In which way are they a monopoly? Is that US specific? In the UK/EU there are at least half a dozen different tractor brands which I could name, all of them with significant market share.
I don't think a brand being fashionable, to a middle aged demographic, makes them a monopoly. They're just popular. There are plenty of other similar bikes that can be bought.
edit: I'm an idiot. I read the comment as being about Harley Davidson.
John Deere, Apple, Sony... all of them. To a larger point with miniaturization, however, surely there is a point where third party repair might be very difficult, if not impossible.
It's affected pretty much all cars for the last 15 years or so. I really think a 2000s era car was peak car. You had safety via ABS and airbags, efficiency via decent mpg in most cars by that era especially anything imported, but you still had sense with mechanical throttles, simple bulletproof manual transmissions, and steering by mechanical linkage. Anything that isn't a VW/Audi you could reasonably do all the work yourself in your garage. Very nonintimidating and accessible engine bays in 2000s/1990s hondas I've found. You could do the VW/Audi too if you had tons of time and an engine lift.
If you have a decent car from that era like that, hang on tight to it and take care of it, and watch the value just soar over the years, because they will never make them like that again.
I think it's more to do with the overall company strategy.
As phones have matured as a product people have stopped buying them at the same pace as in early years. And so to counteract this Apple has gone heavily into services, accessories etc.
So just as Apple has increased OS support periods for phones they are much happier now for people to fix their phone and stay in the ecosystem than switch to Android.
> Repairing a mechanical watch for example requires fine motor skills, decent eyesight, impeccable patience etc.
No. What I said was that certifying someone does not give them magical abilities.
Two people who have equal motor skills, eyesight, and patience (etc) have equal ability to repair. The one without official training just has to learn through experience.
Most recent right to repair move [0] came with an exception for them. I wouldn't be surprised if all other ruling that would touch would be either stalled or advanced with a special exception for them.
12 years of "pro-business" administrations that wouldn't act and 8 years of obstructionist antics to keep a potentially pro-consumer administration from taking action.