The Elements of Repairable Design: Product designers should follow these five rules

"Rocket scientists have embraced design for repair, with companies such as SpaceX making spacecraft with standardized parts that can be reused, repaired and replaced.

But just because rocket scientists are doing it doesn't mean it's difficult. Making everyday products that are repairable rather than disposable isn't complex and helps both our wallets and the planet.

I work for iFixit, the free repair manual, which has guides for how to fix everything from phones and laptops to musical instruments. We tear down new gadgets and score them from zero to 10 based on how repairable they are. Lately, we've been working directly with manufacturers to help them develop repairable designs. Our advice boils down to one simple rule: Any component critical to keeping a device in service should have a viable repair strategy.

Here are some things we think should be at the top of every device designer's priority list.

'Modular' Parts

Users should be allowed to swap out parts that go bad. During a repair, all the important parts of the device or object should be accessible, removable and replaceable -- without damaging the part itself or the rest of the machine. That's what it means to make parts "modular."

Car tires, for example, are modular. You can change a tire on the side of the highway.

However, your car's A pillars aren't modular. To replace one of them, you would have to replace the car's entire frame, which would require you to begin by removing every other part of the car. Not a side-of-the-road repair!

The principle of modularity is simple, but designs throw lots of obstacles in the way, such as the use of adhesives that require finish-damaging solvents to dissolve and fragile connectors with pins that tend to bend.

The only reasonable excuse for a nonmodular part is if it's unimportant or virtually bulletproof. Our teardown engineer, Jeff Suovanen, says, "The more critical a part is to device function, or the more likely it is to fail at some point, the more important modularity and serviceability become, even at the cost of a little added complexity or material."

Removable Batteries and Screens

At the intersection between "critical to functioning" and "likely to fail" are batteries and screens. In iFixit's dream universe, every electronics repair guide would start the same way:

Step one: Remove the battery.

Step two: Remove the screen.

Like tires or wiper blades, batteries wear out. Smartphone batteries lose 1% of their health every 25 days and will start struggling within a year or two of normal use. Consumers should be able to replace them as part of normal maintenance.

Plus, if you're working on any other part of a device, it's important to remove its battery first to avoid a short.

And while screens don't degrade in the same way, they still shatter, even with advances in durable glass technology and the sturdiest cases. It's difficult or impossible to keep using a device with a shattered screen, which makes easily replaceable screens that much more essential.

Use Standard Fasteners

So, parts should be removable. But designers also need to consider how they're removed: Choose robust connectors and easy-to-remove fasteners.

Some makers and tinkerers have been saying for a long time that "screws are better than glues." Nothing makes our teardown team groan more than strong adhesives that break our tools, leave sticky residues and require painstaking reapplication. Sure, glue might make a device two millimeters thinner, but in several flagship smartphone brands, new devices are already thicker than the previous ones, meaning that "thinner every model" is no longer the selling point it once was. Rubber gaskets and hydrophobic mesh are preferable for ensuring water resistance. There are modest gains to glass durability when there's a layer of soft adhesive behind it, but there are ways to make glass more durable that don't make repairs more difficult, such as changing internal weight distribution and the size of the bezel, which is the ring that holds the phone glass in place.

The best designs tell you how to get inside, with visible screws or clips -- not fasteners hidden behind trim pieces or stickers. Clips aren't a panacea. They have to be strong enough to hold up to repeated disassembly. Screws are usually reliable, as long as they don't strip. But they should have standard heads. We advocate for Phillips heads because most people have a few Phillips screwdrivers lying around.

If you've got screws of the same drive type and differing lengths, it's a good idea to use a different color or width of head for each length. That can keep repairers from accidentally driving a long screw into a short hole and damaging the stuff inside.

Innovate with Repair in Mind

Some designers might cringe at my call for visible screws and clips on the flawless exterior of their devices. But I promise: Repairable design can be sleek.

The laptops from a company called Framework are an example. They are thin and lightweight, but also designed to be repaired easily. For instance, the ports are swappable by hand, with no need for tools. This means that users won't be stuck with a bunch of obsolete ports when USB-C finally overtakes USB-A. The Framework Laptop also uses magnets in several places -- an elegant solution to the fasteners problem, making disassembly fast and repeatable without clips.

We're also impressed with designs that eliminate the biggest pain points in repair. Apple's Mac Pro has a pin-and-contact system that means opening the case disconnects power, fuss-free. That one simple choice designs out a fragile power plug and the risk of a short. The Samsung Galaxy Buds' pressure-fit, user-replaceable battery is a breath of fresh air, too.

Publish a Visual Repair Manual

Putting a publicly available service manual online is a simple way to improve ease of repairability, and yet almost no manufacturer does that. Making a repair manual public lets a device maker explain any tricky disassembly processes and minimizes the risk that repairers will break something as they try to fix it.

-- Device designers weigh hundreds of considerations when creating new products, and repairability too often is far down the list. It shouldn't be.

As I've described, designing a product that's easy to repair isn't rocket science. Manufacturers just have to want to do it." [1]

1.   Customer Experience (A Special Report) --- The Elements of Repairable Design: Product designers should follow these five rules
Chamberlain, Elizabeth. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 31 May 2022: R.5.                                                                       

Pfizer Covid-19 tabletės dabar dominuoja JAV

   „Gydymas nuo COVID-19 iš Pfizer Inc. tapo pirmaujančia pandemijos tablete, kuri išrašomaJAV, nes pagerėjo tiekimas ir išsiplėtė jų prieinamumas vaistinėse.

 

    Pfizer antivirusinis vaistas, vadinamas Paxlovid, iki gegužės 6 d. išrašytas su daugiau, nei 412 000 receptų, palyginti su maždaug 110 000 receptų molnupiraviro, antivirusinio preparato iš Merck & Co ir Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, praneša vaistų duomenų įmonė Iqvia Holdings Inc.

 

    Maisto ir vaistų administracija gruodžio mėn. leido naudoti abi tabletes didelės rizikos asmenims ligos pradžioje, kad žmonės nepatektų į ligoninę.

 

    Nors atskiri klinikiniai tyrimai parodė, kad Pfizer vaistas 88 % veiksmingai užkerta kelią hospitalizavimui, palyginti su 30 % Merck-Ridgeback vaistu, pradžioje Paxlovid tiekimas buvo menkas. Tačiau nuo to laiko „Paxlovid“ pasiūla ir prieinamumas padidėjo, nes „Pfizer“ padidino gamybą.

 

    Bideno administracija taip pat pradėjo ir išplėtė testų ir gydymo programą, pagal kurią pacientai, kurių testas teigiamas mažmeninėse vaistinėse, iš karto gauna antivirusinį receptą. Ketvirtadienį administracija pranešė, kad atsiųs klinikinį personalą, kuris padėtų paversti kelias Minesotos valstijos tyrimų vietas vietomis, kuriose taip pat būtų tiekiamas Paxlovid ir molnupiraviras, kuris parduodamas, kaip Lagevrio.

 

    Pasak gydytojų ir vaistininkų, padidėjus pasiūlai ir prieinamumui, Paxlovid vartojimas paspartėjo, o sveikatos priežiūros institucijos rekomendavo prieš kitus gydymo būdus. Gydytojai taip pat teigia, kad jiems tampa patogiau išrašyti Paxlovid, kuris gali pavojingai sąveikauti su kai kuriais įprastais vaistais.

 

    Antivirusinių vaistų receptai galiojo net iki kovo mėnesio, iš dalies dėl to, kad dėl riboto Paxlovid tablečių skaičiaus gydytojai pasikliovė Lagevrio. Be to, kai kurie pacientai negalėjo vartoti Paxlovid dėl galimos žalos, maišant jį su kitais vartojamais vaistais." [1]

1. U.S. News: Pfizer's Covid-19 Pill Now Dominant in U.S.
Hopkins, Jared S. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 31 May 2022: A.3.

Pfizer's Covid-19 Pill Now Dominant in U.S.

"The Covid-19 treatment from Pfizer Inc. has become the leading pandemic pill prescribed in the U.S., as supplies have improved and its availability at pharmacies widened.

Pfizer's antiviral drug, called Paxlovid, totaled more than 412,000 prescriptions through May 6, compared with about 110,000 prescriptions of molnupiravir, an antiviral from Merck & Co. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, according to drug-data firm Iqvia Holdings Inc.

Both pills were cleared for use in high-risk individuals early in the course of their disease in December by the Food and Drug Administration, to keep people from becoming hospitalized.

While separate clinical trials showed Pfizer's drug to be 88% effective at preventing hospitalization, compared with 30% by the Merck-Ridgeback drug, supply of Paxlovid was scarce at the beginning. But supply and availability of Paxlovid have since increased, as Pfizer ramped up manufacturing.

The Biden administration also launched and expanded a test-to-treat program in which patients who test positive at retail pharmacies immediately receive their antiviral prescription. On Thursday, the administration said it would send clinical personnel to help turn several of Minnesota's state-run testing sites into locations that would also provide Paxlovid and molnupiravir, which is marketed as Lagevrio.

The increase in supply and availability has accelerated use of Paxlovid, doctors and pharmacists say, as has its recommendation by health authorities ahead of other treatments. Physicians also say they are getting more comfortable prescribing Paxlovid, which could interact dangerously with some common medications.

Prescriptions for the antivirals ran about even until March, in part because the limited number of Paxlovid pills resulted in doctors relying on Lagevrio. Additionally, some patients couldn't take Paxlovid due to the potential harm from mixing it with other medicines they take." [1]

1. U.S. News: Pfizer's Covid-19 Pill Now Dominant in U.S.
Hopkins, Jared S. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 31 May 2022: A.3.

Startuoliai gauna patarimų, kaip išlikti

 „Po daugelio metų pinigų nukreipimo į didžiules startuolių ambicijas, Silicio slėnio investuotojai atlieka niūrų ritualą, teikdami patarimus dėl išgyvenimo savo portfelio įmonėms.

 

    Naujausiuose internetiniuose skaidrių pristatymuose, tinklaraščio įrašuose ir socialinės žiniasklaidos gijose rizikos kapitalo dojenai, įskaitant „Lightspeed Venture Partners“, „Craft Ventures“, „Sequoia Capital“ ir „Y Combinator“, sako steigėjams, kad jie turi imtis skubių veiksmų, kad galėtų būti staigiausias posūkis per daugiau, nei dešimtmetį. 

 

Jų patarimai apima išlaidų mažinimą, grynųjų pinigų išsaugojimą ir vilčių, kad rizikos draudimo fondai ar kiti investuotojai imsis didelių čekių, atsisakymą.

 

    „Pastarojo dešimtmečio klestėjimo laikai nedviprasmiškai baigėsi“, – rašė „Lightspeed“, kuri rėmė tokias įmones kaip socialinis tinklas „Snap Inc.“ ir kriptovaliutų birža FTX, šį mėnesį startuolių vadovams skirtame laiške, kuris buvo paskelbtas leidybos platformoje „Medium“.

 

    Investuotojų įspėjimai nukrypsta nuo pastarųjų metų naujosioms įmonėms skirtos augimo, svarbesnio, negu visa kita, mantros, o rizikos įmonių rinka rodo šurmulio požymius.

 

    Remiantis analitikos įmonės CB Insights duomenimis, finansavimas pasauliniams startuoliams – maždaug 58 mlrd. dolerių Technologijų reikalaujančiame Nasdaq Composite indekse nuo rekordinio aukštumo lapkritį sumažėjo maždaug 25%, o SoftBank Group Corp., investavusi, daugiau nei 100 mlrd. dolerių, šį mėnesį pranešė apie 26,2 mlrd. dolerių nuostolį savo technologijų įmonių portfelyje.

 

    Pradedantieji investuotojai skambino pavojaus varpais ankstesniais finansų ir ekonomikos suirutės momentais, įskaitant Covid-19 pandemijos pradžią. Tačiau rizikos fondų partneriai sako, kad dabartinė situacija yra kitokia.

 

    Praeitų nuosmukių metu Federalinis rezervų bankas sumažino palūkanų normas ir pumpavo pinigus į rinkas, kad palaikytų ekonomiką, užtikrindamas likvidumą ir pigų kapitalą. Šį kartą centrinis bankas didino palūkanų normas ir ištraukė pinigus iš sistemos, siekdamas sutramdyti infliaciją.

 

    Dėl FED žingsnių kapitalas brangsta, o įmonės spaudžiamos išsaugoti grynuosius pinigus. „Planuočiau paleisti šį daiktą mažiausiai 18 mėnesių ar ilgiau“, – praėjusį savaitgalį dienoraščio įraše, pavadintame, sakė Fredas Wilsonas, „Union Square Ventures“ įkūrėjas, ankstyvasis „Twitter Inc.“ ir „fintech“ startuolio „Stripe“ rėmėjas.

 

    „Sequoia“, viena garsiausių Silicio slėnio įmonių, 2020 m. kovo mėn. paskelbtoje atmintinėje įspėjo steigėjus ir generalinius direktorius apie pavojų verslui dėl gresiančios pasaulinės sveikatos krizės, įskaitant tiekimo grandinės problemas ir atšauktas keliones.

 

    Šiandieninė padėtis labiau panaši į 2008 m. finansų krizę arba dot-com rinkos žlugimą 2000 m., sakė Sequoia, žinoma dėl ankstyvų investicijų į Apple Inc. ir Airbnb Inc., be kita ko, 52 puslapių skaidrių pristatyme maždaug 250 steigėjų prieš dvi savaites.

 

    „Mes netikime, kad tai bus dar viena staigi korekcija, po kurios įvyks toks pat greitas V formos atsigavimas, kaip matėme pandemijos pradžioje“, – sakė Sequoia pristatyme, apie kurį anksčiau pranešė technologijų naujienų svetainė „The Information“.. Skaidrių pristatymas, pavadintas „Prisitaikymas ištverti“, buvo pavadintas „Crucible Moment“ ir patarė įmonėms greitai sumažinti išlaidas ir taupyti grynuosius pinigus, pažymint: „Tai bus ilgesnis atsigavimas“.

 

    Naujausias pristatymas atspindi žinią 50 skaidrių pristatyme, kurį 2008 m. spalį „Sequoia“ išsiuntė steigėjams, sakydamas, kad dėl būsto sukelto nuosmukio ir per didelio finansinio sverto, kurį iliustruoja išpjauta skerdena ir antkapis, reiškia, kad įmonės turi kontroliuoti išlaidas, sutelkti dėmesį į kokybę ir mažesnę riziką.

 

    Billas Gurley, „Benchmark Capital“ partneris, žinomas ir dėl savo sėkmingų investicijų, ir dėl rizikos kapitalo pertekliaus, pastarosiomis savaitėmis kelis kartus kreipėsi į „Twitter“ ir pasiūlė patarimų. „Kapitalo kaina pasikeitė iš esmės, ir jei manote, kad viskas yra taip, kaip buvo, tada jūs nukrentate nuo uolos, kaip Thelma ir Louise“, - sakė jis šį mėnesį.

 

    Kai kurie dideli sandoriai vis dar vykdomi. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. arba SpaceX, Elono Musko raketų kompanija, ką tik surinko naują 1,5 mlrd. dolerių finansavimą.

 

    Ir daugelis pradedančiųjų įmonių praėjusiais metais sukaupė pakankamai pinigų iš lėšų rinkimo, kad galėtų tęsti veiklą dar kelerius metus iš esamų lėšų, sakė Bostone įsikūrusios „Battery Ventures“ generalinis partneris Neeraj Agrawal. Vis dėlto „Battery“ partneriai patarė savo portfelio įmonėms taupyti grynuosius pinigus, sakė jis.

 

    „Prieš klestėdami, turite išgyventi“, – šį mėnesį „YouTube“ paskelbtame vaizdo įraše startuoliams sakė Michaelas Seibelis, „Y Combinator“ generalinis direktorius. Silicio slėnio greitintuvas, kurio tikslas – padėti startuoliams klestėti ir investavęs į daugiau nei 3000 įmonių, įskaitant „Airbnb“, ragina steigėjus mažinti darbuotojų skaičių ir skelbimų skaičių.

 

     Rizikos investuotojai taip pat bando paskatinti verslininkus, kuriuos jie remia.

 

     Dėmesys kokybei, o ne kiekybei gali turėti teigiamą poveikį, sakė jie ir pažymėjo, kad kai kurie šiandien žinomiausi technologijų žaidėjai, įskaitant „Uber Technologies Inc.“ ir „Airbnb“, buvo įkurti  JAV ekonomikos silpnumo laikotarpiu.

 

     Kova dėl talentų gali palengvėti, nes technologijų sektoriuje išplito darbo vietų mažinimas, teigia rizikos kapitalo įmonės. Jie pridūrė, kad startuoliai, kurie nėra gyvybingi, bet vis dar kuria konkurenciją – frazė, kurią „Y Combinator“ įkūrėjas Paulas Grahamas sugalvojo kaip „numatytąjį mirusįjį“, taip pat greičiausiai išnyks be galimybės gauti pigių grynųjų pinigų.“ [1]

 

1. Startups Get Tips On How to Stay Afloat
Bobrowsky, Meghan; Monga, Vipal. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 31 May 2022: A.1.

Startups Get Tips On How to Stay Afloat

"After years of funneling cash into startups' grand ambitions, Silicon Valley's investors are engaging in the grim ritual of delivering survival advice to their portfolio companies.

In recent online slide presentations, blog posts and social-media threads, venture-capital doyens including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Craft Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Y Combinator are telling the founders that they need to take emergency action for what could be the sharpest turn in more than a decade. Their advice includes cutting costs, preserving cash and jettisoning hopes that hedge funds or other investors will swoop in with big checks.

"The boom times of the last decade are unambiguously over," Lightspeed, which has backed companies including social network Snap Inc. and crypto exchange FTX, wrote in a dispatch for startup executives that was posted on Medium, a publishing platform, this month.

The investors' admonitions are a departure from the growth-above-all mantra for startups in recent years, and come as the venture market is showing signs of sputtering.

Funding for global startups -- at around $58 billion in commitments midway through the second quarter -- is on pace to drop by about one-fifth in the period compared with the previous quarter, according to analytics firm CB Insights. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index is down about 25% from its record high in November, and SoftBank Group Corp., which has poured more than $100 billion into investments, this month reported a $26.2 billion loss in the first quarter as valuations plummeted in its portfolio of tech companies.

Startup investors have sounded alarm bells in previous moments of financial and economic tumult, including the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. But partners at venture funds say the current situation is different.

In past downturns, the Federal Reserve cut rates and pumped money into markets to support the economy, providing liquidity and cheap capital. This time, the central bank has been raising rates and taking money out of the system in a bid to tame inflation.

The Fed's moves are making capital more expensive, and increasing pressure on companies to preserve their cash. "I would be planning to ride this thing out for at least 18 months or more," Fred Wilson, co-founder of Union Square Ventures, an early backer of Twitter Inc. and fintech startup Stripe, said in a blog post last weekend titled "How This Ends."

Sequoia, one of Silicon Valley's most storied firms, warned founders and CEOs in a March 2020 memo about the risks to businesses from the looming global health crisis, including supply-chain issues and canceled travel.

Today's situation is more similar to the 2008 financial crisis or the dot-com market crash in 2000, said Sequoia -- known for early investments in Apple Inc. and Airbnb Inc., among others -- in a 52-page slide presentation for roughly 250 founders about two weeks ago.

"We do not believe that this is going to be another steep correction followed by an equally swift V-shaped recovery like we saw at the outset of the pandemic," Sequoia said in the presentation, which was reported earlier by tech news site The Information. The slide presentation, titled "Adapting to Endure," called this a "Crucible Moment" and advised companies to cut expenses quickly and preserve cash, noting, "It will be a longer recovery."

The latest presentation mirrors the message in a 50-slide presentation Sequoia sent to founders in October 2008, saying a housing-led recession and overleveraged financials -- which it illustrated with a butchered carcass and a gravestone -- meant that companies needed to control spending, focus on quality and lower risk.

Bill Gurley, a partner at Benchmark Capital known both for his successful investments and for calling out excesses in venture capital, has taken to Twitter several times in recent weeks to offer advice. "The cost of capital has changed materially, and if you think things are like they were, then you are headed off a cliff like Thelma and Louise," he said this month.

Some big deals are still getting done. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, Elon Musk's rocket company, just raised a fresh round of upward of $1.5 billion in funding.

And many startups stockpiled enough cash from the gusher of fundraising last year to continue operating for several more years on existing funds, said Neeraj Agrawal, a general partner at Boston-based Battery Ventures. Still, Battery's partners have been advising their portfolio companies to conserve cash, he said.

"Before you thrive, you have to survive," Michael Seibel, a managing director at Y Combinator, said in a video for startups posted to YouTube this month. The Silicon Valley accelerator, which aims to help startups thrive and has invested in more than 3,000 companies including Airbnb, is urging founders to cut staff, reduce ad spending and raise prices.

Venture investors are also trying to sound notes of encouragement to the entrepreneurs they have backed.

The focus on quality over quantity can have some upside, they said, noting that some of the best-known players in tech today -- including Uber Technologies Inc. and Airbnb -- were founded amid economic weakness in the U.S.

 

The battle for talent could ease, as job cuts spread through the tech sector, the VCs say. The startups that aren't viable but still creating competition -- a phrase coined by Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham as "default dead" -- also likely will go away without access to cheap cash, they added." [1]

 

1. Startups Get Tips On How to Stay Afloat
Bobrowsky, Meghan; Monga, Vipal. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 31 May 2022: A.1.

Followers of Lithuanian Conservatives say the purchase of the battle drone Bayraktar for Zelensky using our money is being watched all over the world

What does the world see here?

 

The world is seeing that we are arming Ukraine, a country of 44 million, to the brim with NATO's most advanced weapons. Such a Ukraine really poses a threat to Russia, justifying the need for Russia to defend itself. The whole world is seeing it. It is a huge blow to our attempts to convince the world that we are right here.