1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm Jonathan Strickland. 3 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio. And how 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: the tech are you? I think I'm gonna do a 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: little tech stuff Tidbits episode. These episodes tend to be 6 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: a little shorter than aren't normal episodes. They tend to 7 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: be sometimes they're longer, but this one should be a 8 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,840 Speaker 1: bit shorter. And it's about one of the ongoing stories 9 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: in tech right now, which is the right to repair movement. 10 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: And I've talked about this a few times on this show, 11 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: so this is really more of a kind of a 12 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: state of the right to repair movement in the United States. 13 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,279 Speaker 1: One of the stories I mentioned in yesterday's news episodes 14 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: was about this very topic. So the basic idea behind 15 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: right to repair is this, when a consumer buys something 16 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: a product, that product should be reparable by the consumer, 17 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 1: or the consumer should be reasonably able to make their 18 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: own repairs, perform maintenance, or even change it something about 19 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: the product because they bought it, right, they bought the thing, 20 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: they should be able to repair the thing or change 21 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,400 Speaker 1: the thing because the product at that point is no 22 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: longer the property of the manufacturer or the retailer or 23 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: anything like that. It belongs to the consumer. It is 24 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,680 Speaker 1: there thing the transaction has concluded, and if the product 25 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: requires some TLC down the line, the consumers should be 26 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 1: able to do it themselves or choose whomever they want 27 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: to do the work, because it's theirs. But that's not 28 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: how a lot of tech product companies have evolved. Especially 29 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: in recent years. Many companies have embraced the idea of 30 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: an entire ecosystem, from product to maintenance to repair. Capturing 31 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: a customer in such an go system creates an ongoing 32 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: source of revenue, and you can see how that would 33 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: be attractive from a business perspective. In fact, we're gonna 34 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: break it down just for funzies. Let's say we've got 35 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: a company that makes widgets and it has two broad 36 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: strategies it could choose between. Strategy Number one is to 37 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: make the best gosh darn widgets in the world and 38 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: to sell them to customers with pride. And every person 39 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: walking into your widget store represents an opportunity for a sale, 40 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: and each sale represents the one and only revenue point 41 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,919 Speaker 1: with that customer, unless, of course, the customer decides to 42 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: come back to you for their future widget needs. It's 43 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: not easy work, but by golly, it sure is wholesome 44 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: and rewarding. If that customer's widget breaks, well, the customer 45 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: has every right to fix it themselves, or to take 46 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: it to an independent repair shop. Or maybe they'll come 47 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: back to you and buy a brand new widget with 48 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: the latest features. But your business lies on sales, and 49 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: that's pretty much it. Strategy number two. You have set 50 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: up an entire widget ecosystem. You own the means of production. 51 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: Maybe you own retail establishments that sell finished products. Maybe 52 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: there's a widget store in every major city, including flagship 53 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: widget stores in places like New York or San Francisco. 54 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: Inside those stores, you've also created customer service departments. Let's 55 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: call them the bar of smarty pants is. And if 56 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,240 Speaker 1: a customer buys a widget and something goes wrong with it, well, 57 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: you create a policy that discourages the customer from trying 58 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: to fix the widget themselves. Maybe you indicate that any 59 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: such attempt will avoid the warranty, and that will leave 60 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: the customer high and dry if something else happens that 61 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: they are not able to address themselves. Maybe you make 62 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: the widget with special kinds of fasteners and you're the 63 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 1: only one who has the appropriate tools to remove them. 64 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: Using some other tool is likely to damn the widget further, 65 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: and so your customers desperate to have a working widget 66 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: come crawling to your store, lining up at the bar 67 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: of smartie pants is for their turn to have someone 68 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: who actually does have access to the proper tools to 69 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: make the changes, and the customers pay for this privilege. Heck, 70 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,279 Speaker 1: maybe you even set up a program where the customer 71 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 1: can pay in advance for services that they may never need, 72 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: and maybe you even call it something really ironic like 73 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: widget cares. Now, with strategy one, you make money from 74 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: a customer once or to be generous once per sale, 75 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 1: since if the customers happy, they might come back to 76 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: buy another one of your widgets later on. But each 77 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 1: transaction is isolated and finite. But with strategy too, you've 78 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: looped that customer into a system where you can potentially 79 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: make money off them multiple times, all from one purchase. 80 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: So of course a lot of company these are going 81 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: to go in that direction. It helps the company, but 82 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: it can be potentially harmful or at the very least 83 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: inconvenient to the customer. And for independent repair shops, it's 84 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: really bad news because in order to be part of 85 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:18,359 Speaker 1: this ecosystem, they would likely have to pay a hefty 86 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: licensing fee to be welcomed into the fold. So either 87 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: your your options then as an independent repair service person 88 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,320 Speaker 1: are to either pay money so that you can be 89 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,359 Speaker 1: part of this world or not pay the money, but 90 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: then you miss out on a lot of repairs because 91 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: of that. And in a big way, technology is facilitating 92 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: this trend. It's not just a business practice. The technology 93 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: itself is making this easier to do because as technology 94 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: gets more complex, you know, as products get more computerized, 95 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: it gets more challenging for the average person or even 96 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:59,159 Speaker 1: some smaller repair shops to work on products effectively. Some 97 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:02,720 Speaker 1: products but come what we call black boxes, and by 98 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,839 Speaker 1: that we mean there is a lack of transparency. You 99 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: cannot see how the device actually works. You could say 100 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: a lot of modern cars fall into this category. Now 101 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: where even to get a diagnosis of whatever the problem is, 102 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: you need to have a specialized computer to connect to 103 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: your vehicle, as well as a knowledge of what all 104 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: those error codes mean. And stuff like repair manuals can 105 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: be well kept secrets in tech, meaning you might not 106 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 1: be able to access the documents you would need to 107 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: see how to go about making a repair in the 108 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: first place. The only folks who have access to these 109 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 1: documents and the tools and the parts are the people 110 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: who are already part of this ecosystem. Now, in some cases, 111 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,840 Speaker 1: customers can still attempt to do their own maintenance and repair, 112 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: though they might have to jump through some arguably unnecessary 113 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,039 Speaker 1: hoops to do it. But in other cases, as I 114 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, even attempting to do anything like that will 115 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: violate the warranty on a product. Companies say they do 116 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: this to discourage folks from causing further damage to their 117 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:10,239 Speaker 1: devices by also to avoid sidestepping safety features that could 118 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: bring harm to people anything that might be bad that 119 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,239 Speaker 1: could come as a result of tampering with a device. 120 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: But the right to repair advocates argue that really this 121 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: policy isn't to protect the consumer, it's a threat the 122 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: companies hold over customers to keep them within these closed 123 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: ecosystems so that they can continue to exploit their customer base. Now, 124 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: I'm not sure if you picked up on my subtle 125 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: hints in my example earlier, but I was firing some 126 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: shots at Apple and I know I'm a master of 127 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: the veiled reference right. Anyway, Apple for a long time 128 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: had a reputation for locking people into an ecosystem in 129 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: multiple ways. They actually did it in a few different approaches. 130 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: So in one way, it was that whole maintenance and 131 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: repair strategy in which for many years Apple did it's 132 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: best to discourage or outright prevent customers from accessing and 133 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: changing Apple products that they purchased. But it also extended 134 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: to the interoperability of Apple products, where in order to 135 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: get the most out Apple product A, you also needed 136 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: Apple product B. So, for example, when the iPod first 137 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 1: came out, initially you really needed a Mac in order 138 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 1: to set up the iPod and transfer music from your 139 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: computer to the iPod because you couldn't do it just 140 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: from the iPod itself. It wasn't, you know, uh, wireless. 141 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: You couldn't connect it to WiFi or anything like that. 142 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,599 Speaker 1: You had to pair it with a computer, and that 143 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: computer initially had to be a Mac. Now, over time, 144 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: Apple created ways for folks who had Windows based PCs 145 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:55,319 Speaker 1: to do the same sort of thing, though in my experience, 146 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: the PC version of Apple products always felt clunky and bloated. 147 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 1: And you might think, well, was this just a way 148 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: for Apple to try and nudge people to purchase a 149 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: Mac as their next computer. Because within the ecosystem things 150 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: worked great. It only started to really get cumbersome once 151 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: you were starting to step outside that ecosystem. Now, I 152 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:22,439 Speaker 1: don't know if Apple was purposefully trying to make Windows 153 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: based software worse on purpose, but I wouldn't be surprised 154 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: if that were true. It's it's entirely possible that it 155 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,840 Speaker 1: was just that's just how it developed and it wasn't intentional, 156 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 1: But I also wouldn't be shocked if it were intentional. Anyway, 157 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: that's getting off track a little bit. It's related to 158 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,199 Speaker 1: what we're talking about, but not directly about it. So 159 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: Apple as a company was really looking at ways to 160 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: extend revenue generation through hardware because that's what the company 161 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: was primarily. It was a hardware company, and it made 162 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: computers and B three players and smartphones and tablets. So 163 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: most of its revenue generation strategies related to the production, 164 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 1: the selling, the maintenance and the repair of those pieces 165 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: of hardware. But last year Apple launched a self service 166 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 1: repair store, and through this store, Apple customers can access 167 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: repair manuals, they can order genuine Apple tools and parts, 168 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: and they can make their own repairs to their own purchases. 169 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: The company gradually rolled out support for various Apple products, 170 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: starting with the Iphoe twelve and thirteen lineups, So it 171 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: doesn't cover everything Apple makes, but it is gradually covering 172 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: more and more products that Apple has produced. All Right, 173 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,719 Speaker 1: we're gonna talk more about why Apple did this and 174 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 1: how it works when we come back from this quick break. 175 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: We're back. So before the break, I mentioned that Apple 176 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: had rolled out a self service repair store last year, 177 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:06,560 Speaker 1: and you might think, well, why would Apple do that? 178 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: There are a couple of different reasons. One reason is 179 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,680 Speaker 1: that there has been this rise in the right to 180 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 1: repair movement, and it's it's a tide that's slowly gaining 181 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:22,079 Speaker 1: some ground in the industry, and some companies like Apple 182 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: might be trying to get ahead of that to make 183 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: sure that they're not caught unawares when or if this 184 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: ends up becoming you know, law in various places. So 185 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: they're getting ahead of the game. But another one is 186 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: that for the last several years, Tim Cook has really 187 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: been pivoting Apple to become more of a service oriented company. 188 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 1: So it still makes hardware and still sells it obviously, 189 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: but Tim Cook has really focused on making services a 190 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: major part this major source of revenue for the company, 191 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: and the company has done very well as a result 192 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 1: of that, although there has been more recent resistance to 193 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: that approach to but you could argue, well, one reason 194 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: Apple can ease off on the whole ecosystem thing is 195 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 1: because it has found a different avenue for generating money, 196 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 1: so it's not like it's taking an enormous hit. Another 197 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:28,320 Speaker 1: reason is that the self service repair store it's not 198 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: exactly something that the average person is going to take 199 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: advantage of. So a customer wanting to repair their own, 200 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: say iPhone twelve, can use the self service repair store 201 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: to get access to the repair manual, they can identify 202 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: the parts and tools they'll need to perform the specific 203 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 1: repair they're interested in. Then they can order those tools 204 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,959 Speaker 1: and parts from Apple itself. And Apple promises that it 205 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 1: will send out the same quality parts and tools that 206 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 1: it would provide to officially licensed Apple repair providers. So 207 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 1: it's not like the self repair folks are going to get, 208 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 1: you know, cheap knockoffs. They're going to get the real thing. 209 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 1: And this was a pretty darn darn big change for 210 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:16,319 Speaker 1: the company. Uh and I think the reason why they 211 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: feel comfortable doing it is they really don't expect most 212 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 1: customers to actually go the self repair route. It turns 213 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 1: out the specialized tools that Apple has developed do not 214 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 1: come cheap, and unless you are running your own repair business, 215 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: it starts to get hard to justify the expense. So, 216 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: for example, Apple has a display press. It looks a 217 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:42,319 Speaker 1: bit like a major printing press, and it's, as the 218 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,840 Speaker 1: name would indicate, its purpose is to help install a 219 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:50,520 Speaker 1: display in an iPhone. This is a tricky and delicate job, 220 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:53,680 Speaker 1: so the press on its own, which is just one 221 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: tool you would need to do a display replacement within 222 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 1: an iPhone, costs more than two dollars. So when you 223 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: start looking at the cost of repairs, it can get 224 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: to a point where it would make more sense financially 225 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: to bring the device into an Apple store and have 226 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:13,439 Speaker 1: it repaired there, or to bring it to a licensed 227 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:17,199 Speaker 1: Apple repair shop, because you'd be likely to spend less 228 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: money going through Apple's ecosystem anyway. Then if you try 229 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: to sidestep it. Now, Apple does allow customers to rent 230 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:30,120 Speaker 1: a toolkit that contains most of the tools you would need, 231 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: but apparently not all of them according to at least 232 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: some of the reviews I've read, and that would cost 233 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 1: forty nine dollars each time you rented the toolkit. So 234 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: for some repairs, the rental plus the cost of replacement 235 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,640 Speaker 1: parts might squeak in under the amount that you would 236 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: spend at a repair shop. But then you start asking 237 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: yourself if it makes more sense to just go with 238 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: the experts and spend a little bit more without having 239 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: to worry about doing the whole thing yourself, because there's 240 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: also the investment of time and effort, and if you've 241 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: never done it before, there's a really good chance that 242 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 1: you're not going to get it exactly right first time 243 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: out the gate. So that's a lot of trial and 244 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: error as well, and a lot of frustrations. You started 245 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: asking yourself, well, is it worth it or should I 246 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: just go to the Apple store anyway. On top of that, 247 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 1: I've read some articles in which journalists attempted to use 248 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: the self repair system to do some work on their 249 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: own devices, and they found it really difficult to do. 250 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 1: The jobs can be really delicate and precise and complicated, 251 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,320 Speaker 1: and sometimes you have to do stuff like use a 252 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: certain amount of force to open a case, but if 253 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: you use too much, you could break the thing. So 254 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: it's tricky and a lot of articles I've read had 255 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 1: headlines that were similar to I tried to repair my 256 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: own iPhone and it was a disaster. But still Apples 257 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: change means you aren't reliant solely upon the Apple Genius 258 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: bar or Apple service stores to get your Apple products repaired. 259 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: You could take it to an independent shop that could 260 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: handle it for you, and that's where you might end 261 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: up saving money. If the independent shop has invested in 262 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:14,440 Speaker 1: the parts and the tools, because over time they're gonna 263 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 1: do enough repair jobs to pay off that investment, then 264 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: that might be the best bet. So you do still 265 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 1: have more options if you find a good independent repair 266 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 1: store that is not an official Apple store. That is 267 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: an improvement. Now, yesterday I talked about a company that 268 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: has long had a history of locking down products, and 269 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:39,880 Speaker 1: this time it's John Deer. This is the company that's 270 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: best known for stuff like lawn mowers and farm equipment. Now, 271 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: over the years, John Deer has made their products more 272 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: difficult to access and repair, urging farmers to take equipment 273 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: to licensed John Deer Service centers. They do this through 274 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: lots of different means. A lot of them are software related, 275 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: because there actually are lots of sophisticated geter systems on 276 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: John Deer equipment, and the software has meant both to 277 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 1: enable features and to kind of lock stuff behind John 278 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: dear proprietary software so that you have to go to 279 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:17,200 Speaker 1: one of these licensed service centers in order to get 280 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 1: any maintenance or repair performed on your equipment. Now, that's 281 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:25,400 Speaker 1: not necessarily the most convenient or cost effective option for farmers, 282 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,080 Speaker 1: assuming that they had the chance to go somewhere else. 283 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:32,160 Speaker 1: If you lock them into a system that could require 284 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:34,879 Speaker 1: them to travel further and spend more money just to 285 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: get their equipment to a service center, that's pretty brutal. 286 00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:43,680 Speaker 1: But recently, John Deer signed a memorandum of Understanding or 287 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:50,520 Speaker 1: MoU with an organization representing American farmers that will loosen 288 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: these restrictions a bit. Now, farmers and independent repair shops 289 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,879 Speaker 1: will be allowed to access repair manuals, they'll be able 290 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,480 Speaker 1: to get proper to rules and replacement parts, but there 291 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: are some restrictions here. One of those is that farmers 292 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: and repair shops are not supposed to reveal any John 293 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:16,119 Speaker 1: dear trade secrets. So if the repair involves accessing materials 294 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 1: that would reveal such things, they may not be able 295 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: to get access to that, and they may still have 296 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:24,920 Speaker 1: to go to a John Deer service center, or they 297 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 1: are obligated not to reveal any proprietary information. I don't 298 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: know how you enforce that. Another more insidious requirement is 299 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:38,159 Speaker 1: that the m OU calls for the farming organization to 300 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:43,800 Speaker 1: tell farmers to quote refrain from introducing, promoting, or supporting 301 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:48,640 Speaker 1: federal or state right to repair legislation that imposes obligations 302 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:53,439 Speaker 1: beyond the commitments in this m OU end quote. So 303 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: that is a big red flag, right. They're saying, hey, 304 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: this should be good enough, and if it's not good enough, 305 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 1: you need to tell farmers don't ask for something better, 306 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:06,399 Speaker 1: because we don't want to deal with that. Like the 307 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: John Deer is essentially saying, knock it off with the 308 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 1: right to repair stuff. We don't want it to become law. 309 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: And this this is what has critics saying that the 310 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: m O you isn't really significant progress, that John Deer 311 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:23,480 Speaker 1: might hold back on stuff by arguing that it falls 312 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 1: under trade secrets, and that the company is also trying 313 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 1: to hamstring any efforts for right to repair advocates to 314 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: get laws passed that would require companies like John Dear 315 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:36,920 Speaker 1: to knock that kind of stuff off. And yeah, that 316 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:41,880 Speaker 1: does look pretty bad. Okay, when we come back, I'm 317 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,399 Speaker 1: gonna talk briefly about a recent law past in New 318 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:50,879 Speaker 1: York that ostensibly extends the right to repair, but in 319 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,880 Speaker 1: reality there are a lot of problems with it. But first, 320 00:19:54,920 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: let's take this quick break. Okay, we're back. So while 321 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:10,399 Speaker 1: all this stuff is going on, late last year, we 322 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: had New York passed a right to repair law sort of, 323 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:16,920 Speaker 1: and I say sort of because by the time the 324 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 1: law actually was passed, it had been neutered quite a bit. 325 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,880 Speaker 1: It had been whittled back. So on December two thousand 326 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 1: twenty two, the Governor of New York signed into law 327 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: the Digital Fair Repair Act. And this act was intended 328 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:39,360 Speaker 1: to give consumers more options when repairing the tech stuff 329 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,639 Speaker 1: they had purchased. By that, I mean tech stuff as 330 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: in like gadgets and whatnot. Not this podcast. It's not 331 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: for sale, though I do have reasonable rates. However, as 332 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 1: the bill was making its way to the finish line, 333 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 1: in swept some amendments that effectively took the strength out 334 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:03,120 Speaker 1: of the legislation. So, for example, one amendment says that 335 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:07,160 Speaker 1: original equipment manufacturers or o e m s will not 336 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: be required to hand over anything that would allow someone 337 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: to bypass security features on a product. But sometimes that's 338 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: exactly what you need to perform a repair, right, Like 339 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:21,320 Speaker 1: if you have a device that's locked but otherwise would 340 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: work fine, the one thing you need to do is 341 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 1: bypass the security feature. But the amendment means that companies 342 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: are not obligated to share that information at all, and 343 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 1: so customers might find that they still have to go 344 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: through the ecosystem to get stuff done. Now, on the 345 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: one hand, you can understand why security features should not 346 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:42,639 Speaker 1: be bypassed. Right If you know how to bypass a 347 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: device is security, then arguably you could use that knowledge 348 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:49,959 Speaker 1: to do it on devices that you don't own, and 349 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: that you're compromising other people's privacy and security as a process. 350 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,920 Speaker 1: So in that regard, it is understandable, right you want 351 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: that security to be preserved. Apple has long tried to 352 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,120 Speaker 1: preserve security against agencies like the FBI that have been 353 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,200 Speaker 1: arguing that they need a way to bypass security features 354 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: in order to access the contents of devices they have 355 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 1: uh taken from suspects of crimes and such. So yeah, 356 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: you can understand why there is a need to preserve security. 357 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 1: On the flip side, the worry is that o e 358 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 1: M s could use this argument to cover stuff that 359 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,919 Speaker 1: maybe is only slightly related to security or privacy, just 360 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:37,800 Speaker 1: to prevent a larger number of self repair or independent 361 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:42,040 Speaker 1: repair shop jobs that otherwise could be done. The bill 362 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:45,800 Speaker 1: also allows o e M s to offer collections of 363 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: parts rather than specific individual parts. So if you need 364 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: to make a repair and you need some official part, 365 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: you're not likely to be able to get just the 366 00:22:57,920 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 1: thing you need. So let's say like you've got a 367 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: cracked screen on a tablet and you want to order 368 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: a new screen for this specific tablet. But everything else 369 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: is fine, You've checked it out everything else, there's no 370 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 1: other problems. However, the o e M only offers a 371 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 1: collection of parts that includes the screen but also includes 372 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:19,919 Speaker 1: other stuff, and you can't order just the screen itself, 373 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: so you have to spend more money because you've got 374 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,159 Speaker 1: to buy the whole collection, and then you've got all 375 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,040 Speaker 1: these spare parts cluttering up the place because you didn't 376 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: need them. So In other words, this amendment can allow 377 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 1: O e M s to make self repairs inconvenient and costly. 378 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,200 Speaker 1: The bill also has a bunch of exemptions on the 379 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:41,919 Speaker 1: types of tech that are covered by the right to 380 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:46,960 Speaker 1: repair law. For example, home appliances those are not covered 381 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: by this right to repair legislation. So if you have 382 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: a home appliance and it breaks, you're likely still going 383 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: to have to go to the manufacturer for help because 384 00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: this law does not guarantee you any of or choice. Also, 385 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: motor vehicles, those are not covered by this right to 386 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,359 Speaker 1: repair legislation, so if your car breaks down, well, you 387 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:11,879 Speaker 1: may have very little choice but to go to that 388 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:16,199 Speaker 1: extremely expensive service station at your local dealership. Also not 389 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 1: covered are enterprise devices. I was sad to learn that 390 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 1: enterprise devices are not things like transporters and photon torpedoes 391 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 1: and replicators. No, an enterprise devices equipment that's intended for businesses, 392 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:34,480 Speaker 1: and the Verge reports that specifically enterprise devices used by 393 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 1: organizations like data centers and hospitals and schools will not 394 00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 1: be covered by this legislation either. Now, the bill does 395 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:45,919 Speaker 1: show that there continues to be the steady push for 396 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:49,359 Speaker 1: right to repair in the United States. But the getting 397 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:54,399 Speaker 1: true sweeping legislation in place is proving to be a 398 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:58,400 Speaker 1: significant challenge, and there's no surprise there because tech companies 399 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:02,360 Speaker 1: tend to spend a lot of money on lobbying, and 400 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:06,960 Speaker 1: lobbyists can be really influential when it comes to politicians 401 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 1: shaping policy. So if you're the cynical type, you might 402 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:14,159 Speaker 1: come to the conclusion that until you get leaders in 403 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 1: place who actually value the people they represent over their 404 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 1: own position. In other words, it's more important to act 405 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 1: on behalf of your constituents than it is for you 406 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 1: to preserve your place of power, then we're gonna kind 407 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 1: of be stuck in this halfhearted limbo of right to 408 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: repair because there's so many lobbyists that target politicians who 409 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: are willing to have concessions to the industry and thus 410 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 1: weaken or in some cases, invalidate legislation that would otherwise 411 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:53,720 Speaker 1: give people the right to repair the stuff they bought. 412 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,719 Speaker 1: This is an ongoing thing. We've seen large protests in 413 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,919 Speaker 1: various parts of the nation about this kind of stuff, 414 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: and I don't see it coming to an end anytime soon. 415 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,159 Speaker 1: But that's kind of where we are right now in 416 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,760 Speaker 1: the United States. Now, I think we're going to continue 417 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: to see more movement to to support right to repair legislation. 418 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: I think we're gonna see people calling for better bills 419 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:23,919 Speaker 1: with fewer loopholes. But I think we're also going to 420 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 1: see continued resistance on the part of companies that have 421 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 1: made lucrative business out of making the thing and then 422 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: making the shop that repairs the thing. And yes, it 423 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: does get complicated because when you have very sophisticated products 424 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: that have hardware and software elements to them, and there 425 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: are security concerns or safety concerns, there are some legitimate 426 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: reasons why you don't want all the information just to 427 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 1: get out there, because you don't want to cause more 428 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: problems in the long run than you're actually solving. But 429 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,920 Speaker 1: you can't get around the fact that for the most part, 430 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:11,880 Speaker 1: this approach, this closed ecosystem approach, disproportionately benefits the companies 431 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:16,919 Speaker 1: and disproportionately puts a burden on consumers. And it's just 432 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:19,240 Speaker 1: hard to get past this idea of if I went 433 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:22,520 Speaker 1: to the store and I picked up a box that 434 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 1: has a tech gadget in it, and I go to 435 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,719 Speaker 1: the cash register and I spend my hard earned money 436 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:31,359 Speaker 1: to buy this thing and I take it home. That 437 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:34,320 Speaker 1: thing now belongs to me. It is mine, it is 438 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: no longer the domain of the company that made it, 439 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,240 Speaker 1: and then I should be able to make changes to it. 440 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:42,119 Speaker 1: This is, by the way, a big part of the 441 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:47,400 Speaker 1: hacker ethos, because originally hackers referred to people who would 442 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:51,159 Speaker 1: take tech and then mess with it to see if 443 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: they can make it do other stuff, or make it 444 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,120 Speaker 1: work better, or all sorts of things, or just learn 445 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,880 Speaker 1: how it works. That was kind of like the hacker ethos. 446 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: But in the world of the closed ecosystem, it's very 447 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: anti hacker mentality. It's it's that it has to fit 448 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:13,119 Speaker 1: in this very bureaucratic system, and if you try to 449 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 1: deviate from that, you are disadvantaged, you're punished for it. 450 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:24,000 Speaker 1: So yeah, it's a complicated subject. I'm pro right to repair, 451 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,399 Speaker 1: not that I would ever try to repair stuff myself. 452 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: If I did, I'm pretty sure I would just make 453 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,960 Speaker 1: it worse. I'm much more likely to take it to 454 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:38,040 Speaker 1: a repair service center, maybe an independent one, if that's 455 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 1: an option for me, I would probably do that. For one, 456 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,400 Speaker 1: I like to support local business, and two I could 457 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 1: probably save some money because it's no longer the only 458 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:49,720 Speaker 1: game in town kind of thing if you have to 459 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: go to the official store. So I'm very much in 460 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: that that camp. And also I don't like tech becoming 461 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,080 Speaker 1: more and more like a black box. I think that 462 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: is a dangerous path to go down. Whether you're talking 463 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 1: about farming equipment or motor vehicles or computers or appliances. 464 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: Anytime the technology becomes less transparent, I get increasingly concerned. 465 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: So anyway, that's the update on the right to repair 466 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: a situation here in the United States. Obviously, there are 467 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 1: other parts of the world where there are kind of 468 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: similar issues going on, but I wanted to focus on 469 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:35,600 Speaker 1: the US because it is started to become a bigger 470 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,960 Speaker 1: deal here in the States than it had been, say, 471 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 1: ten years ago, So I wanted to to kind of 472 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 1: do a catch up. If you have any suggestions for 473 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: topics I should cover in future episodes of Tech Stuff, 474 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 1: whether it's a full episode or an update, or maybe 475 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 1: there's a person in tech you think I should cover 476 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:55,160 Speaker 1: a specific technology, a trend, anything like that. Let me know. 477 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,240 Speaker 1: One way you can do that is you can download 478 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:01,480 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app. It is free to download. 479 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: You can download it on Android or I OS devices, 480 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:07,000 Speaker 1: and you can access all the different programming on my 481 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: Heart that way, including tech Stuff. You can just put 482 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,560 Speaker 1: tech Stuff in the little search field and pop on 483 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: over to the show page. You'll see there's a little 484 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,560 Speaker 1: microphone icon that we've enabled on our page. If you 485 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:20,520 Speaker 1: click on that, you can leave a voice message up 486 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: to thirty seconds in length. Or heck, just download the 487 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,719 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app and and explore. Because I listened 488 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:32,040 Speaker 1: to the I Heart Radio Broadway station a lot like 489 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:34,080 Speaker 1: that's I mean, I'd be doing that even if I 490 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 1: didn't work for the company, because that's a great station 491 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 1: if you like musicals. If you don't like musicals, it's 492 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:42,959 Speaker 1: a great way to drive yourself insane. And then the 493 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:44,640 Speaker 1: other way to get in touch with the show, of course, 494 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: is to use Twitter. The hand over the show is 495 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:51,000 Speaker 1: tech Stuff H s W and I'll talk to you 496 00:30:51,080 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 1: again really soon. Tech Stuff is an I Heart Radio production. 497 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:04,520 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the i 498 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 499 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.