Summary
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The California state assembly has unanimously passed a bill that would require electronics manufacturers to sell repair tools and parts to consumers and to make repair guides available to the general public.
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The bill, known as the "Right to Repair" bill, previously passed the state Senate and now has the support of Apple, a longtime opponent of the legislation.
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If the bill is signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, it would be a victory not just for Californians but for consumers everywhere.
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California would become the third state to pass right to repair legislation for consumer electronics, after New York and Minnesota passed laws earlier this year.
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The bill is seen as a victory for consumers and environmentalists, who argue that it will allow people to repair their own devices and reduce electronic waste.
Additional Details
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The bill was supported by a coalition of consumer groups, environmentalists, and small business owners.
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The bill's supporters argued that it would be better for the environments and save them money on repairs.
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Apple supported bills after having spent millions of dollars against it.
Microsoft just started selling spare parts for an xbox controller.
Fixing a drifting thumbstick is 80% the cost of a new controller in parts alone. You can fix it for $5 if you go aftermarket and are happy desoldering over 10 points to remove it.
Which, as I understand it, is kinda the point of the bills too. As in, if there is documentation and it’s reasonably easy to dis- and re-assemble, there can be a (bigger) market for spare parts.
The problem is that the thumbsticks are soldered onto the motherboard. Microsoft’s “fix” is replacing the whole motherboard, when the sticks should really be swappable.
In a Nintendo Switch, the sticks are held in by screws and connect via a ZIF connector.
OIC, makes sense.