It’s good to know it.
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Well what do you know. These companies are seeing the writing on the wall.
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I remember hearing that Microsoft had made the Surface a lot more accessible with the SE. I’m glad to see reparability catching on. Once these changes start coming to phones in the US I’ll be super happy.
It’s unfortunate that these specialized tools aren’t available to consumers. That seems strange to me since they’re working with iFixit; they’re usually very pro-consumer.
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I think Microsoft’s current laptop such as Surface is not ready for consumers to repair because it’s much more difficult to repair than Framework Laptop.
Repairability 1/10
Repairability isn’t just about having parts available. It’s a design philosophy that a device can be easily accessed by the user without special skills, and components can be swapped out and upgraded for longevity. Microsoft isn’t there. Most consumers aren’t there either. But I’m happy to see the baby steps.
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Yeah, the original Surface Book is not repairable, but the Surface Book SE is supposed to be much better. iFixit hasn’t gotten their hands on it yet, though, so time will tell.
I agree that Microsoft has a long ways to go before they’re considered a “reparable” brand, but I think selling these sorts of tools would go a long ways towards accomplishing that. I don’t mind having to have certain tools to repair something (I have plenty for my cars), but I feel like they should be freely accessible.
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Heh. My current device is a first-generation Surface Laptop which got a 0/10.
Verdict: The Surface Laptop is not a laptop. It’s a glue-filled monstrosity. There is nothing about it that is upgradable or long-lasting, and it literally can’t be opened without destroying it. (Show us the procedure, Microsoft, we’d love to be wrong.)
This lack of repairability means I am currently stuck with a broken screen hinge (I prop up the screen with a bookend), a touchpad that’s popped out of place (so I can’t hard-click), and a battery with less than 50% of the original capacity.
I’m planning to get a Framework laptop this summer when I’m back in the US. It’ll be nice to have the other extreme.