Daily Authority: 🔨 Right to repair

🎬Good morning and welcome to Monday’s Daily Authority. The weekend flew by, and it’s hard to believe it’s Monday already. But I’m looking forward to seeing The Lost King at the movies tomorrow night. First though, the day’s top tech news…

AA‘s Robert Triggs recently shared some insights into repairing a piece of modern tech when his Sony WH- 1000XM3 battery died and lost all Bluetooth and ANC functionality.

• Getting hold of replacement parts is difficult and repairability seems like an afterthought. As Rob says, “Lithium batteries eventually stop working; that’s just the nature of battery technology. Their capacity slowly reduces, voltages fall, and eventually, they can’t be charged. In fact, the battery is almost certainly the reason a number of your portable gadgets eventually end up in the trash. Batteries typically only last three years or so, and replacing them can often lead to many more years of use from an old gadget.”
• He continues, “Sony doesn’t sell WH-1000XM3 battery replacements, and there’s no transparent pricing about out-of-warranty repairs from one of its trusted partners (guaranteed it’ll be outrageously expensive). Instead, I had to source a third-party alternative.”
• Sourcing third-party alternatives is not only more expensive than it should be, it also requires some knowledge of battery capacities and voltages to ensure you’re purchasing a suitable battery.
• Then there’s the actual task of replacing the battery: Though it’s not massively complicated, it could prove too daunting for inexperienced DIY-ers. You’ll need a third-party guide to walk you through the steps, and it’s all too easy to accidentally damage other parts during the repair.
• This could all be made easier if Sony stocked essential replacements.

Replaceable batteries should be mandatory

In an age where we’re all trying to minimize our impact on the planet, it seems counter-intuitive that we’re being forced to bin gadgets when they stop working and replace them with something new.

• Rob says, “Replacing basic parts should be a familiar and simple part of long-term ownership. The money saved, while certainly welcome, is just half of the picture. Had I thrown these headphones in the garbage, the plastics and circuitry would have pointlessly clogged up the local landfill. Furthermore, I would have bought another pair, unnecessarily consuming more of those very same precious metals and other resources I’d have just discarded.”
• There’s a clear argument for replaceable batteries, though there’s a cost factor, and it would likely mean sacrificing a few design aspects, plus possibly fast charging and water resistance.
• But if manufacturers built products to last — and sold spare parts — consumers would likely pay a bit more upfront, and fewer gadgets would end up in a landfill.
• Rob finishes, “Although this argument is compelling from a consumer standpoint, there’s still little profit or even social incentive for companies to provide long-term repairability support. Being seen to launch something new is still more important than being sustainable (unless you’re Nokia, it seems). Innovation’s plateau, environmental concerns, and the sheer cost of the latest products have completely convinced me that the right-to-repair movement’s push for accessible components, tools, and user manuals is more important than ever.”

What do you think? Do you ever repair gadgets yourself? Vote in our poll and let us know.

We can’t help you with your dark sense of humor, but we can help you get a better night’s sleep and reduce your stress levels, which research shows could reduce dementia risk.

Until tomorrow,

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.