can be a nightmare to implement, not because of technologies, but because of regulations, politics, etc. You don't get credit for making invisible improvements to products. You get credits for delivering new products and fancy features. Designers, engineers, and management are not necessarily bad people. They just respond to the incentives.
Hi John- I just wanted to say that I think you are doing such incredible work with these videos. It seems like I can hear the same 2 takes on every topic from every source and then I watch one of your videos and you address the basic arguments, and then expand the perspective on these really complicated and nuanced issues. It is such amazing work and I think you should be proud. I hope your channel continues to grow into the new year! Keep up the great work!
That's the goal! Providing some nuance. Thanks for the nice comment. I appreciate you watching the vids
Listen, if someone didn't like me because of the phone I use, then they aren't the one for me.
The only things I do with my phone:
1: Phone calls (rare)
2: Text messages (semi-rare)
3: Watching TH-cam videos on break at work (common)
4: Taking photos of things (rare)
5: Taking photos of people (extremely rare if not non-existent)
6: Taking notes (rare)
I don't need the all new top-of-the-line smartphone. I just need a phone that works for what I need, and isn't slow and unresponsive.
Same. I have a 5 year old Samsung Galaxy that I mostly use as an e-book reader, a notepad, a web browser and occasionally for making calls. I actually managed to completely break the display by slamming it in my car door (oops), but instead of throwing the entire phone out, I decided to get an aftermarket display installed and keep using it. I genuinely don't NEED a new phone. The biggest issue I've been running into is forced obsolescence bullshit, where certain apps that worked fine before suddenly refuse to work because the devs decided they're no longer supporting my version of Android and I can't update because newer versions of Android don't support my phone.
Why is that so. god damn hard to find
Dont let this man try playing Balatro on the phone
@@generalrubbish9513 -Just install Linux. I'm sure it'll work just fine.-
They hate you because you don't spend tons of money for a phone like them. You know that in today's world, spending money for useless stuff is considered as being rich?
I actually just bought an AirFryer because the company promised repairability, spare parts and repair for 15 years... Next phone: Fairphone!
You should just try to get your hands on a 2nd hand phone instead.
Which one?
Is that a Fairfryer?
I’ll let myself out.
The is a German company called Tefal. They recently changed policies to allow this kind of repairability
@@our_roadtripTefal indeed. +1
Title: "It's Not Corporate Greed." #1 on list of reasons: "Corporate Greed." (0:33) That there are also other reasons doesn't mean that's not the main reason. It is.
Why Video Titles Are Only Clickbait Anymore (It’s Not Corporate Greed)
You are absolutely right, he's full of crap. His reasons are just excuses. "The company didn't plan for it to be repairable, so they can't change it now, is too late", yeah then why not plan for repairable from the start? Or "would need more lawyers", absolutely trash, if they cared would make it happen.
It's not worth watching the rest of this video, he likely lead with his best...
I love the "don't recommend this channel" button.
I don't understand the timestamp. It says the hardware is sold at a loss so it would make more sense for them to be repairable. That's the exact opposite...
@amazinggrapes3045 that reasoning doesn't, but they just want it to be cheap. Designing something to be repairable and stocking repair parts costs more.
Hey, here is a short story about how this channel influenced my life.
about two years ago i was working as a mechanical engineer wich was okay but i wasn't happy, because i didn't feel any passion in this job.
Then i stumbled along one of your videos and thougt: Hey, Industrial design sounds interesting. So i digged deeep in to your channel and watched every video.
two years later i switched country from swizzerland to germany to study industrial design in the town and university of my dreams.
i am 3months in by now and i just know that it is the perfect thing for me and my future career
I cant describe how happy and grateful i am to be able to say that. because i know what it means to be unsure and insecure about my own future, i had that problem for the two years, before i found out about your channel.
Your passion was the sign to the door of my career as an designer and it really is that way.
Thank you very much for that.
i am 3months into my studying by now and i just know that it is the perfect thing for me and my life.
are you studying for a Bachelor degree? i'm asking because there are also some schools for this that offer a 2 year program, named "Berufskolleg für Produkt-Design" (at least in a south-west town in Germany where i live), but this seems to be, somewhat, only preparatory for the next step, for example „Industrial-Design“ as "Studiengang" at a university.
I think it's awesome that you can now approach industrial design from a mechanical engineering perspective though! Mechanical engineering might not have been the right fit for you, but it makes you an even more valuable designer because you can understand the mechanical needs of the product while designing it so the design is not impractical.
I'm planning to study mechanical engineering next year, but if I had to choose an second option I would choose industrial design, and it's because of this channel
This reminds me of my Wii U, I still use it regularly. Its HDMI port just failed after 10 years of use about a month ago. Thankfully it has a component slot that works with an HDMI adapter otherwise that is about 100+ dollar repair. A used Wii U cost less than the repair.
Replacing an HDMI port can't be so expensive, no way.
@@sonickrnd Uh, YES WAY! I have a 2nd-Gen SE iPhone with a failed Lightning Cable port…bought refurbished and the port had been failing since Day 1. This was quoted as at least an $85 replacement…thankfully the 2nd-Gen SE also had wireless inductive charging as a feature, so instead of spending $85 on a port that I only use for charging, I spent $17 on a portable inductive charger from Wal-Mart which I still use to this day.
That $85 quote was from 2023, probably be a bit more now…
Port replacement can DEFINITELY be expensive, don’t be calling bunk until you’ve checked it for yourself!
@@sonickrndthe expense is in labor, not parts
@sonickrnd that's the quotes I got from local fix shops. Nintendo no longer services the console.
@@sonickrndreplacing an HDMI port isn't easy. The traces and pins are tiny.
My husband uses a flip phone (he's 29, I'm 25) and honestly I've only ever thought highly of him because of it. He's used it since before I met him, and I like it because I felt he was so much more present when we hung out because he wasn't absorbed into his phone. That phone statistic just feels so weird and vapid to me.
I'm on my 4th. I buy them on Ebay. My friends don't care that I'm not cool, because that's not important to them.
Sounds like he's in good habits - be there in the moment, don't doom scroll on your phone kind of thing. Back to basics.
There is a trend among younger generations starting to come through whereby they are going back to old audio standards we used to take for granted like vinyl and cassette, and "dumb" phones which only offer the most basic of features. As someone who is increasingly tired of big companies abusing the notification feature of their apps to distract you constantly (and a lot of them you can't disable ones that don't interest you properly) which is just more noise when you're trying to stay in contact with people, I can definitely see the appeal, in the same way I've always seen the appeal of vinyl - as long as your turntable spins, the stylus is good and your amp and speakers work, you'll get many happy years of music from it.
And what about you, are you absorbed in your smartphone?😂
You’re the 8%
@@classifiedad1 I don't care. I use whatever technology I need, and skip the rest.
1:40 - That's just corporate greed, refusing to hire more people because it's expensive.
...it wasn't the corporate greed... it was the corporate laziness in the routine pursuit of its greed...... so... that's better?
@@mikebaker2436 No, it's efficiency. Why would you hire more people to make a product a certain way when most of the normie consumers don't care.
@@McCaroni_Sup because it's the right thing to do. Going the extra mile makes the world a better place.
But greed usually wins over ofc.
@@handsomebear. Greed is a different sin from Sloth. Don't mix them up.
Thank you sooo much for making this video! I commented on one of your previous videos about how I wanted to hear your thoughts on this specific topic and so glad you covered this! I liked what you said about incentives - that the main incentive is to sell new products not repair, otherwise, they'd make repair seamless - that's something I haven't thought about, until now. There is a relevant video by Johnny Harris about why McDonalds ice cream machines are always broken - that's precisely the case of a company whose main profit is maintenance (the ice cream machine company) - because of that they make the machine extremely glitchy and breakable and block out any user except "certified technician". So yeah, if companies made money through repair, they'd damn ensure you need to repair your products A LOT.
Not being able to get into these products is not the problem. That's a skill issue. Not being able to put new replacement parts, or acquire those parts, or reprogram those parts to be able to complete the repair, that's the issue.
Apple needs to take a play out of caterpillars book. Try buying parts to fix your bulldozer .... They'll sell you any part for any machine they've ever made. But holy hell get ready to bend over
The difference is that heavy construction vehicles *start* in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, they could charge $10k for a part and it would still be more economical to repair than to buy a whole new bulldozer. The same is not true of phones, there’s much less of a threshold to jack up parts prices before the customer is better off just buying a new phone.
For the packaging machines at my plant, just the manual costs TWELVE FRICKING THOUSAND DOLLARS...
I work in K-12 tech, and let me tell ya... I HATE things that can't be repaired. I wish my school would go K-12 with Chromebooks, but that would make our district look "poor." It's a status symbol everyone wants to say "oh look our students have iPads." But then when little Billy smashes his iPad they gawk at the $300 bill sent home to the parents because guess what? We can't repair iPads or the keyboard cases on site. It has to go back to Apple, and if it's worse than just a screen guess what? They don't want it. The best we can do is resell it at a fraction of what we paid.
AND THE F*CKING CASES! OMG! They're utter trash. Everything is glued down between layers of crap. If one key goes bad on the keyboard cases... that's it. There's no fixing it. The whole case is worthless now. And yeah, in theory we're supposed to be able to swap keyboards on the cases but the failure rate of the case half compared to the keyboard half makes that feature absolutely pointless. I'd have hundreds of case uppers without keyboards by now.
And beyond the issue of tech not being durable and not being repairable... kids and parents a like just dgaf if they break it. Don't get me wrong, plenty of parents and kids are protective of the devices. But there's a shockingly large number of people who have zero respect for devices or property of any kind. Especially if it's given to them for basically free.
I remember my mom buying me a calculator for $100 when I went into middle school and she threatened to rip me to pieces if I broke or lost it. I have ADHD. Do you realize how terrified I was of losing that thing??? I graduated high school with that calculator. Hell, I still have it in my memory box with all my grad stuff from the early 2010s.
By making it mandatory that students have devices for their education, we've allowed them to disregard the value of those devices because no matter how many they break, we'll keep giving them more.
Why are students given Chromebooks or iPads in the first place? They won't learn computers that way! You have to give them a Windows or Linux machine or you'll have tech illiterate kids.
@@MsZiomallo School board makes those decisions. Not me
Oddly enough, the tech department as a whole is rarely consulted for these sorts of large arching decisions. We're just the lackeys that make the board's decisions work. It broke my heart pulling the last of the Windows PCs out of the computer science lab.
But my district doesn't want to pay for Windows 11 at scale, and with Microsoft shutting down Windows 10 in 2025, going all Apple looked better financially. So I get it, but you're absolutely right. A vast majority are users and nothing more.
As for the bigger why? Supposedly they do better. They have access to learning apps and services in mass that are designed to help kids review where they're weakest. So lets say you're doing a math review, and they do it on their learning software. Billy in theory gets more time where he needs it because the review software will give him more problems he got wrong previously. While little Susie gets more of a different kind of problem.
All of that is great. But I personally feel the benefits fall off from there. Kids have awful hand writing even into HS. They don't have any sense of perseverance. If an experience isn't on rails for them, like a video or learning module, they zone out and do anything else. Asking kids to skim documents is pointless. They'd rather input the question into google than read the section headings and fill in the blanks of a study guide that literally matches the structure of the document or chapter etc.
I've seen kids literally cry because they didn't want to read an article. They wanted the teacher to just tell them the synopsis instead of creating their own.
I hope I'm just in my "old man yells at sky" phase of life, but I worry that people aren't ringing the alarm bells about this new wave of tech saturation in schools
A separate USB keyboard is fairly inexpensive. I am not well versed in Apple products and the compatibility with existing keyboards. It takes up more space because you're essentially putting a keyboard in front of another keyboard. However, a ruined external keyboard is far easier to replace and more cost-effective.
One of the incentives for repairability was brand loyalty, not only for the consumer, but the retailers that would have to cover the initial warranty period.
But that only really applies when there is competition and honest (ahem) dealings inter-business. Conglomeration contributes massively to disposable culture.
As an engineer, who has designed some complex stuff (autonomous robots), one of the most uninteresting/painful process of design was to make it repairable. I support RTR, but it just is very very hard to meet engineering, manufacturing constraints, forget making it easy for someone who doesn’t understand the product completely be able to repair it. I totally agree on not making something irreparable, but most things, like electronics boards with very mundane microcontrollers become complex, fast.
i see, i'm an engineer too, but why not publish a suitable manual for technicians and inclined users then?
Just use screws instead of glues, and stop soldering everything to the MB.
@ 100% agreed. I think more products should get back to giving comprehensive manuals like in the past.
Having spent my working lifetime in the manufacture of such products, I have seen the sheer difficulty of keeping a product repairable. These devices contain components from a myriad of manufacturers, all of which can cease production of the part you need at short notice. In fact they can often disappear off the market shortly before your product starts volume manufacture. Highly complex microcircuits have a short manufacturing life, they are only economic to make when there are bulk purchases. You can get round this by keeping a dev team redesigning and manufacturing new replacement parts but it gets hellish expensive because the sales are relatively low.
Framework laptops have a market because there are enough enthusiasts who love taking apart their machines and updating them, and the desktop PC market still features highly configurable machines in huge cases. It remains to be seen what will happen as x86 architecture is phased out.
@@rogermuggleton8127 x86 isn't being phased out, in fact the opposite happens, x86 manufacturers have just recently started an advisory group to standardise x86, which may in future become ISO/IEC x86
Understanding how to repair a product before buying it is important. I’ve had my current car for 12 years with over 305,000 miles on it. I was considering getting a brand new vehicle. But inflation has put a damper on things, so I still have my car and I hope I can hang onto it for a littler longer. I didn’t initially realize that the entire front bumper needs to be removed in order to replace the headlights. I don’t have the tools, the know-how nor the desire to replace those myself. So I’ve always gone to the mechanic after I’ve let all but one bulb go bad. Each time it’s been at least a $200 job to replace the high beams and low beams. Well, with this new vehicle I was looking at, I asked the salesman if I can replace the headlights myself and how much it’ll cost. He said no one’s ever asked him that before and he started promoting the three year warranty (like I’m not supposed to keep my car for more than three years…give me a break!) Because LED’s are a thing now, each assembly would cost over $600. You can’t just buy the bulbs alone. I guarantee you, most people aren’t considering how they will replace pieces on their brand new car and how much it’ll cost in the long run. I’ve had mine for so long and have put in a lot of work to keep it running, so I’m more aware of what can potentially go wrong now. I want to be prepared for whenever I get a new (or newer) vehicle, because IT WILL break down at some point. The sad part is, even if I did know what was wrong, I still might not be able to repair it because everything's a computer nowadays.
I love seeing a well maintained, well-worn high-quality bike. It’s definitely a status symbol because the owner was able to put so many kilometers on it. It signals both commitment and purpose.
From my days working in a sea port I know "every part on a shipping container can and will break". Shipping containers aren't high tech, but repairable by any craftsman in a third world country to at least workable condition. Or by unskilled workers with some duct tape, silicone, a big hammer and a random plank of wood in a emergency. Sophiceset to say that most shipping containers look like patch works after 15 years, but are objectively in fully serviceable condition.
"Suffice it to say"
@@dielaughing73 thx
I still have the occasional use of a netbook as a typewriter to this day. It's old, it's slow, it can't do much at all... but it can process words, and it's small and portable. Modern tech to do that is surprisingly expensive.
You failed to mention Fairphone - I fixed my 2019 Fairphone with a new charger module last year, when it by my mistake was drowned in wine... They get 10/10 on fixit.
Thanks for mentioning. I personally hate replacing electronics like phones... my phone, my pcs... once I get them set up just how I want them on every little detail.. they are like extensions of my brain... Not a think I want to start part of from scratch without verrrry good reason lol. Hoping I can keep my now 4 or 5 year old phone going many more years, but when it does die if that place is still around I'll be highly considering them.
What OS does fairphone run, and where can you get a case for them does fairphone sell them or do any other companies support them? (I'm looking into buying one now because of this video just need some more info)
@@TheLostGamer9070 Android, and they guarantee certain years of updates (check the specific phone model), my 2019 3+ still gets updates, think it was launched in 2018. They had a case for my version as well as guerilla glass for the screen, check their website for newer models and accessories/life support program. If you are looking for a top shelf performance, this is not for you - this is tried and stable mid-range hardware, but the repairability weights that up ten fold 😊 For everyday use (browsing, TH-cam, email, music and calling etc) my old version is still fine. Still think you can get batteries for the original Fairphone and version 2 (those are old!).
@@TheLostGamer9070 Fairphone runs android. There's accessories on their website. They don't ship to US I believe.
@@TheLostGamer9070 it comes with an almost stock android, for which they bring out updates regularly. they seem to be pretty open and have lots of information on the forums for running different ROMs, but my impression is to be sure to read about re-locking the bootloader beforehand as some apps (like for banking) don't trust an unlocked bootloader. there are official cases sold by several retailers, but i've only seen a few other companies sell their own. i have a Fairphone myself but i haven't dabbled with custom ROMs yet
One way to fight the "social pressure" is to have unique devices. I choose distinct products that I plan to keep for a while (like amobile phone), that is why I bought ZFlip phone and Edge before that. It takes a while for others to catch up (and iPhone never will) or it stays unique forever.
Also keeping it pristine and clean helps immensly... I can have 5 years old phone, but it is still scratchless and clean like freshly unpacked.
I also keep the original boxes so when I resell my stuff eventually it has everything original, people are shocked that the device has been extensively used and not just recently unpacked.
The problem with Oculas making money on the apps is... it's not a console, it's a different kind of screen + input device. The fact that different VR devices are incompatible with one and other is just another major reason hardly anyone has one.
The quest is one of the better compatible headsets out there, you can play both wired and wireless to your pc. Quest 2 and 3 cover over 55% of the steam VR HW survey.
Pico, Steam, PSVR and Quest players can play multiplayer with each other, it depends on the developer.
The Quest, Pico, and other XR chip-based products are just as much a console as the Nintendo switch or DS with a screen.
As i had the quest1, 2 and now 3 i can say they are quite durable as i use them for weekly workout since each released. All are still in working condition. As any technology there are a certain percentage of defect units, these owners will be the loudest online.
No many other VR manufacturers for the past six years seem to make a lot of progress with their products except the super high end, that's when Meta progressed and got cheap enough for more gamers to try them out.
The quest1 is simply too weak for modern games, it can still be used on a pc, but you will have to endure the screen door effect.
" hardly anyone has one", The quest2 alone has sold over 20million units.
the day i see you not in that jacket, is the day my mind will melt.
I actually am not wearing it right now. If I'm about to go surfing I usually wear a different jacket because I don't want to leave it in the car (don't want it to get stolen while I'm out)
mine from third world countries, built to break and dump at third world countries, then claim self low carbon footprint green country
Classic
I still use a switch 1.0 that I got in 2018 for games that came in 2024 (about 6.5 years later!)
I fixed my Nintendo switch so many times - cleaning, changing sticks and screws and even moved the entire interior of a controller to another.
it's extremely satisfying knowing you didn't break your device but instead you fixed a problem.
You must've put a lot of effort into this video, thanks!
Great video. Totally agree with you.
People kinda look funny at me for using a old Thinkpad but I don't mind, it's certainly a badge of honor for the ones in the know. ♥️🎩
the video at 15:43 is called "My Lens Collection" by KickThePj
Changing the definition of beauty and visual design to include time (durability)...
...at least for products you expect to not be obsolete for 10+ years.
Informative and engaging as usual.
An Interesting design idea is the "hard points" used by the automotive industry.
Essentially those is where the engine goes, the chassis, etc, so the designers will adapt their designs to that
This is why I always buy desktop PC's, I'm used to swapping out parts whenever something is broken or I want to upgrade. It's not that hard, it's like Lego, each part only fits one way. With a little help from TH-cam anyone can repair almost any PC.
One thing to note about 3D printers at 13:43 is that the market is shifting towards more "premium" feeling machines with more custom parts and close-sourced software. It isn't a completely bad thing because the consumers were tired of companies like Creality providing low-effort clones of their own products and new printers developed by Bambu Lab have become a new generation of workhorse machines. These new machines are generally quite repairable for most situations with affordable first-party parts and cheaper third party alternatives, but many of the components don't use standardized and off-the-shelf components. Moreover, we can't be completely sure how long these companies are willing to support these new machines. With the influx of users that want a machine that "just works", it'll be interesting to see if the 3D printer market follows the same trends as other tech industries.
I'm ngl I deeply judge people in the opposite direction - the more their purchasing decisions are clearly swayed by whatever they saw on tiktok or whatever, the less I respect them as a person. I can't imagine buying something because someone paid to force you to waste time out of your life to watch an ad. Like they didn't even pay you, they paid someone else? Tf? "Please, sir, feed me more slop, I love seeing loud annoying adverts designed to make me feel terrible about myself" it's actually so embarrassing. I can't believe a significant number of people are like this.
Oh, low-key ngl I HATE ADS!!!!! 😡🤬 And having to pay to remove them is flat-out EXTORTION! 🤬😡
I feel that. I also judge people when I see that they always cave into the newest trend items or the typical regurgitated ad-speak for the cheapest items possible being promoted as premium. Guys at work get these hilarious mega-cheap chinese flashlights and are like “dude its wireless charging and does 7000 lumens and its got adjustable focus”. Then a week later they have another because it broke.
@@christopheralthouse6378i find ways to remove ads without paying
@@steak-enjoyerduuude.. like.. they have rhose wireless xharger things... duuuude.
@EvilSantaTheTrue hahaha yeah basically. Everytime I show up to work I see some monstrosity on our little shared storage space. Some bright red anodized baseball bat sized flashlight that uses like 6x 18650s
Apple dictating the paradigm for how smartphones are designed is easily what bothers me the most. We could be living in a world where some smart phones take after the design of the nintendo DS where the screens are protected by a clamshell design, but with actual hinges instead of doing the stupid thing where the screen itself folds which sounds like a recipe for even worse durability.
I love you being afraid of Luis Rossman’s rage every time repairability is mentioned 😂
One point missing is the slow destruction of electronics through software updates. For example smartphones: Features disappearing, UI getting slower/laggy, ever increasing apps and system size (instead optimization), camera getting worse photos and getting laggy each update, random errors appearing (specially lost connectivity, wifi and mobile network). Meanwhile the hardware is just as good as new, but you will have to get a new phone!
When will this abuse get recognized?
Thanks!
I sincerely appreciate the donation! Thanks :)
@Design.Theory I remember you mentioning covering R2R a bit ago, glad to see great follow through :)
one great thing about repairability is that it goes hand in hand with customizability. Repairing and customazing are really just the exact same thing, swapping out or changing some parts for different ones that suit your needs better, in the case of repairing ones that work at all.
I've followed this channel for a couple of years now, back when he had maybe 5K subscribers, and it's been a genuine pleasure to watch it grow from basic slideshow type videos into deep dives which cover the good and the bad of design. More recently the channel has started to show a social conscience, and it's inspiring to watch. John is informative and educational, a great content maker.
Easy: make something
Difficult: make something modular
Very difficult: make something modular on industrial scale
Extremely difficult: make something modular at scale and backwards compatible
God level: make something modular, backwards and forwards compatible, at scale that random, unskilled people can cost effectively repair
... like lego
"God level: make something modular, backwards and forwards compatible, at scale that random, unskilled people can cost effectively repair"
this is what I do at my job every day 😀. glad my work is appreciated so highly. Ironically, designing this way is more cost effective too.
The God level is entirely unnecessary though. I.e. we don't need to have products repairable by unskilled people. Cars for example need skilled mechanics to repair and that's okay. Let's not put unnecessary constraints in the repairability of products.
God level: create the molicule decompiler and "money" is nolonger needed and the dump is now the most valuble resource.
@@InTimeTraveller Wrong. Cars used to be repaired, and still are, by unskilled people all teh time. and plenty of "mechanics" out there are still unskilled too.
Why wouldn't a homeowner want to be able to easily fix their appliances? They do.
I am a Mechanical engineer designing cutting edge technology. But the people who build the design in the factory, and service them at the customer site, are unskilled manpower type workers.
Like it or not, 90% of the world's population that builds and services most things, are "unskilled" in the things they are working on.
Where I work, we call it "designing for Gomer". And even engineers screw up things at times during testing. And then we use that as a valuable lesson for new engineers to learn that everyone screws things up eventually, no matter what.
I love designing for Gomer, and it's not that difficult nor expensive for most products.
@@SoloRenegade cars are never repaired by people who have no idea about cars, they are not designed that way and it's ok. In fact there are memes about your "friend who can do it cheaper" and with your car that's asking for trouble. The time when you could just repair a car by yourself at home was when the cars were relatively simple with very few interconnected systems compared to today, basically during the '50s or sth. Modern day cars are way too complex and integrate way too much electronics in order to be able to do that. And with electronic devices that's basically impossible if you have no electronics knowledge.
Having an unskilled person being able to repair a device is a nice to have but not a must have. It's a luxury problem. Let's first get to the point where most of our modern devices are repairable by repair shops and then worry about whether unskilled people can do it.
BTW in factories either you have very strict procedures for operators or you train the operators first or both to manufacture or assemble the products. For repairs you actually have trained engineers.
"not an evil scheme, just bad incentives"
who instates those incentives? who enforces those incentives? if it's bad for their overall business, why do they continue these incentives?
if a criminal were in charge of a corporation, would they not do everything to make themselves as much of the profit as they can? isn't that the definition of greed?
ever bullet point under "corporate greed" is not an individual illness on its own, it's a symptom of the illness of greed; treat the illness and the symptoms go away. so, nah bruh, it all come down to greed. stop making excuses for evil people.
You are exactly the type of people might cause the problems you hate. You don't want to understand the intricate nature of these problems, just act upon your entitlement of what should be the case, and anyone dare to dismiss is instantly labeled as "evil" in your logic, exactly as these people - why waste energy to do something that many won't appreciate, just whiny about?
I think some technophiles have a non-conscious need to idolize tech billionaires: "He didn't MEAN to do it! Let me explain..." This video comprises great detailed information with a biased conclusion.
harsh but fair
@@dayelu6028you entirely missed the point of his comment. It is both systemic and individual. And while the system is important, there's no reason to pretend that immoral people aren't also involved.
This isn’t a top down problem. It’s bottom up. Most people don’t repair anything in America. Literally nothing. That’s means that the market doesn’t value repairability. So the companies don’t focus on it. It’s that’s simple. It will only change when we, the consumers as a collective, decide to change it.
Flip phone FTW! (Also, added Framework into the brand mix in my laptop search thanks to this video. Cheers John et al.)
I adored the channel before, but I absolutely love it now! Thank You for making such incredible content and talking about such important topics. Keep up the amazing world. Thanks again
I still use a flip phone to this day! I might make the switch soon, not because I dislike flip phone technology, but because the internet is leaving me behind. It's a struggle to even check emails on the darn thing thanks to new interfaces and layers of security checks. Captchas also regularly screw me over. The worst is, of course, when mobile websites don't actually let you use the website, and refuse you access unless its through the mobile app.
More and more corporates use even penal laws to prevent people from repairing products. One of them is, contemporary legal scholars have discovered, a purchase does not necessarily constitute property. A licence for use is enough, whenever a product has feature, available only by subscription. Modifying or repairing such a product ist like manipulating a rental car. Furthermore, we have the DMCA. Whenever a component is protected by a commercial encryption, breaking it constitutes a crime. Since legal departments decide more and more things within corporates, things get even worse. Until we will run out of ressources within a couple of decades.
7:55 Here's the revolutionary alternative: Don't consort with superficial people.
Everybody is superficial in some aspects of their life. E.g. while I know and care enough about several technical topics to be able to teach them, I don't even want to know the details of how you run a hotel or a store - I want to be able to trust those people to do a good job. I can totally get why a non-techie just parrots the "Shiny Apple good, old flip-phone bad" attitude from TV - I do the same: hotel X has good reviews, I'll book it. I have a lot of very sophisticated friends who don't give a flip about why I think Linux is better than Windows or Mac - I don't want to unfriend them, they are (otherwise) good people.
All I'm asking is that they make parts available to repair shops and get rid of those warranty voiding stickers inside their products so you can have your system repaired without voiding your warranty. Then the repair shops can figure out how to fix the products regardless of difficulty level. That's all I'm asking for.
Very good points, and a nuanced take on the issue. As a design engineer I see these issues from the manufacturing side and making things repairable is not always easy. From the consumer side, two personal experiences: 20 years ago I considered buying a titanium mountain bike frame. If I had, that frame would have still been in great condition, but it would be too small, the angles would be wrong and it would not fit modern wheels or forks. It would have been "unrepairable", not becuse it was technically impossible, but because the design of mountain bikes has moved on. The other example is my Concept II rowing machine. I have a 1980's model (I think) that I bought second hand. WHen I needed spare parts, I went on their website and found that they still stock parts for my machine. 30 years on! I will never buy another brand if I can find a Concept II next time I need on. Of course, that may take a while since I can keep it running...
I worked with somebody who used a dumb phone, Nokia 1100 sort of thing. I really really respected him for that.
I think those stats about old phones are going to change, as smart phones have become a commodity item. The industry isn't bringing anything really interesting to the table, more and more people that I talk to don't see any value in newer phones. OTOH, they do complain that phones are too large now and...a non-trivial number are with me on wishing that phones with keyboards would come back.
I MAY self-select likeminded people >_>
TBF, buying new laptops or monitors from lenovo also sucks, there are so many similar products with hard to get differences
There are so many channels where I feel like ive Just been exploited for Attention and for playing ads etc. But this channels Just feels so right and great to Watch. I love your charakter so much. Ty for uploading Videos like this.
There is an interesting study which shows that up to 20% of the new price of a product is the upper limit of what a repair is allowed to cost psychologically. E.g.: as a new washing machine costs ~350$ hourly wage of the repair man is going over this treshold. This is why repair no longer an alternative to replace. Robert Pirsig said it correctly in Zen and the Art of Motercycle Maintanance: you only think about the value of an object you own once it has broken down. The only option companies can viably offer is to offer the modules with the highest failure risk only, at below this 20% cost treshold, and to make these self-replacable. The washing machine company should thus only offer the motor module, the pump module and maybe the PCB as a self contained module.
Dude, excellent insight! You got yourself a new subscriber. Your analysis of this topic covers everything from business theory to human psychology, and opened my eyes to perspectives I had never considered. Thank you!
I feel something that shows the devaluing of repairability overall in American culture is peoples ability to mend clothes. Most people don't know how to sew or have very limited knowledge (i include myself in this). I like punk culture because overall people value repair. Having something you fixed or modified is better then getting something new. though i feel we both don't have as much time to do repairs in the modern day and clothes are made cheaply so it is not seen as worth it to repair most clothes.
The thing about repairability is this: I own a 50s vintage tube-radio. As repairable as you can possibly get, only the most basic tools required, most parts are either commonly available or basically indestructible, you even have a printed schematic of the circuit pasted to the inside. But even back then repairs were done mostly by professionals. You took your radio to a shop to have it serviced. For your TV, there even were dedicated technicians on call. An 80s TV, still with mostly discreet components, still being servicable mostly with basic tools and common parts, absolutely required the attention of a specialist, and even then complete board-swaps were done by lower-skilled technicians.
What I'm trying to say: modern devices are so complex, and simply by virtue of integration and size requires specialized tools (I'm not talking about pentalobe screws or their ilk, but merely tiny screws an the screwdrivers required, or the means to perform precise, miniscule soldering with sensitive components), so most repairs must be done by trained specialists. And simple economics, even with perfectly accessible supply-chains and publicly available manuals, will make repairs nearly as expensive as replacement, as technicians will demand the highest price they can.
Its corporate greed, always has been.
I'm a little delirious from being sick...I thought I clicked on a video with John Travolta was hosting for a moment as soon as I saw that flip-phone together with that leather jacket and hairdo look.
Im actually running into this right now with an Acer Nitro 5. Apparently it is OBSCENELY common for the power MOSFET to burn up because it doesn't have a heatsink. And because it's soldered directly to the motherboard it takes the entire board with it (Unless you are a wizard with a hot air rework station).
This problem plagued even my generation despite about a dozen prior board revisions! I call it "Defective by design" and am currently trying to build my own heatsink for the sucker out of scrap aluminum sheet
One of the most educative videos I have ever watched. I was transfixed by the logical way the story was told, and it made me pause and examine the things I do and buy. I am sending the link to as many of my colleagues who would appreciate the thoughtfulness and care that went into the video. Subscribed.
1. Lenovo, or rather, the ThinkPad line of products, have a long history of being repairable. For 20 or so years, they have been publishing the hardware maintenance manual for their ThinkPad products. Through it, I have been able to repair and replace parts (if they fail at all), over the past decades.
2. Lenses are far simpler than hardware. It is easy to shim old lenses to new bodies. It is practically impossible to say, make an old ISA port compatible with Thunderbolt 4.
21:44 I would argue this is a weakly-supported dichotomy that most engineers have, that a product will compromise UX or cost if repair is given too much priority.
Might be time for a culture change, so long as your business model can profit from selling spare parts, you will create the internal incentive structure necessary for good designs and efficient manufacture of the product.
I doubt most companies can make a profit from selling spare parts. It’s inherently a low-volume market (your company has way bigger issues if it isn’t), and stocking old parts isn’t free. The companies that do have good aftermarket parts service are likely taking a small financial hit in the name of customer loyalty. And even then that’s more likely to be in the realm of B2B products where the sticker cost is MUCH higher.
The automotive industry LIVES from repairability by supporting their cars for DECADES
10:10 Nah, the Nintendo 3DS is the actual cutest thing ever and it still maintains a decent level of repairability 🎉
I feel there’s an odd fascination of showing no screws to make a product appear more clean but then use a shit Ton of adhesive to make them inconvenient to fix now. The old galaxy active phones had removable backs and were still waterproof and they had headphone jacks. Now we got one port and no memory card slots.
This video is very very good, one chapter would be itself an entire video from another youtuber, you really made an excellent paper, you went to all corners, excellent writing
Let’s go right to repair woo
The "product architecture" timestamp is a very good point.
It doesn't make much sense to think about repairability for products that are in a rapidly evolving domain, since they're essentially prototypes, and nobody bothers to repair a prototype - it's usually outlived it's purpose long before it breaks. So I'd argue that repairability can only be reasonably expected of product domains that are established and stable. Such as phones, laptops, computers, cameras, vehicles, etc. And I think it's already pretty neat that at least the latter 4 care about repairability to some extent or other. I would mention fairphone but they're a tiny player.
That being said, I mostly disagree with your view that thinness and lack of manufacturing marks make for 'higher quality' feeling products only because that's what companies have conditioned you to think. Thinness and lightness are hugely important for portability, so it makes sense that phones and laptops aim to be as thin and light as possible. And while a lack of visible manufacturing marks is in many ways an aesthetic criteria (I, personally, *love* seing the nuts and bolts of how something is assembled so it certainly doesn't work on me) it's also very important for dust and water proofing. And because those devices have to be packed so tight in order to make them thin and light, which is, as I said, a practical advantage, they're hard fo repair go begin with, so making concessions to water and dust proofing just to make them slightly less impossible to repair makes little sense in my opinion.
So yes, I love repaiable stuff, but I don't quite think phones should be our main focus when talking about repairability. Now, I may be wrong and there might indeed be ways to have great repairability *and* performance, I just doubt it very much.
Oh, it’s more than a little bit corporate greed.
Ou yea Mr. Design Man with another +25min video, somethink to watch while maintaining my X260 Thinkpad
I'm very proud to be watching this on a Framework 16. I'm really hoping my next phone will be something repairable, but the only real options are Fairphone and Pixel, which both have their own drawbacks.
I'm totally willing to spend the money on ethical products that will last longer. I just wish they were more popular.
Same reason I stick with Prusa for my 3D printing stuff. They're just more forward-thinking when it comes to being consumer-first.
My best friend has used a 16GB iPhone SE from 2016 up until the start of this year where it got too slow to load her bus app. Anyone who can make that work has my entire undivided attention. I must be one of the only people who looks at someone with the newest, most expensive iPhone and judge them negatively on it. To me, people using old gear are smart. People who must have the latest and greatest are just to accepting of the dystopian reality we live in.
Big thanks for yet another stellar video! Ever since reading The design of everyday things, industrial design only seems to get more and more interesting. Really cool to learn more about all the choices that play a part in getting to a final design, not just functionality and aesthetic. Your videos are great fun to watch all while learning a ton, thanks a lot! Would love to hear your thoughts on everyday objects or designs that have lasted long (mayby due to tradition or "okay enough" mentality) but might have become dated and could use an update or alternative.
Just wanted to say I thought that this video was remarkably fair-minded, and credible because you have real-world experience. Your best one yet. Thank you.
Semi-seriously: can you also do an exploration about our health care system? Boy, do we need one of those, especially after the disturbing events of the past week.
We all need to slow down and think.
8:00 my dad hung onto one of those early-10s phones with a slide-out keyboard until his phone carrier mad him upgrade to a smartphone, in 2022
"Here's one example" goes fucking HARD
lol
In a world where there is a critical shortage of nuance and reason, what a breath of fresh air this is. There is now a total of ONE video I would recommend to anyone who misunderstands why, e.g., phones don't have removable batteries anymore.
1:59 this basically sums it up really well. Most people work 9-5 (some people work more, odd hours) and prioritize whatever gets them promo as soon as possible, usually stuff like a11y and cleaning technical debt gets you nothing at all, heck it might even make you easier to lay off.
Great video in many ways! I am both a DIYer but also getting older and "I just want it to work," so you have helped me better appreciate the tension at all levels, especially with incentives. Un/Sustainability is really growing on me: every time I open a can, or toss a plastic container, I'm thinking "I don't want to throw this away, but I really can't keep it either: I wish we could go back to reusable containers and such" (a similar problem with similar elements). It's very much our society, BUT our society is all of us. I would love to see a "Woods the Owl" campaign to help shift our mindset into more sustainable ways. You're right about the specialized tools and skill required to repair consumer electronics these days (I've designed and supported computer products before). I am shifting my lifestyle to try to make what I own last longer (like only charging my phone to 80% of battery capacity (instead of 100%) in order to help it last for it's multi-year software support period). AND I'm simply keeping my 2008 car in good repair so (hopefully) it will be my last vehicle (I'm in my sixties now). Anyway! Awesome video - I learned a lot, and I'm already an architect & engineer in a tech field! 😊💜😊💜😊
As a RtR advocate, I think it needs to be said that Louis and RtR group in general is not interested in controlling how companies build things. You don't even need to supply parts yourself. Just don't go out of your way strangling suppliers to make sure they are not selling parts to 3rd parties. Also, stop "circuit board is IP" BS.
It can be the most unrepairable thing ever with underfills, glues-galore, and everything paired to every other part exponentially. As long as parts can be bought, schematics and pairing tools are available, it passes what RtR wants.
Holy moly, I was not expecting such an in-depth and thorough explainer from this video. I thought I knew a lot about right to repair but much of your information seems to be first-hand research. Amazing work!
Another very influential reason for repairability is also manufacturing. It's already complex to design a product; now you gotta consider how to make that design scalable for production. Designers sometimes forget that their grand designs should make sense in manufacturing.
Then there's the fact that products sometimes are never intended to be touched by human hands. That's why they are so delicate cuz a machine can easily handle them and solder in the exact precise points required AND the reason for them to be so delicate is cuz people won't buy bulky products.
Still, we let companies get too confortable and of course they took advantage of it. Why wouldn't they? It started as us not giving a crap about repairability but if we care they are gonna care eventually when we put pressure on them.
once again , a great informative video , you nailed it with all the aspects , great work !
"Corporate disfunction" made me smile, because it's true... 😂
I'm about halfway through your video and to be honest, your arguments that non repairability is not about corporate greed are pretty much just semantics. You could probably argue that on the individual level, most corporations are not conspiring to rob their consumers blind, but at the large-scale level, that is essentially what's happening. KPI's are set by corporations. Corporate structure is set by corporations. They decide to draw the line of when a design is finished just before it becomes repairable, and they also decide whether their replacement products are going to be accessible to purchase, in your own words, based on how much money it can make. In other words, greed. They are also the ones that make the multi-million dollar advertisements that tell people that having a shiny new phone is the coolest thing and that you're a loser if you don't have one. They could just as easily market that their products are sturdy and capable, so therefore if your boyfriend has one, it means he's a modern day cowboy. If there's any point that you're really converging on, it's that the system of capitalism itself sets the rules that all of these corporations have to go by and also promotes the kind of greedy behavior that lets the worst kind of people rise to the top.
This is a very difficult topic that most right to repair advocates won't discuss fully. Even though it can be fun to rage at companies and their greedy practices, it's important to fully address the real issues with repairability- especially when it's partially our own fault, too. Thank you for another insightful essay.