Samsung expands repair program to more devices, now in 43 countries (87 to go)

Samsung’s repair program is currently active in the US, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Samsung now says it’s expanding the repair program to 30 additional companies, with the full list being: “Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.” Forty-three countries is a huge progression in just a year, but the flagship S23 is sold in 130 countries if Samsung wants complete coverage.

Really odd that batteries are not mentioned for Galaxy phones as a replaceable part… But it is good to see this program expanding to so many more countries. It also seems a bit unclear who the actual partners are in the different countries. So, clearly communication could be a bit better.

See https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/12/samsung-expands-repair-program-to-more-devices-now-in-43-countries/
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British right to repair law goes into effect today but doesn’t cover smartphones or computers

The law requires manufacturers to make spare parts available to both consumers and third-party repair companies, and it applies to any product bought starting today. Companies have a grace period of up to two years to make spare parts available whenever a new product is launched.

As reported by the BBC (via 9to5Mac), the purpose of the new law is to extend the lifespan of products up to 10 years in order to benefit the environment and consumers. It aims to tackle “built-in obsolescence”, which is when manufacturers deliberately build products to break down after a certain length of time has passed.

Spare parts won’t be available for everyone either, as some parts that are not easy to replace will only be available to professionals who can make those fixes. In the case of dishwashers, the replacement of a PCB in a dishwasher can only be sold to a professional, and those parts only need to be available for seven years.

Really, a PCB board is held with screws or plastic lugs and has a few wired connectors that plug on! And sorry this does nothing then as those PCB's must be designed to change out easier otherwise. So I suppose this is only a half-hearted start, and not going to make any real impact yet.

See British right to repair law goes into effect today but doesn't cover smartphones or computers

#technology #righttorepair #obsolescence #RTR #repairs

A British right to repair law has gone into effect from today... but it doesn't cover smartphones or computers. Read more here.

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https://gadgeteer.co.za/british-right-repair-law-goes-effect-today-doesnt-cover-smartphones-or-computers