Most manufacturers have responded to the Right to Repair movement with malicious compliance and doublespeak. They make empty promises about repairability, they purposefully launch crappy self-repair programs, and they silently lobby against consumer rights legislation. Oddly, Microsoft has emerged as an ally in this fight, and its allyship is most evident on its YouTube page.
Microsoft published itsfirst officialSurface repair video in early 2022. It was a relatively short seven-minute video (and it was more of a demonstration than a repair guide), but it marked a turning point for the company’s hardware design. Surface devices used to be non-repairable, but here was a video of Microsoft employees pulling apart a Surface Laptop (with consumer-grade tools), pointing out all the modular components, and explaining how a newly-founded Design for Repair team will influence future Surface products.
Dozens ofrepair videoshave graced Microsoft’s YouTube page since 2022, including repair guides for those old “non-repairable” Surface devices. But the company’slatest videomay be the most exciting—it’s a 42-minute-long disassembly and reassembly of theSurface Pro 10 for Business, a product that’s less than four months old. I’m impressed by the production value and care that went into the video, and I’m glad to see that each step of the teardown is explained in detail to the viewer.
Is the Surface Pro 10 for Business a beacon of repairability? In a purely practical sense, the answer is “not really.” Most users will be too intimidated to debond the display from the chassis (which is required for a majority of repairs). However, most of the components in the device are modular, and Microsoft took the time to print small instructions near these components to assist in repair.
There are also small QR codes inside of the device that can redirect users to repair guide or replacement parts. And, to that end, Microsoft sells official replacement components through both itsonline storeand third parties likeiFixit.
And, of course, we’re talking about the Surface Pro 10 for Business (which is just a clone of the Surface Pro 9). All of the repairability improvements offered in this model are taken to the extreme with theSurface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7, which launched last month. iFixit described these two devices as a “U-turn” for Surface repairability and granted them an impressive 8/10 repairability score.
Microsoft’s growing enthusiasm for device repairability should be the norm for all electronics manufacturers. It’s the morally correct thing to do, and thanks to bipartisan support, it may soon become a legal requirement. Extending the lifespan of hardware devices will save consumers money and greatly mitigate the amount of e-waste that we generate each year—two things that Mother Nature forgot to ask about in that patronizingearlier this year.
