repair/replace

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to iOS 10.2.1, many iPhone 6 users found their devices started to run much slower. John Poole, creator

ANATOMY OF THE iPHONE

POST-USE LIFE

THE APPLE MODEL

After upgrading

of Geekbench, software designed to measure system performance, ran tests which

geekbench.com

seemed to confirm that the new software update was

glued parts Parts are often glued to allow for a thinner, lighter device, but this impacts their repairability.

throttling the phone’s CPUs. Users later discovered that replacing the battery would fix the problem. Apple claimed the software behaviour was to prevent random

part-pairing This system involves manufacturesrs putting a serial number on a spare parts. If a spare part is not first registered using manufacturer-created software, the device will reject the part and not function. Inofrmal repair is thus forced to become hacking.

iPhone 6 - Raw Materials Sulfur Tantalum 0.44 g 0.02 g Tin Lead 0.66 g 0.04 g Phosphorus 0.03 g

Titanium Tungsten 0.02 g 0.30 g

Vanadium 0.04 g Zinc 0.69 g

Silicon 8.14 g Aluminum 31.14 g

Oxygen 18.71 g

Molybdenum 0.02 g

Arsenic 0.01 g

Nickel 2.72 g

Manganese 0.29 g Hydrogen 5.52 g

Magnesium 0.65 g Lithium 0.87 g

Bismuth 0.02 g

Carbon 19.85 g

Gallium 0.01 g

Potassium 0.33 g

Gold 0.01 g

Iron 18.63 g Cobalt 6.59 g

Copper 7.84 g Chrome 4.94 g

Calcium 0.44 g

total weight 129g

Chlorine 0.01 g

"While some brands salvage components such as chips that can be used to repair faulty phones, Apple has a fulldestruction policy," “No reuse. No parts harvesting. No resale.” Apple shreds its devices to prevent fake Apple products from making their way to the secondary market

shutdowns due to old batteries, but many believe the lack of disclosure indicates that Apple were trying to force users to buy new devices. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, later blamed users for “not paying attention” to their update

front camera copper tin gold steel

policy. He claimed that they had disclosed the effects of the software update to users, however Apple later

rear camera

copper tin gold rare earth materials

admitted in a letter to the US senate that the feature had been rolling out to customer iPhones for a month before

main logic board tin gold copper silver tungsten tantalum silicon phosphorus

antenna

steel copper rare earth materials

it was added to the update’s release notes or disclosed to the press. The only reference to it in the release notes was: “Improves power management during peak

workloads to avoid unexpected shutdowns.” Attorney in the consumer’s interests, they would have informed

Apple have threatened individuals who shared repair schematics online with prosecution and trademarked spare parts to maintain their monopoly

them that the problems caused by the update could be solved by a battery replacement. The fact that they did not inform the consumer of this solution confirms the company were hoping for user’s to discard their old

PROGRAMMED OBSOLESCENCE

phones and buy new ones. Several lawsuits were filed, with Apple recently fined $27 million in France.

pentalobe security screw Apple introduced this tamper-proof screw of its own invention in 2009. Genius bar workers would replace all of the Phillips screws on a device brought in for repair with pentalobe screws. Official apple repairers are not allowed to sell the screwdriver, although they are relatively easy for unofficial repairers to replicate.

BARRIERS TO REPAIR

the genius bar Apple’s official repair shop has been known to overcharge customers for simple repairs; users often find that repairing thier device is similar in price to buying a new one. An undercover investigation by CBS news found that to fix a macbook’s darkened screen, the genius bar quoted around $1200 - the staff member pointed out this was close to the cost of a new laptop. A local repair shop fixed the screen in under two minutes and that he wouldn’t even have charged for that service.

apple policies are geared towards encouring buying new devices; trade-in credit is much lower than retail value

screen

TRADE-IN

Rising amounts of e-waste is a rapidly growing problem, both in terms of emissions and the impact of extractive processes. Strategies to recycle used devices help, but the materials in a device can never be recovered completely and a lot of emissions are created in both the manufacturing and recycling processes. Strategies to increase the lifespan of devices therefore have a greater impact on their sustainability. Business models of companies like Apple, however, try to limit the repairability of the devices as encouraging users to buy new devices is ultimately more profitable.

SUSTAINABILITY 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste was produced globally in 2019. By 2050, the volume of e-waste could top 120 million tonnes annually.

The average lifespan of smartphones in the UK 2020 was 33.6 months.

FORMS OF RESISTANCE

REPAIR / REPLACE

Shana Scarlett further argues that if Apple been working

restriction of information and parts

DAISY, disassembly bot

aluminium silicon/oxygen potassium tin rare earth materials

battery

colbalt carbon lithium aluminium

vibrator assembly tungsten rare earth materials neodymium nickel iron boron

dock flex tin gold copper

speaker

neodymium nickel iron boron rare earth materials

enclosure aluminium steel

right to repair movement The right to repair movement proposes legislation that would provide the practical means for equipment owners to repair their devices. The movement is mostly centred in the US, the UK and the EU. Advocates observe that while repair is legal under copyright law and patent law, owners are often prohibited from making their own repairs or hiring technicians they trust to help by manufacturer limitations on access to repair materials such as parts, tools, diagnostics, documentation and firmware. The movement calls for repairability in the design of devices and in access to spare parts and tools (includding software), without hinderance through software programming or witheld information from the manufacturer.

various small victories in europe and america

gaffar market, west delhi framework laptop; fariphone; teracube technologies centered around the idea of easy repair, upgrade and customization. Features include use of standardised screws, freely available schematics and modular technology.

ALTERNATIVE TECH

In Austria and certain regions of Germany, local authorities are offering financial incentives to users who take their devices to be repaired. In july, Biden issued an executive order to address competition problems in the US economy. Though mostly focused on agriculture and other industries, the order calls out a range of anti-competitive practices affecting the technology sector, including repair restrictions put in place by mobile phone manufacturers and others. In the EU, a new “Circular Economy Action Plan” draft introduced in 2020 includes the electronics right to repair for EU citizens as this would allow device owners to replace only malfunctioning parts rather than replace the entire device, reducing electronics waste. The Action Plan includes additional standardization that would aid toward rights to repair, such as common power ports on mobile devices. France have introduced has a requirement that manufacturers contribute to a repairabiity scoring system. The goal is to allow consumers to consider repair as a buying criteria before making a purchase. This has already resulted in the disclosure of repair documentation that had previously not been widely available.

“A lack of repairability is now being understood for what it is: another expression of corporate power.” - Dave Lee, Financial Times

huaqiangbei electronics market, shenzhen

guiyu, guangdong

tottenham court road, london Gadget repair shops around the world provide sites of resistance to the corporate powers which act against repairability.

most materials and embodied carbon in the phone is lost during the recycling process

global e-waste trade hub; pollution serverely effected the water and the ability to grow crops in the area; much of the work is highly toxic; 80% of the children in the city have dangerous levels of lead in their blood (The Guardian, 2009), whcih can lead to irreversible damage in developing brains; studies done in 2009 have revealed that Guiyu has some of the highest levels of dioxin contamination in the world.

REPAIR SHOPSS iFixit - teardowns and repair guides

Sites like iFixit provide freely available teardowns and repair guides to counter the lack of repair information provided by manufacturers like Apple.

INFORMATION SHARING LEGISLATIVE ACTION

The Basel Convention, 1898 international treaty forbids developed nations from carrying out unauthorized dumping of e-waste in less developed countries.

REPAIR > RECYCLE

agbogbloshie, ghana high levels of respiratory illnesses present; the waste arrives via the Port of Tema, 20 miles to the east; waste is mainly from Western Europe and the United States, often labeled as secondhand consumer products so they are not strictly considered waste; pollutants have also entered the foodchain via livestock


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