Unraveling the Partnership: The SAMSUNG and iFixit Saga

In Silicon Valley, narratives of innovation and ingenuity (as well as cooperation) shape the ways that consumers and tech industry insiders understand new developments. But not all partnerships in the tech age hold up as the market – and time – changes. Samsung’s partnership in the Share the Magic of Repair programme with the repair site iFixit has become the latest tale of a bird (ie, magic) that has flown the coop.

The Hopeful Beginning

The first cooperation between Samsung and iFixit marked an important first step in boosting the repair ecosystem for electronic devices. Parts would become available! Repair guides would be provided! In the near future, technology might be cool and green after all.

The Fraying Edges

Naturally, the reality of the partnership soon diverged from its idealistic goals. Soon after, iFixit, a leading member of the right-to-repair movement, began voicing disillusionment with Samsung’s apparent zeal. The repair advocate identified a barrage of repair obstacles such as parts availability, pricing and device ergonomics.

Prices and Bundles: A Sticking Point

Consider the way that Samsung bundled parts – rather than selling individual screens, for instance, the company pushed package deals on consumers, requiring them to buy extra parts they didn’t need, driving up the cost of repair. Such complications stood in contrast to other parts of the tech industry that were more repair-friendly.

SAMSUNG's Part-Bundling Strategy

By comparing it with parts available for the Pixel 8 Pro or the iPhone 14 Pro Max from Samsung’s competitors, it was easy to see the difference: Samsung included significantly fewer parts. This difference made it abundantly clear that Samsung’s modules were going to make it a lot harder to foster a truly vibrant repair ecosystem.

A Rocky Relationship Shaken Further

Operational issues aside, trust between iFixit and Samsung was tested by the firm’s defensive reactions to the criticism – and the company’s strict requirements on individual repair businesses. In one case, Samsung demanded that iFixit remove its teardown of a device that would later be recalled. In the other, iFixit was a victim of Samsung’s efforts to impose controversial policies on repair businesses. Taken together, the lawsuits and policy clashes demonstrated the pitfalls of corporate partnerships with the grassroots repair movement.

Strategic Divergences

The proverbial straw was the disclosure that Samsung required all independent repair shops to share its customers’ data, as well as remove the devices with third-party parts—a kind of shadow operation that runs counter to some of the industry’s pillars of trust and customer service.

What Lies Ahead for iFixit

As a result, iFixit has taken the painful step of cutting ties with Samsung. But they aren’t going anywhere: iFixit says it will partner with third-party parts makers to continue providing repairs that its loyal base demands, and will provide the repair manuals, with or without Samsung.

Reflecting on SAMSUNG

About Samsung

Samsung is a multinational technology giant that has never shied away from innovation. A critical manufacturer of the components and devices of our digital life, the South Korean company has been constantly pushing the frontiers of technological applications with its smartphones, home appliances and semiconductor technology. Yet the history of Samsung is also that of a company that has struggled to come to terms with the global environmental and consumer rights issues that this digital economy has created.

And as this chapter with iFixit closes, we can all examine carefully to see what Samsung will do differently with regards to repairability and sustainability in its future smartphones and laptops. The story of Samsung and iFixit should be a wake-up call about the nature of technology, business and ethics in the 21st century.