[meanduck]

From the article:

> Right to repair bills, which are currently making their way through eight states (Nebraska, New York, Tennessee, Wyoming, Minnesota, Kansas, Illinois, and Massachusetts), would require electronics manufacturers to make repair parts and diagnostic and repair manuals available to independent repair professionals and consumers, not just "authorized" repair companies.

This seems like forcing Apple rather than releasing consumers. Just another example of over interfering Govts.

[dang]

It's an abuse of HN to use the site primarily for political or ideological battle. That's destructive of what HN is for. Since you've done nothing else even after we warned you about this, we've banned this account.

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13674685 and marked it off-topic.

[prodmerc]

IMO it's a very good law for the population/nation/citizens. Ignoring that it will help small businesses, being able to do what you want with the things you bought should be a right, not a privilege. The government exists for stuff like this. If they don't interfere, then what?

Your car stops working because you haven't made your mandatory overpriced yearly checkup? Sounds neat

Also having access to at least service manuals (if not complete schematics) can help repair and reuse electronics, which is great for the environment, low wage workers/families and developing nations in general.

[meanduck]

> IMO it's a very good law for the population/nation/citizens.

But this is how Govts make enemies in business communities. Actions like these what made China 2nd most wealthy nation in record time.

> Ignoring that it will help small businesses.

How ? Common sense tell me this will put more legal requirements; those are never fun.

> being able to do what you want with the things you bought should be a right, not a privilege

Absolutely. But this forces Apple/others. It does not release customers from restrictions. If there are such any restrictions, Govts would be with in their rights to make such user/customer agreements unenforcable. But again, thats what not happening here.

> Your car stops working because you haven't made your mandatory overpriced yearly checkup? Sounds neat

How about you look for more favourable company ? But you know thats what people do. Such anti-customer corporations you are describing does not last for long in the market unless ofcourse Govts are helping them in someway, as the history shows.

> Also having access to at least service manuals (if not complete schematics) can help repair and reuse electronics, which is great for the environment, low wage workers/families and developing nations in general

Irrelevent. You are curbing liberties. Thats the argument against the law.

[prodmerc]

The government is for all people not only businesses.

Small businesses providing repair services is what I meant, but it could also help businesses keep costs low by repairing stuff themselves.

BTW, I'm not only talking about Apple with this right to repair stuff, I'm talking about every company. Companies that make devices everyone lives with and depends on, and they want to retain control of them even though people pay the full price not for renting, but owning.

Yeah you can look for another company. Do it before they're driven out of business or acquired by the established ones. Or you can force corporations to do something that will benefit the population.

Liberties of the corporations. Well, companies really need some restrictions right now. The chase for growth and profits is insane and will fuck up the majority of people and this planet pretty soon.

You sound either like a multi-millionaire CEO or a brainwashed person who believes he's gonna be a millionaire someday. Well, guess what, if you're middle to low class, the odds you'll strike it big are quite low (and they're getting lower every year).

[stuaxo]

I'm not sure why "pro business" always seems to mean pro-big corporate.

They already have huge advantages, having laws that even the field and allow smaller businesses seems much more pro-business to me.

[collyw]

>Actions like these what made China 2nd most wealthy nation in record time.

And you see that as a bad thing?

[hownottowrite]

Rich is relative. Sure, China has the second largest GDP but on a per capita basis it's not even in the top 50 (regardless of purchasing power parity or straight up wealth).

[asdfasfdfasdf]

Doesn't seem like it. Repair manuals don't cost anything to release, and it's not like the innovation today is at the PCB level; it's interference if the state forces someone to support outdated products by ensuring the availability of ICs and stuff... but the firms in the supply chain should only be too happy to supply if there is demand (ebay is chock full of every imaginable parts peddled by Chinese traders).

Frankly these corporations way too much power, from planned obsolescence to bad hardware. I for one would welcome the right to defend against these giants.

[celticninja]

or perhaps it means just not making them impossible or certainly very difficult to repair, requiring a costly replacement or ending up in landfill. The only reason apple do this is to keep people buying new devices, they repair the broken ones and resell them. If the govt didnt mandate then apple have no reason to change their behaviour even though it is to the detriment of everyone except apple.

[gobakhan]

To say the only reason Apple makes products that are hard to repair so that they can force consumers to buy more new products is disingenuous. Could it not be that they are trying to make the most efficient use of space to make products smaller thereby having a second order effect of being less repairable? I am not saying this is the entire justification or that what you are saying isn't factored into their decision making process. What I am trying to say is that asserting they ARE doing something with the only reason being x, is wrong unless you have explicit knowledge of their internal thought process.

[rasz_pl]

The trick here is Apple does NOT provide "repair parts, diagnostic and repair manuals" to their Authorized Certified repair shops. What they provide is a mail address and $17 per one mail in, all his while Apple charges $150-299.