Buchon starts to open an iPad for repair as Khalid looks on. Twenty US states this year considered right-to-repair bills that would force tech firms to share parts and equipment with independent shops. So far, none of the bills has gone anywhere. — The Pew Charitable Trusts/TNS
WASHINGTON: Alex Buchon carefully inserted a slim, credit-card-sized tool into the gently warmed glue holding a broken iPad together. Patiently, he sliced through the glue to separate the screen from the rest of the device, exposing its innards.
The electronics technician needed to get inside to determine whether the device needed a new battery. If so, he wouldn't be able to get it from Apple – the company makes them available only to Apple dealers and Apple-authorised repair shops. Instead, DMV Unlocked Wireless, the Washington, DC, store that employs Buchon, stocks knockoffs and parts scrounged from discarded devices.
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