iFixit Now Offers Genuine Microsoft Surface Parts For DIY Repairs
The how-to website iFixit has built itself a reputation for providing quality instructions for DIY repairs to common personal devices — including the Microsoft Surface — but a new collaboration with Microsoft is taking things one step further. The iFixit store now sells official replacement parts for over a dozen different Microsoft Surface models, allowing users to get their hands on what they need to get their Surfaces back in working order.
The genuine Microsoft replacement parts will be available to purchase as either individual components or bundled with Fix Kits that also contain all the tools you'd need to replace the part and repair the device. Currently, iFixit is offering parts for the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5, as well as 13 other Surface models. You can find a full list of compatible devices and parts offered by iFixit at the Microsoft Repair Hub. The company suggests it will add more parts for additional devices in the future.
In addition to replacement parts for Microsoft Surface devices, iFixit also offers other resources like step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting guides, disassembly videos, and Microsoft service manuals that can aid you with your DIY repairs.
Sustainability and the Right to Repair movement are driving DIY repairs
In its announcement of its partnership with Microsoft, iFixit boasts that it has been at the "forefront of advocating for repairable product design." The company also says that DIY repairs make for less e-waste and, therefore, help contribute to a more sustainable future. "This collaboration gives Surface owners more options to take control of their hardware and save the planet," states Gwendalyn Garcia, Social Media & Product PR Manager at iFixit. She adds, "Just imagine how different the world would be if repairing every device and having access to original spare parts was this simple."
Microsoft isn't the first major tech company to work with iFixit to deliver genuine replacement parts to owners of its devices. Earlier this year, Google announced that iFixit would offer DIY replacement parts and repair instructions for the Pixel Fold. Partnerships with additional tech companies are likely in the future as well, thanks to the growing Right to Repair movement — which seeks to legalize consumers' right to self-repair or seek out third parties for repairs, as opposed to being limited to the manufacturer. Not only does this reduce e-waste by making it easier to fix a device so it doesn't need to be completely replaced, but it can also save consumers a lot of money from higher first-party repair costs.
Right to Repair laws may force companies that seek to monopolize the repairs of its own devices, like Apple is often accused of doing. California recently passed a new Right to Repair law that could inspire other states to do the same. DIY repair companies like iFixit may likely become more important than ever if the Right to Repair movement becomes the de facto law of the nation.