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Built in hardware obsolencence

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Built in obsolescence.

What, if anything at all, are governments around the world, especially in developed countries, doing about the well known practice of built in obsolescence?
Impossible to prove perhaps, but the practice is not only unethical towards the consumer who handed over hard earned cash for the latest, designed to fail soon enough gadget, it is surely adding to our global environental catastrophe in a very big way.
My Lenovo Ideapad is several years old. The F key on the keyboard mysteriously stopped working. The cost of repair quote is almost the same as buying a new laptop. That is hardly a coincedence. There is no water or other liquid damage, I prised the key off and no sign of corrosion underneath on the contacts.
I believe that this malfunction was somehow built in.
The repair guy says I can complain all day, that this is also what they do with mobile phones, and to change a microphone in a modern phone, you have to change half the casing.
It’s good for the repair guy, but bad for us. And the environment.
Why should we NOT complain?

Topic

Sorry, what?

In reply to Built in hardware obsolencence

I’ve replaced a lot of keyboards myself with the help of YouTube on models I don’t know how.

I have no problem PAYING a tech a living wage. Why should these folk slave for the dollar?

If you don’t do your own minor repairs the cost may seem too high but you are not convincing me this is a hardware obsolescence issue. Keyboards do wear out. Fact.

Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

In reply to Built in hardware obsolencence

And to add – in the repair shop the guy showed me a keypad exactly like mine. It wasn’t the same F key malfunction but it was another single key malfunction. And as I said before – the laptop got little use.
To reiterate the point – hardly worth repairing even if I do it myself. The parts are priced too high so that we just keep consuming. Ever realise how life is set up to make us keep doing exactly that?
Not all of us like to see otherwise perfect working laptops on the scrapheap. Just because of 1 key not working.

For those who need to keep using such a laptop.

In reply to Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

We plug in some USB keyboard and keep going.

I don’t see make and model but here the most expensive keyboard I replaced was a backlit model that was 99USD.

Even so, the batteries in such things only last a few years under daily use. That is NOT built in obsolescence but a limitation of current technology.

You haven’t made a good case here with this laptop.

Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

In reply to Built in hardware obsolencence

Well the thing is rproffitt, your case is not any better than mine, because it is just your own opinion.
You cannot prove that the problem is not built in obsolescence, any more than I can prove that it is.
Built in obsolescence does exist, which is why there is a movement called Right to Repair.
Are you in the computer repair business? You need to know the make and model of my laptop? Lenovo Ideapad C340.
I was happy to pay the repair guy the working wage or whatever but he agreed that it is simpler to buy a new laptop. The tiny plastic studs which secure the keypad have to be all cut out with a flat blade, then the entire keypad replaced, and somehow with a soldering iron and I suppose a plastic stick of some sort, try to secure the keypad back in place. Thats assuming none of the delicate ribbons or connections get damaged while trying to prise them out of their sockets.
So you may have bags of experience in computer repair, not all of us do.

So is there anybody ELSE out there who would be willing to address my actual question – what are our governments doing about this planned or built in obsolescence…….is it not illegal in some way?

The C340 keyboard here runs

In reply to Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

From 12 to 40 dollars. The process is shown at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQtw1c6Kjz0

It looks VERY repairable.

But this model is built for a very low price. It’s not one of the usual laptops we see in for repair.

Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

In reply to Built in hardware obsolencence

Thanks for the link.

My 340 is a bit different. I found this video on C340 disassembly:

It’s not specific to keypad disassembly but somebody in the youtube comments asked about it. The guy replied that it is difficult but better to replace entire top cover. He reakons about €90 but that was 2 years ago.
Still I think I could have a go at fixing it. Even a used but working keypad or top cover should suffice.

The US has low low prices.

In reply to Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

Just 2 weeks ago we shopped used laptops. We found some nice Dell Latitudes for 199 USD each with i5, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSDs. The CPU was 8th Gen i5 so not ancient. Include W10 Pro too.
So at 90 euro, repair can easily approach replacement costs. But that has little to nothing to do about right to repair.

Right to repair is all about access to parts and such. I see no shortage or blocking of the spare parts here for such laptops.

Spare parts

In reply to Built in hardware obsolencence

In order to nurse my less than 3 years old laptop along a bit more, I ordered a Chinese copy of Lenove C340 keyboard for something like $21. Delivered to me and VAT added it’s just under €30. Drawback is the long delivery time. 3-4 weeks.
Another drawback is it is not a genuine Lenovo part, although Lenovo is also made in China.
Who knows, maybe my Chinese copy of Chinese keyboard will outlast the original, although I wouldn’t bet on it.
Actually my cheap Chinese copy is also backlit so that should be a plus.

But getting back to Right to Repair – the issue there is that companies are making it impossible to repair, without spending say 3/4 of the price of a new computer.
I was quoted €350 for the replacement part, plus repair costs.
It is not that Lenovo are blocking the sale of parts, it is that they have made the price of spare parts so disgustingly high, that they may as well have blocked their sale.

Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

In reply to Spare parts

On a similar note, did you ever notice that it is far cheaper to buy a new car vs. buying one part by part? Not any different. Buy a new computer and be done with it.

You proved it was possible to repair.

In reply to Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

For now, this is not a right to repair example. Step back and find a better example like John Deere tractors.

The laptop in question is designed to be low cost. As the costs go down they have to use manufacturing methods to get the price down. Rather than screws to hold in the keyboard you melt plastic tabs.

Stop conflating price reducing manufacturing methods with right to repair.

Reply To: Built in hardware obsolencence

In reply to You proved it was possible to repair.

Time to close this thread.

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