IFixit explained

iFixit
Type:Privately held company
Location:San Luis Obispo, California, U.S.
Homepage:ifixit.com
Module:
Embed:yes
Num Users:1,200,000[1]
Content License:Creative Commons BY-NC-SA[2]

iFixit ([3]) is an American e-commerce and how-to website that sells repair parts and publishes free wiki-like online repair guides for consumer electronics and gadgets. The company also performs product tear-downs of consumer devices. It is a private company in San Luis Obispo, California founded in 2003, spurred by Kyle Wiens[4] not being able to locate an Apple iBook G3 repair manual[5] while the company's founders[6] were attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Business model

iFixit has released product tear-downs of new mobile and laptop devices which provide advertising for the company's parts and equipment sales.[7] These tear-downs have been reviewed by PC World,[8] The Mac Observer,[9] NetworkWorld,[10] and other publications.[11] [12]

Co-founder Kyle Wiens[13] has said that he aims to reduce electronic waste by teaching people to repair their own gear,[14] and by offering tools, parts, and a forum to discuss repairs.[15] In 2011, he travelled through Africa with a documentary team to meet a community of electronics technicians who repair and rebuild the world's discarded electronics.[16]

iFixit provides a software as a service platform known as Dozuki to allow others to use iFixit's documentation framework to produce their own documentation. O'Reilly Media's Make and Craft magazines use Dozuki to feature community guides alongside instructions originally written by the staff for the print magazine.[17]

On April 3, 2014 iFixit announced a partnership with Fairphone.[18]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, iFixit and CALPIRG, the California arm of the Public Interest Research Group, worked with hospitals and medical research facilities to gather the largest known database of medical equipment manuals and repair guides to support the healthcare industry during the pandemic.[19]

In 2022, iFixit announced plans to open a new distribution center and office in Chattanooga, TN.[20]

Reception

In September 2015, Apple removed the iFixit app from the App Store in reaction to the company's publication of a tear-down of a developer pre-release version of the Apple TV (4th generation) obtained under Apple's Developer Program violating a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement, and accordingly, their developer account was suspended. In response, iFixit says it has worked on improving its mobile site for users to access its services through a mobile browser.[21]

In April 2019, it was revealed that some Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S devices contain a physical Easter egg reading "Hi iFixit! We See You!",[22] demonstrating that device manufacturers are aware of iFixit.

In March 2022, Samsung announced that they would be collaborating with iFixit to provide a self-repair program and parts store for a range of their electronic devices.[23] iFixit ended their collaboration with Samsung in May 2024, with co-founder Kyle Wiens saying "Samsung does not seem interested in enabling repair at scale."[24]

In April 2022, Google announced that they would be partnering with iFixit to provide replacement parts for their Pixel series of smartphones.[25]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Leaderboard . 2015-05-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170103094221/https://www.ifixit.com/Users?order=date . 2017-01-03 . live.
  2. Web site: Content Licensing . 17 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131014195031/http://www.ifixit.com/Info/Licensing . 14 October 2013 . live.
  3. Web site: IFixit Channel Trailer!. YouTube. March 29, 2018. 7 July 2022.
  4. Web site: Triangulation 373 Kyle Wiens, iFixit TWiT.TV . TWiT.tv . en-US . 2018-11-19.
  5. Web site: Meet the $21 Million Company That Thinks a New iPhone Is a Total Waste of Money . 5 April 2017 . inc.com . 20 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170405141932/https://www.inc.com/magazine/201704/david-whitford/ifixit-repair-men.html . 5 April 2017 . live.
  6. Web site: Fix Things, Never Force It: Lessons From Grandpa . Wiens . Kyle . theatlantic.com . 14 June 2013 . 20 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130617040532/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/06/fix-things-never-force-it-lessons-from-grandpa/276873/ . 17 June 2013 . live.
  7. Web site: How iFixit Uses Teardowns As Marketing 3.0, by Leander Kahney, Cult of Mac Sep. 18, 2009, retrieved July 2, 2010 . April 15, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090924010949/http://www.cultofmac.com/how-ifixit-uses-teardowns-as-marketing-3-0/16731 . September 24, 2009 . dead .
  8. Web site: 17-inch MacBook Pro Gets Torn to Pieces . PCWorld . 20 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090221132629/http://www.pcworld.com/article/159852/17inch_macbook_pro_gets_torn_to_pieces.html . 21 February 2009 . live.
  9. Web site: iFixit Shares MacBook Air Take Apart The Mac Observer . www.macobserver.com . 20 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180810174548/https://www.macobserver.com/article/2008/02/01.6.shtml . 10 August 2018 . live.
  10. Web site: Apple gives iFixit app the boot . Brown . Bob . 30 September 2015 . Network World . 3 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190327145739/https://www.networkworld.com/article/2988060/apple-gives-ifixit-app-the-boot.html . 27 March 2019 . live.
  11. Web site: iFixit in the Press . 15 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120412012827/http://www.ifixit.com/Quotes . 12 April 2012 . live.
  12. Web site: iFixit in the Press and Media . www.ifixit.com . 20 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180810174724/https://www.ifixit.com/Quotes . 10 August 2018 . live.
  13. I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why. . Wiens . Kyle . 20 July 2012 . Harvard Business Review . 20 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141222185529/https://hbr.org/2012/07/i-wont-hire-people-who-use-poo . 22 December 2014 . live.
  14. Web site: Cooling Your Laptop, or Your Lap? . Taub . Eric A . 20 July 2010 . . 20 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100723160704/http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/20/cooling-your-laptop-or-your-lap/ . 23 July 2010 . live .
  15. News: Ways to Remove a Broken Plug . Biersdorfer . J. D. . The New York Times . 22 September 2010 . 20 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120723043357/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/technology/personaltech/23askk.html . 23 July 2012 . live .
  16. Web site: Wiens . Kyle . 7 October 2011 . Why Fixers Will Save Our Planet . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120119075346/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/10/why-fixers-will-save-our-planet/246349/ . 19 January 2012 . 15 April 2012 . The Atlantic.
  17. Web site: Foresman . Chris . 2011-08-18 . Dozuki will drag service manuals kicking, screaming into 21st century . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230106223333/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/08/dozuki-will-drag-service-manuals-kicking-and-screaming-into-21st-century/ . 2023-01-06 . 2023-01-06 . Ars Technica . en-us.
  18. iFixit and Fairphone – Fixing The Cell Phone Problem , IFixit e-mail of April 3, 2014 (web version)
  19. Goode . Lauren . May 19, 2020 . Right-to-Repair Groups Fire Shots at Medical Device Manufacturers . live . . https://web.archive.org/web/20200520194454/https://www.wired.com/story/right-to-repair-medical-equipment-ifixit/ . May 20, 2020 . May 21, 2020.
  20. Web site: Local 3 News staff . 2022-07-19 . iFixit to open East Coast hub in Chattanooga, bringing 200 jobs . 2024-05-21 . Local3News.com . en.
  21. Web site: Wiens . Kyle . 2015-09-29 . iFixit App Pulled from Apple's App Store . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230106223601/https://www.ifixit.com/News/7401/ifixit-app-pulled . 2023-01-06 . 2023-01-06 . iFixit . en.
  22. Web site: Robertson . Adi . 2019-04-12 . Oculus says 'tens of thousands' of its new controllers include secret messages . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210209012129/https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/12/18308132/facebook-oculus-touch-controllers-secret-messages-nate-mitchell-apology . 2021-02-09 . 2021-05-02 . The Verge . en.
  23. Web site: Amadeo . Ron . 2022-08-03 . Samsung and iFixit launch repair program for flagship phones and tablets . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230106223330/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/samsung-and-ifixit-launch-repair-program-for-flagship-phones-and-tablets/ . 2023-01-06 . 2023-01-06 . Ars Technica . en-us.
  24. Web site: Hollister . Sean . 2024-05-23 . iFixit is breaking up with Samsung . 2024-05-23 . The Verge . en.
  25. Web site: Amadeo . Ron . 2022-06-30 . iFixit and Google launch official Pixel parts store . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230106223331/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/06/ifixit-and-google-launch-official-pixel-parts-store/ . 2023-01-06 . 2023-01-06 . Ars Technica . en-us.

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