The device repair industry, pushed by iFixit, is talking out both sides of their mouth about repairability.

Being able to repair every device you own is a great idea but in practice falls apart when consumers demand – thin, light, durable and long battery life.

When you mix those things together you get pushed into engineering scenarios that require compromises. Many of those compromises impact how easy it is to repair.

  1. Battery – Everyone thinks a replaceable battery would be great but you sacrifice several things to add the ability to remove a battery. The housing must allow for it be removed and the battery must be wrapped in hard plastic shell to prevent punctures. These two things reduce thinness, makes it less durable and reduces battery capacity as the battery is physically smaller to allow for plastic shell.
  2. Why all the glue? – Using adhesive to hold batteries and screens on serve two purposes. Reduce thickness as screws require a hard plastic outer shell for mounting and around screens to allow for water resistance.

I agree with most right to repair ideas but the reality of the situation is consumers are their worst enemy here.