Why don’t companies want you to repair your stuff? - Aaron Perzanowski

翻译人员: Jing Quan 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

For centuries, to build any device,

几百年来，为了一个设备，

artisans had to painstakingly cut every screw, bolt, or nut by hand.

工匠们必须手工精心切割 每一颗螺丝、螺栓或螺母。

But all this changed in the 1790s,

但是 1790 年后一切都变了，

when British metalworker Henry Maudslay developed this highly precise lathe.

英国金属工亨利·莫利兹（Henry Maudslay） 发明了一种高精度车床。

Suddenly, these previously handmade components

瞬间，这些精密的手工产品

could be reproduced mechanically, and at scale.

就能机械化量产了。

This may seem like a simple innovation, but it had a profound effect on the world.

看起来不过是简单的创新， 但它对世界产生了深远的影响。

The standardization of these parts helped usher in the Industrial Revolution.

这些零件的标准化 有助于引领工业革命。

From cars to home appliances,

从汽车到家电，

the 20th century was defined by mass production

20世纪的特点就是大规模生产，

and readily available interchangeable parts.

和随手可得的可互换零件，

This made repairing items relatively easy.

这让修理物件相对容易。

If your shower head gasket failed

如果你淋浴头的垫圈坏了，

or the hose for your washing machine sprang a leak,

或者洗衣机软管漏水，

a hardware store likely carried replacements.

五金店大概就有替换品。

Today, interchangeable parts are as important as ever for mass production.

如今，可互换的零件 对大规模生产来说依然同样重要。

However, some companies are working hard to prevent consumers

但是，一些公司却竭力阻止消费者

from swapping out components on their own.

自行更换零件。

In many cases, repair can only be done by the original manufacturer, if at all.

许多情况下，如果可以的话， 也是由原制造商来修理。

With limited repair options available,

由于维修选项有限，

we end up buying new and throwing more items out.

我们只好买新的并丢掉更多东西。

This is especially true for electronics.

尤其是在电子产品领域。

In 2022, we discarded about 62 million tons of e-waste,

2022 年，我们丢弃了 大概 6200 万吨的电子垃圾，

along with billions of dollars’ worth of precious metals inside of them.

其中包括价值数十亿美元的贵金属。

So how exactly do companies prevent repair?

那么，生产商是怎么阻止修复的？

Some make it physically more difficult to fix items.

有些是让修复变得更加困难，

They can glue parts in place rather than using screws.

用胶水而不是螺丝去固定零件，

Others limit the information they share with consumers,

有些是只标注部分信息给消费者，

like blocking public access to product information and schematics.

像阻止公众访问产品信息和示意图。

During the pandemic, for instance,

比如疫情期间，

when hospitals struggled to maintain breaking medical equipment,

医院难以修理损坏的医疗设备，

the repair company iFixit compiled a comprehensive database

维修公司iFixit编制了 一个全面的维修手册数据库，

of repair manuals for hospitals to use.

供医院使用。

Yet manufacturers like Steris fought for them to be taken down.

但像Steris这样的制造商却在使绊子。

Yet perhaps the most important, yet least obvious, way companies limit repair

可能最重要但却最不明显的妨碍手段，

is by preventing the interchangeability of parts.

就是阻止零件的可互换性。

In a process known as parts pairings,

在零件配对过程中，

companies assign individual parts like screens, batteries, or sensors

公司会为单个的屏幕、电池， 或是传感器等零件

a unique serial number.

分配一个唯一的序列号。

The device's internal software can then detect if those components are replaced

设备的内部软件可以检测出 这些零件是否被更换，

and limit their functionality as a result.

从而限制其功能。

If you swap the screen on two brand new iPhones, for example,

比如，如果你交换了 两部新iPhone的屏幕，

the automatic brightness adjustment will no longer work.

那么自动亮度调节就不起作用了。

In other cases, unauthorized replacements can cause the device

还有些案例，非官方替代品会造成

to stop functioning altogether.

设备无法运行。

If a farmer uses an independent shop to repair certain parts

如果农民把独立商店的部件

in a John Deere tractor,

换在约翰约翰迪尔拖拉机上，

it won’t operate until a company technician authenticates the new part

直到公司技术人员授权验证新部件后，

using authorized software.

拖拉机才能正常运行。

With only a limited number of company technicians available,

因为公司技术人员很紧俏，

this can easily create a bottleneck,

很容易忙不过来，

costing farmers precious time and money, and even jeopardizing crops.

浪费农民宝贵的时间和金钱， 甚至危机作物。

Manufacturers can also use software to give devices

制作商也能用软件给设备

predetermined end-of-life dates,

设定预定报废日期，

after which, they no longer receive important updates,

在之后，设备就无法进行重要更新，

and slowly become unusable.

慢慢地也就无法使用了。

All this gives manufacturers unprecedented control over the products we buy

所有这些都让厂商对我们购买的产品 拥有前所未有的控制权，

and limits the way we repair them.

并且限制我们修复它们。

Critics liken these tactics to a form of planned obsolescence,

批判者说这些策略就是有计划地报废，

a manufacturing strategy where a product is deliberately designed to fail,

厂商的策略就是故意让设备报废，

to keep both demand and profits high.

以保证高需求和高利润。

But companies pose two main arguments in defense of these practices.

但是公司提出两个主要论点 来捍卫这些做法。

First, they claim that giving consumers and third-party repair shops

一是他们说给消费者和第三方修理店权限

access to their software could create cybersecurity risks.

访问软件可能带来网络安全隐患。

They also argue that they could be liable if a product malfunctions

他们也说如果第三方修理后 设备产生故障，

after a third party or consumer repair.

他们也可能承担责任。

A shoddy repair to a medical device, for instance,

比如，医疗设备的劣质修复

could have deadly consequences, and the manufacturer could be blamed.

可能造成医疗事故， 厂商可能被追责。

However, major reports, like those from the US Federal Trade Commission

但是，美联邦和 食品药物监管局的主要报告

and the Food and Drug Administration find little support for these company claims.

都不支持厂商的这种说法。

Parts pairing and repair limiting practices

零件配对和维修限制

are now being closely scrutinized in courts all over the world,

如今在全世界都受严格审查。

as consumers fight for the right to repair.

因为消费者争夺维修权，

And states, including Colorado and Oregon, have passed laws banning parts pairing.

包括科罗拉多州和俄勒冈州在内的各州 都已通过法律禁止零件配对。

Community-led movements have also taken root.

社区主导的运动也已扎根。

Over 2,500 cities across the globe, from Amsterdam to Boise to Bangalore,

全球超过 2,500 个城市， 从阿姆斯特丹到博伊西再到班加罗尔，

have established repair cafes.

已经建立了维修咖啡馆。

Here, people trade and share their knowledge,

在这，人们交易并分享他们的知识，

reinvigorating a culture of repair

在这个“我们往往觉得扔了 比维修方便”的时代，

at a time when it often feels easier to toss our things than fix them.

重振维修文化。