https://www.ifixit.com/News/80357/how-and-why-to-choose-repairability
"Let’s face it: stuff breaks. Whether from accidental damage, like sharing a
drink with your keyboard; or from wear and tear, like a cracked screen or a
drained phone battery, stuff eventually stops working. That’s normal. The
components in our devices have a finite lifespan, which means that at some
point they break. Some wear out faster than others: the filters in a vacuum
cleaner may clog before the motor or the battery on your laptop may lose charge
before the storage drive fails. But regardless of how it happens, at some
point, stuff breaks.
We rely on our stuff day in and day out to move through our daily lives. So,
repairing them makes sense. Yet, deciding on whether to repair when something
breaks isn’t always easy. There are often barriers to repair. Poorly designed
devices are hard to get into. Lack of access to tools, parts, or instructions
can make repairs impossible. Not to mention the sweet seduction of purchasing
that shiny new device. All of which make device replacement a more attractive
option. So, what makes repairing more compelling than replacing our devices?
Repairing is good for the planet and our future. Keeping devices in use instead
of buying new ones reduces waste, minimizes the burden on material resources,
requires less energy, reduces pollutant emissions, and honors the efforts of
the device creators. As you might know, there are a lot of ethical concerns
around mineral extraction and manufacturing of electronic devices. So,
repairing the things we own–instead of buying new ones–is an effective way to
contribute to sustainability. It means making a more responsible use of the
Earth’s resources, reducing demands on unfairly treated workers, and taking a
step toward a brighter future with less waste.
We all want to do what’s right for the planet, but that’s not the only reason
to repair. Repair is more economical than replacing a new device. Whether we do
the repairs ourselves or seek professional assistance, repairing a device is
generally cheaper than buying a new one. Thanks to the internet, we now have
access to repair instructions shortly after a device breaks. All we need to do
is find the instructions and wait for the spare parts to arrive. No
appointments, no waiting in lines, and no need to travel to the store.
Moreover, repairing devices also means that we are making the most out of
them—and we are not replacing them too soon. Despite marketing strategies that
tell us differently, devices are designed and built to last longer than we
often guess. Research shows that we tend to underestimate the expected lifetime
of our appliances, leading us to replace them sooner than necessary. By
repairing them, we can keep them valuable and usable for longer, and make the
most out of them."
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
