113,683 online tutorials translated into 12 languages, a community of 3.5 million members worldwide (300,000 in France)… iFixit has been rolling up its sleeves for twenty-one years to help us repair our own electronic devices. At a time when the company is publishing its top 5 smartphones the most repairable smartphones (see inset), Sandra Auboy, iFixit’s French development manager, talks to 20 Minutes on trends in product repairability.
You’re like the Wikipedia of repair, how does iFixit work?
iFixit is a company that has been helping people to repair faulty devices for twenty-one years, using free online tutorials provided by its members. The 100,000 tutorials was passed this summer, and the number continues to grow (to 113,683 at the beginning of November 2024).
Our business model is based on the sale of tool kits for all types of devices, as well as spare parts, through partnerships with numerous brands, such as Google, Lenovo, Microsoft…
Your ranking of the most repairable smartphones logically crowns the Fairphone 5 (10/10), but also HMD’s Skyline (9/10). Are manufacturers making real progress?
In recent years, there has been a real trend towards repairability. What Fairphone The highest score is logical: this manufacturer designs its smartphones to be repairable.
After that, we can see that manufacturers are trying to make an effort, on most products in fact. They are also forced to do so by a legislative framework that is becoming stricter. Some brands believe in this more than others, such as HMD, who consulted us to improve the repairability of certain smartphones, including the new Skyline.
Is this progress also based on a marketing logic?
In the end, it doesn’t really matter if it’s a marketing stunt: the main thing is that it’s been done. We’re gradually moving away from the belief that repairing a smartphone was impossible, or even dangerous, if you didn’t go through the official network, for example. But all this takes time.
You’re also supporting certain brands in this transition…
We’re here as consultants, not to tell them “do it this way, do it that way”. It’s up to them to listen to us. But they appreciate our experience – we’ve been dismantling appliances for over 20 years!
So we’re in a position to tell them if there’s too much glue in one place, if one type of screw wouldn’t be better than another… We don’t tell them “the battery has to be there”. We’re not engineers with ambitions to manufacture smartphones.
Do consumers repair more?
We’re seeing more and more people logging on to our platform and buying tool kits to repair their appliances. This is a positive sign. In addition, we are registering 3,000 new members per month in France (up from 1,500 in 2023), so we’re seeing a lot of new customers. people ready to create and translate tutorials, to maintain the world’s largest database of repair tips.
Consumers are waking up to the fact that they’re going green. It’s also a source of pride for them to have repaired their smartphone. Finally, smartphones are no longer as revolutionary from year to year as they once were. People probably want to extend the life of their terminal before re-equipping.
Among the poor performers in your ranking is Google’s Pixel Fold, with a score of 3/10. Paradoxical, given that Google is also cited among the good performers with its Pixel 8 (6/10)…
Google has made great efforts in recent years. With the Fold, which is a foldable smartphoneIt’s a technology in a class of its own, and not yet fully mastered. Conceptual smartphones like this one are not yet perfect…
Another paradox: HMD, on the second place of your podium of good students with its Skyline (9/10), only offers two years of Android updates for this smartphone…
We know that HMD is trying to make progress. These are points we discuss with them. It’s not all white, it’s not all black. You have to put things into perspective. But rest assured, brands can’t buy our ratings, and even less so because we give them advice. We remain totally independent.
Does programmed obsolescence still exist?
Unfortunately, yes. After that, it can be obsolescence as with software locks.
Meaning?
This case can arise with a specific part of a smartphone coupled to its motherboard. When switched on, the motherboard does its check-up and checks the part number. If the part number is incorrect for a part that has been replaced, the device may have problems. On some iPhones, replacing the camera module can also disable FaceID. It’s a bit vicious.