Apple, Microsoft and Samsung named and shamed in repairability report
Vendor trio slammed for making products too difficult to repair, while HP and Dell are praised
Apple, Microsoft and Samsung have been slammed in a report for having the least repairable IT products on the market.
The report, published by Greenpeace and IT teardown website iFixit, accuses the IT giants of making their products difficult to take apart to replace components, creating environmental issues as broken products are discarded.
The report assessed 40 smartphones, tablets and laptops from 17 vendors released between 2015 and 2017.
The products were rated out of 10 for repairablity.
The two Apple iPhone handsets tested each scored seven out of 10, but two iPads scored two out of 10 and two MacBooks scored one out of 10.
Microsoft's Surface Book and Surface Pro 5 both scored one out of 10, while Samsung saw three smartphones and one tablet all score four out of 10 or lower.
Dell fared better, with one laptop getting a perfect 10 out of 10 and one scoring seven out of 10.
HP saw its tablets score 10 out of 10 and seven out of 10, while the one HP laptop tested scored 10 out of 10.
Environmentally focused Dutch smartphone manufacturer Fairphone was also praised.
Gary Cook, IT analyst at Greenpeace USA, said that the poor repairability of these products is increasing the number of devices thrown onto the scrap heap.
"Of all the models assessed we found a few best-in-class products which demonstrate that designing for repairability is possible," he said. "On the other hand, a number of products from Apple, Samsung and Microsoft are increasingly being designed in ways that make it difficult for users to fix, which shortens the lifespan of these devices and adds to growing stockpiles of e-waste.
"Improving the repairability of electronic products is technically achievable and brands should be prioritising this in their product design. As a first step, it's critical that all brands follow in the footsteps of Dell, Fairphone, and HP and make repair manuals and spare parts publicly available."
Assessing the trends across all products tested, the report states that devices are generally becoming more difficult to repair as cases are glued and soldered together.
It added that nearly 70 per cent of all devices tested had batteries that were difficult or impossible to replace because of the adhesives used to keep them in place.
Eamon Moore, managing director at Dell and Microsoft partner EMIT, said that the life cycle of IT products should make it less necessary for components to be replaced in devices.
"We don't let it go so far that it becomes an issue," he said. "We're a firm believer in the life cycle management of end-user devices, so if the device is in warranty with a recognised manufacturer a next-day fix tends to happen the majority of the time.
"The problems start to occur when you start hitting that fourth or fifth year when devices start to slow down and parts reach end-of-life, so from a services point of view we like to keep it to a four-year period."
Moore explained that the continued commoditisation of end-user devices will also make it better value to replace the product itself, rather than individual components.
"If I look at how the industry has changed, talking about taking devices apart and replacing batteries was really something we spoke about five or 10 years ago," he said. "We're at a stage where we have somewhat reliable devices and don't have to go down that route anymore, and it's going to become a commodity where you can just replace it.
"When you look at some of the recent announcements we've seen with Microsoft and Surface, and Dell, there's more of a focus on the financial aspects where you can do hardware as a service. If you're doing hardware as a service the partner or vendor will be able to swap the device quickly, or perhaps you'll roll in five or six spare devices should there be an issue. That's where the industry will go in a lot of instances."
When contacted by CRN, Apple said its products are designed with durability in mind and that it takes environmentally friendly steps to recycle old products.
"Highly integrated design allows us to make products that are not only beautiful, thin and powerful, but also durable so they can last for many years," Apple said.
"When repairs are needed, authorised providers can ensure the quality, safety and security of repairs for customers - and when products do reach end of life, Apple takes responsibility for recycling them safely and responsibly.
"We're continuing to invest in ways to recover materials from our products, such as Liam, our line of disassembly robots, and encouraging our customers to return products through Apple Renew, our recycling programme.
"We're also pioneering a closed-loop supply chain where products are made using only renewable resources or recycled material to reduce the need to mine materials from the earth."
Microsoft and Samsung had not responded to CRN's request for comment at the time of publication.
Microsoft was however forced to defend the same criticism aimed at its Surface Laptop last week.
In a statement sent to CRN at the time it said: "As is the case with many products, Surface is built by professionals and is intended to be serviced by professionals.
"Surface comprises high-quality components and we stand behind our warranty and the cutting-edge materials used to create these unique and powerful devices."
Update
Samsung has since sent through the following statement:
"At Samsung Electronics, we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and know that reducing our impact on the environment is critical for all of our futures. We incorporate this philosophy into the creation of our products - across product development, manufacturing, use and disposal.
"We operate robust recycling programmes to make it easier for customers to discard products conveniently and free of charge at collection points across 60 countries. Additionally, we offer trade-in programmes in the US, Korea and Europe to encourage appropriate disposal.
"The e-waste we collect is reused in the form of refurbished products or recycled back into the manufacturing process.