[bleachedsleet]

An “about face” is a term commonly called in military cadence indicating the soldier should turn around, completing a 180 degree turn. So when used colloquially it means someone or some business had a complete change of mind on some topic. In this case, Microsoft has changed their approach to repairability.

[tmikaeld]

Ah, you learn something new every day! Thank you

[pessimizer]

English is mostly military metaphors, sports metaphors, and gambling metaphors stuck together.