By now most of my friends know the drill. Mention the iPhone and I’m off on a rant. It’s a closed device, in more ways than one. It’s near impossible to service on one’s own, and the restrictive software regime imposed by Apple does more to inhibit innovation than almost anything else.
The iPod isn’t alone though, the iPad and many other devices from a multitude of manufacturers are no better. These manufacturers come up with the most innovative ways to twist language to make users think that these limitations are for your benefit. What utter nonsense.
I was recently turned on to the Owner’s Manifesto by Mister Jalopy at Make. Here at last is a clear list for you to find out if the device you forked over your hard dosh for belongs to you, or if you got fleeced by the manufacturer.
If you can’t open it, you don’t own it: a Maker’s Bill of Rights to accessible, extensive, and repairable hardware.
The Maker’s Bill of Rights
- Meaningful and specific parts lists shall be included.
- Cases shall be easy to open.
- Batteries should be replaceable.
- Special tools are allowed only for darn good reasons.
- Profiting by selling expensive special tools is wrong and not making special tools available is even worse.
- Torx is OK; tamperproof is rarely OK.
- Components, not entire sub-assemblies, shall be replaceable.
- Consumables, like fuses and filters, shall be easy to access.
- Circuit boards shall be commented.
- Power from USB is good; power from proprietary power adapters is bad.
- Standard connecters shall have pinouts defined.
- If it snaps shut, it shall snap open.
- Screws better than glues.
- Docs and drivers shall have permalinks and shall reside for all perpetuity at archive.org.
- Ease of repair shall be a design ideal, not an afterthought.
- Metric or standard, not both.
- Schematics shall be included.
You can also download Make’s PDF version.
Date: April 6, 2010Tags: fair use, ipad, ipod, manifesto, repair
