The Week in Repair: March 20-26
Mac Studio software blocks SSD swaps, sparking debate. John Deere, facing pressure, says it will provide access to service manuals. Also: wheelchair users seek right to repair in Colorado.
📊 FAST FACTS: The State of Repair in U.S.
7 in 10 voters support a proposed law that would protect the ‘right to repair’ according to a recent poll. (Morning Consult)
The average cost of auto repair in February was $501 — the highest since data collection began three years ago. (Kelly Blue Book)
The cost of farm equipment is rising. According to a recent report by e-commerce company Big Iron, there was a 35% increase in the value of all their farming equipment, reflecting a broader increase in the rising cost of purchasing equipment. (RFD TV)
Explaining the Mac Studio’s removable SSDs, and why you can’t simply swap them out
Because the Studio's SSD slots aren't compatible with regular M.2 SSD sticks that you might use in a PC, YouTuber Luke Miani decided to test the Studio's removable storage by swapping storage from one Studio into another. He found that, while the drives are physically swappable, his Mac Studio wouldn't boot after the fact—the desktop's power LED would only flash an amber-colored "SOS" pattern. This persisted both when he tried to install the second SSD module in the Studio's second storage slot and when he tried to install an SSD from one Studio into the other Studio's main SSD slot.
"What Apple is doing here with the Mac Studio is simply inexcusable," Miani concluded. "Apple does not care about your right to repair, make no mistake. What we've seen here today is that Apple is intentionally, deliberately restricting your access to your own device. In my opinion, this is actually worse than soldering the storage onto a logic board." (arstechnica.com)
Also read:
Some users are taking more extreme measures by buying aftermarket MacBook Pros instead (Creativeblog.com)
Mac Studio SSD Swap Sparks Controversy, Sparks Right to Repair Debates (Macobserver.com)
The Mac Studio is impossible to upgrade, Apple has locked everything down to the SSD! (Hitechwiki.com)
Under pressure, John Deere says it will provide access to repair manuals
Amid pressure from lawmakers, regulators, shareholders and civil lawsuits, Deere & Co. announced on Monday that it would improve farmers’ access to repair resources needed to fix their equipment. Part of the larger “Right to Repair” debate, PIRG's research partner U.S. PIRG Education Fund and other critics have exposed how Deere restricts access to resources that farmers need to conduct repairs, pushing farmers to rely solely on dealerships for certain repairs on their equipment.
Specifically, Deere said it would “roll out an enhanced customer solution that includes a mobile device interface, and the ability to download secure software updates directly to embedded controllers on select John Deere equipment with 4G connections.”
The company also pledged to make embedded code available, however only on “select” equipment, and only through wireless 4G connections. (USPIRG.org)
♿ Two bills aim to ease wheelchair repair process for Coloradans
House Bill 22-1290 would cut down on the steps Medicaid recipients need to go through for a repair by prohibiting the healthcare policy and financing department from requiring prior authorization for repairs.
House Bill 22-1031, meanwhile, would create a "right to repair" law and allow wheelchair users to either make repairs on their own or go to an independent mechanic for help. (thedenverchannel.com)
🇺🇦 DIY Volunteers Repairing Ukraine’s Destroyed Internet Infrastructure
Approximately 2,000 professional Ukrainian operators are working to aid the effort to fix broken internet infrastructure and provide communication services, and hundreds of civilians have additionally volunteered to help repair and rebuild the country’s internet infrastructure, according to Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine.
This means reconnecting or laying new fiber cables, restoring power, and getting creative to keep people online. The agency has referred to those doing this work as the “invisible heroes” of the war effort—people risking their lives to put back together fiber optic cables and mobile stations so that the nation can remain in contact with the outside world. (vice.com)
EU targets Big Tech with sweeping new antitrust legislation
The EU has unveiled its biggest ever legislative effort to balance competition in the tech world. The new Digital Markets Act, or DMA, is intended to rein in the power of the largest tech corporations and allow smaller entities to compete with the mostly US-based firms. So far, the EU has tackled antitrust issues on a case-by-case basis, but the DMA is intended to introduce sweeping reforms that will address systemic issues in the whole market. (theverge.com)
U.S. judge rules Apple must face claims it bars third-party Apple Watch heart rate apps
A U.S. federal judge on Monday said Apple must face a Silicon Valley company’s claims it illegally monopolized the American market for heart rate monitoring apps for its Apple Watch. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said AliveCor Inc, whose SmartRhythm app alerts users to irregular heartbeats, could try to prove that Apple violated federal antitrust law based on its alleged “complete control” over the market for such apps. (Macdailynews.com)
📣 Aftermarket groups promote federal ‘right to repair’ act
The president and CEO of the Auto Care Association (ACA) and president and COO of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) have thrown their public support behind H.R. 6570, also known as the “Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair,” or REPAIR Act.
Both argued that the REPAIR Act is necessary to protect the ability of the aftermarket to maintain and repair vehicles, acknowledging that access to repair and maintenance information has been protected by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by vehicle manufacturers in 2013. However, they argued that telematics technology gives OEMs the ability to restrict access, despite the MOU’s guarantee. (repairerdrivennews.com)
SecuRepairs wins Free Software Foundation Social Benefit Award
SecuRepairs, which produces the Fight to Repair newsletter, was the winner of the Free Software Foundation’s Award for Projects of Social Benefit, which is presented to a project or team responsible for applying free software, or the ideas of the free software movement to benefit society.
SecuRepairs helps to provide factual advice on information security issues like data privacy as they pertain to repairing devices and software, and works to help combat the anti-right-to-repair narrative spread by certain large hardware manufacturers.
“Right to repair is about declaring once and for all that we are the owners of our stuff: our phones, our laptops, our home appliances, television sets, automobiles, and farm equipment. We are not tenants of multinational corporations who want to sell us things and then dictate the conditions and terms under which we can use them,” said Paul Roberts, the founder of SecuRepairs. (sdtimes.com)
Bipartisan Senate bill could make right to repair a national mandate
On March 14, Sens. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced Senate Bill 3830, the Fair Repair Act. If passed and signed into law, the bill will require Apple and other electronics manufacturers “make available certain documentation, diagnostic, and repair information to independent repair providers, and for other purposes.” (Macobserver.com)
See also: Senators from both parties push right to repair law (Law360)
Former Tesla employee opens EV third party repair shop in Seattle
Meet Carl Medlock of Medlock & Sons in Seattle. Previously a territory manager for Tesla, from 2009 to 2013, he helped the then-fledging start-up deliver and service its low-volume Roadster. After leaving Tesla, he took his knowledge of EVs and opened a repair shop that quickly became the key place in the Pacific Northwest for owners having problems booking service for their electric cars. (cnbc.com)
Local farmers weigh in on agricultural right to repair bill
“Much like everything else in our modern lives, tractors, combines and all sorts of agricultural equipment run on software,” Janet Domenitz, director MassPIRG, said in a recent webinar, where she introduced the research group’s latest report, Deere in the Headlights II. “The implementation of new technology should be helping farmers increase their yields, make their operations more efficient. … But manufacturers withhold certain software tools necessary to fix agricultural equipment.”
In Wendell, Anne Diemand Bucci, co-owner of Diemand Farm, said at this point, the farm on Mormon Hollow Road is spared by the fact it operates primarily with older equipment.
“Newer tractors have computers,” she said. “That’s making it so farmers can’t do their own repairs. … At some point, it will affect us.” (amherstbulletin.com)
Here’s what others are saying:
"We all know that family farmers are the backbone of this country. Without family farm agriculture, we wouldn't have the kind of food security we need to support our democracy," said Senator John Tester. Earlier this year, Tester introduced his Agriculture Right to Repair Act to finally guarantee farmers the right to repair their own equipment and end current restrictions on the repair market.
🇪🇺 European Parliament Passes Repair Resolution
A draft resolution on the right to repair is due to be voted on by MEPs in April. Parliament has stressed in several instances the importance of the right to repair for consumers as a key pillar of the Circular Economy agenda in the framework of the EU Green Deal. The Commission announced that it is considering to present a separate legislative proposal on the right to repair during the third quarter of 2022. The key components of the resolution include:
A focus on the design of products, so that they last longer (and can be fixed) as well as labeling to better inform consumers and extending guarantee rights.
Ensuring greater access to repair services
Incentives for consumers to choose repair over replacement
Australian right to repair regulations track for July 1 launch
Australian car owners are set benefit when the Morrison Government right to repair reforms to bring down the cost of service and repair commence on July 1. The Australian Parliament passed the right to repair law last year.
The reforms will establish a mandatory scheme for car manufacturers to share motor vehicle service and repair information with independent repairers at a fair market price. (collisionweek)