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iFixit

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iFixit
Company typePrivately held company
Founded2003;21 years ago(2003)
HeadquartersSan Luis Obispo, California,U.S.
Key people
Users1,200,000[2]
Content license
Creative CommonsBY-NC-SA[3]
Websiteifixit

iFixit(/aɪˈfɪksɪt/eye-FIX-it[4]) is an Americane-commerceand how-to website that sells repair parts and publishes freewiki-like online repair guides forconsumer electronicsand gadgets. The company also performsproduct tear-downsof consumer devices. It is a private company inSan Luis Obispo,Californiafounded in 2003, spurred by Kyle Wiens[5]not being able to locate anApple iBook G3repair manual[6]while the company's founders[7]were attendingCal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Business model[edit]

An iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit

iFixit has released product tear-downs of new mobile and laptop devices which provide advertising for the company's parts and equipment sales.[8]These tear-downs have been reviewed byPC World,[9]The Mac Observer,[10]NetworkWorld,[11]and other publications.[12][13]

Co-founder Kyle Wiens[14]has said that he aims to reduceelectronic wasteby teaching people to repair their own gear,[15]and by offering tools, parts, and a forum to discuss repairs.[16]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.[17]

iFixit provides asoftware as a serviceplatform known as Dozuki to allow others to use iFixit's documentation framework to produce their own documentation.O'Reilly Media'sMakeandCraftmagazines use Dozuki to feature community guides alongside instructions originally written by the staff for the print magazine.[18]

On April 3, 2014 iFixit announced a partnership withFairphone.[19]

During theCOVID-19 pandemic,iFixit and CALPIRG, the California arm of thePublic 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.[20]

In 2022, iFixit announced plans to open a new distribution center and office in Chattanooga, TN.[21]

Reception[edit]

In September 2015, Apple removed the iFixit app from theApp Storein reaction to the company's publication of atear-downof a developer pre-release version of theApple TV(4th generation) obtained underApple's Developer Programviolating a signedNon-Disclosure Agreement,and accordingly, their developer account was suspended.[11]In response, iFixit says it has worked on improving its mobile site for users to access its services through a mobile browser.[22]

In April 2019, it was revealed that someOculus QuestandOculus Rift Sdevices contain a physicalEaster eggreading "Hi iFixit! We See You!",[23]demonstrating that device manufacturers are aware of iFixit.

In March 2022,Samsungannounced that they would be collaborating with iFixit to provide a self-repair program and parts store for a range of their electronic devices.[24]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."[25]

In April 2022,Googleannounced that they would be partnering with iFixit to provide replacement parts for theirPixelseries of smartphones.[26]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Wiens, Kyle."Kyle Wiens".kylewiens.
  2. ^"Leaderboard".Archivedfrom the original on 2017-01-03.Retrieved2015-05-18.
  3. ^"Content Licensing".Archivedfrom the original on 14 October 2013.Retrieved17 October2013.
  4. ^"IFixit Channel Trailer!".YouTube.March 29, 2018.Retrieved7 July2022.
  5. ^"Triangulation 373 Kyle Wiens, iFixit | TWiT.TV".TWiT.tv.Retrieved2018-11-19.
  6. ^"Meet the $21 Million Company That Thinks a New iPhone Is a Total Waste of Money".inc.5 April 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 5 April 2017.Retrieved20 May2018.
  7. ^Wiens, Kyle (14 June 2013)."Fix Things, Never Force It: Lessons From Grandpa".theatlantic.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2013.Retrieved20 May2018.
  8. ^"How iFixit Uses Teardowns As Marketing 3.0,by Leander Kahney, Cult of Mac Sep. 18, 2009, retrieved July 2, 2010 ".Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2009.RetrievedApril 15,2020.
  9. ^"17-inch MacBook Pro Gets Torn to Pieces".PCWorld.Archivedfrom the original on 21 February 2009.Retrieved20 May2018.
  10. ^"iFixit Shares MacBook Air Take Apart || The Mac Observer".macobserver.Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2018.Retrieved20 May2018.
  11. ^abBrown, Bob (30 September 2015)."Apple gives iFixit app the boot".Network World.Archivedfrom the original on 27 March 2019.Retrieved3 October2015.
  12. ^"iFixit in the Press".Archivedfrom the original on 12 April 2012.Retrieved15 April2012.
  13. ^"iFixit in the Press and Media".ifixit.Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2018.Retrieved20 May2018.
  14. ^Wiens, Kyle (20 July 2012)."I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why".Harvard Business Review.Archivedfrom the original on 22 December 2014.Retrieved20 May2018.
  15. ^Taub, Eric A (20 July 2010)."Cooling Your Laptop, or Your Lap?".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 23 July 2010.Retrieved20 May2018.
  16. ^Biersdorfer, J. D. (22 September 2010)."Ways to Remove a Broken Plug".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 23 July 2012.Retrieved20 May2018.
  17. ^Wiens, Kyle (7 October 2011)."Why Fixers Will Save Our Planet".The Atlantic.Archivedfrom the original on 19 January 2012.Retrieved15 April2012.
  18. ^Foresman, Chris (2011-08-18)."Dozuki will drag service manuals kicking, screaming into 21st century".Ars Technica.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-01-06.Retrieved2023-01-06.
  19. ^iFixit and Fairphone – Fi xing The Cell Phone ProblemArchived2020-06-08 at theWayback Machine,IFixit e-mail of April 3, 2014 (web version)
  20. ^Goode, Lauren (May 19, 2020)."Right-to-Repair Groups Fire Shots at Medical Device Manufacturers".Wired.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2020.RetrievedMay 21,2020.
  21. ^Local 3 News staff (2022-07-19)."iFixit to open East Coast hub in Chattanooga, bringing 200 jobs".Local3News.Retrieved2024-05-21.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^Wiens, Kyle (2015-09-29)."iFixit App Pulled from Apple's App Store".iFixit.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-01-06.Retrieved2023-01-06.
  23. ^Robertson, Adi (2019-04-12)."Oculus says 'tens of thousands' of its new controllers include secret messages".The Verge.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-02-09.Retrieved2021-05-02.
  24. ^Amadeo, Ron (2022-08-03)."Samsung and iFixit launch repair program for flagship phones and tablets".Ars Technica.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-01-06.Retrieved2023-01-06.
  25. ^Hollister, Sean (2024-05-23)."iFixit is breaking up with Samsung".The Verge.Retrieved2024-05-23.
  26. ^Amadeo, Ron (2022-06-30)."iFixit and Google launch official Pixel parts store".Ars Technica.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-01-06.Retrieved2023-01-06.
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