Microsoft Continues About Face On ‘Right To Repair,’ Makes Its Hardware Easier To Fix
from the getting-on-the-right-side-of-history dept
Microsoft has long been one of several companies that attempted to monopolize repair in a bid for profit, particularly when it has come to the company’s game consoles. But in recent years the company appears to have realized that with state and federal lawmakers and regulators cracking down on this behavior, it might be smart to stop swimming upstream when it comes to “right to repair.”
Last May, for example, Microsoft began urging lawmakers to support the Washington State Fair Repair Act, which would ensure that consumers and indie repair shops have the parts, tools, and documentation to repair their own gear. The bill didn’t pass — in part thanks to Democratic Washington State Senator Lisa Wellman, a former Apple executive (Apple’s a notorious, bull-headed bully on this subject).
Still, Microsoft’s support was reflective of what seems to be a legitimate shift in tactics at Microsoft, in large part so the company can meet its goal of being carbon negative by 2030.
Elsewhere, Microsoft has been doing a better job ensuring that consumers have access to both service manuals and essential parts needed to independently repair the company’s hardware, ranging from its Surface tablets and laptops to Xbox game controllers.
The Microsoft Store now offers replacement controller boards, buttons, covers, sticks, and more for those looking to fix their own hardware. The company has also started doing a better job providing users with video tutorials on how to best safely repair their own hardware. You can get many of the same parts also from iFixit now (with a lifetime warranty as compared to Microsoft’s one-year warranty).
The about face comes as a growing number of states begin seriously pursuing right to repair legislation with an eye on consumer rights, environmental waste, counterproductive DRM, and high repair costs. Given the massive, bipartisan public support for such reform, hopefully Microsoft has genuinely realized it simply makes way more sense to be on the right side of history.
Filed Under: consumers, hardware, legislation, right to repair
Companies: microsoft
Comments on “Microsoft Continues About Face On ‘Right To Repair,’ Makes Its Hardware Easier To Fix”
Microsoft has, over the years, made mocking them super easy. However this sounds like a suspiciously sane move.
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Maybe this is along the lines of them embracing Linux after fighting them for so long…Embrace, Extend, Extinguish.
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They’ve been suspiciously sane for a while.
I mean, Which company is nuts enough to have a how-to to get a Steam Deck to run their games?
I am still of the opinion that MS is still the same ol’ beast from the Cali antitrust days. They just know when to push and when to charm.
Now, if they would just extend that to the software…
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I can agree to that. After several years salvaging Microsoft’s reputation as a techie for a non-profit cybercaf, I think I deserve free and open access to those specific MS Windows source trees (MS Win95, 98, XP), in the same way that someone who has salvaged someone else’s boat is entitled to some reward for making the effort. (The MS Win9x were ghastly to run in a cybercaf; I’m speaking for all the techies, paid and voluntary, who had to put up with their low-budget performance in such a high-pressure situation. MS Win XP was in some ways easier, since it had proper multitasking, but it wasn’t any easier when it came to malware.)
Microsoft sane?
I just need to look at their Azure website or the Microsoft 365 admin or their utterly idiotic website where I have to confirm that I have a business to know that Microsoft is insane.
It seems like you are referring to a situation where a company or entity initially resisted or opposed the adaption of Linux.
the ‘about face’ that is drastically needed even more so is from those who receive ‘campaign contributions’ from companies like APPLE to vote these Bills down.until someone has the balls to openly name the like so they lose the vote for office next time and the people vote in someone who is on their side!
Had anyone considered that they might be doing this to forestall having to setup a recycling system for their e-waste?
Forcing them to offer recycling of their unrepairable products and then extracting costs for controllers that make it into the regular waste stream would make the idea of keeping things in peoples hands a much better deal.
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Sure, and to get some positive press for being “environmentally responsible.” And they’ve probably realized that being able to repair things is not actually gonna impact new product sales much. Like, how many people are willing and able to repair a controller when they could just buy one for $50? They might repair something more expensive, like a laptop, but it’s often not possible to upgrade the CPU (or if it is, only to the next generation), GPU, or RAM. So they’re still on the treadmill of planned obsolescence.
I suspect the main effect of this (apart from changing public perception) will be to give a slight boost to the used/refurbished market. Interestingly, that’s an area in which Apple’s been praised, because their operating systems support old iPhones for “a long time” (actually only about 6 or 7 years, which seems really short to me; but I guess it’s longer than most Android phones).
Now if only they sold replacement ear pads for Microsoft Surface Headphones 2… They are supposed to exist, but they have been “Out of stock” forever.
Beware of Geeks bearing gifts