3.6 KiB
Open Hardware
Why?
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Why?
Because
- John Deere
- Apple
- Tesla
- HP
- ...
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Why?
John Deere
- Digital keys (“Service ADVISOR,” encrypted ECU files) sold only to franchised dealers.
- Contract language banning owners from “accessing source code.”
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Why?
John Deere / issues
- Downtime: farmers can’t harvest until a dealer drives out.
- Monopoly pricing: FTC says labor rates run 2–3 × higher than independent techs could charge.
- Legal chill: Deere-farm-bureau MoU bars the farm lobby from pursuing right-to-repair bills.
Note:
- Farmer with lawn $600k ornament
- Ukrainian hackers
- Source
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Why?
Apple
- Parts pairing”: replacement cameras, batteries, even screens must handshake with Apple’s servers or functions are degraded.
- Activation Lock is now extended to individual parts.
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Why?
Apple / issues
- Independent shops sidelined: Face ID, Touch ID, True Tone and other features break if Apple refuses calibration.
- Higher e-waste: perfectly-good donor parts are unusable.
Nice side/effect
- Regulatory friction: Oregon’s 2025 law outright bans parts-pairing—forcing Apple to dial it back.
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Why?
Tesla
- Only Tesla will sell many critical parts; service manuals sit behind paywalls; software locks block salvaged modules.
- Warranty language voids coverage after most third-party repairs.
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Why?
Tesla & issues
- Supracompetitive pricing: class action alleges owners pay far above market for simple repairs.
- Service deserts: where no Tesla center exists, cars can sit immobile for weeks.
- Data monopoly: Tesla harvests telematics but withholds diagnostic data from independents and costomers.
Note:
- Would like to dig deeper into Tesla's compliance with EU regulations
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Why?
HP
- “Dynamic Security” firmware silently disables printers if a cartridge lacks an HP-signed chip.
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Why?
HP / issues
- Instant bricking: firmware pushes have frozen printers mid-emergency jobs (one plaintiff was a disaster-response charity).
- Consumable monopoly: users must pay HP’s 60-80 % markup on toner/ink.
- Legal exposure: HP settled a March 2025 class action but pays no damages, and the lockout code remains on by default.
Note:
- Other printers brands, namey, OKI have similar behaviors
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Why?
And many many more
- Repair monopoly → price & time penalties
- Regulatory & security opacity
- E-waste acceleration
- Chilling effect on competition and innovation
Note:
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Repair monopoly → price & time penalties
When diagnostic software, cryptographic keys or parts supplies are closed, the manufacturer alone sets both the repair timetable and the price. Markets for independent service collapse.
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Regulatory & security opacity
Closed devices often hide firmware vulnerabilities and safety issues from third-party auditors, while still claiming “security” as the reason for secrecy.
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E-waste acceleration
Parts pairing and locked firmware make reuse and refurbishment uneconomical. Functional components head to recycling, and owners buy new hardware instead.
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Chilling effect on competition and innovation
Start-ups that could build accessories, do performance mods, or offer analytics can’t legally access the interfaces. That concentrates revenue with the OEM and slows downstream innovation.
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Why?
It's not only about competitions between suppliers,
it's mainly about equity in access to technology.
Note:
If companies prioritize for maximum proffit lower income persons will never have similar access.