In an effort to tackle the growing threat of electronic waste (e-waste), Logitech is entering a new partnership with iFixIt to begin offering replacement kits for key computer accessories.
Logitech claims in the announcement post (opens in new tab) e-waste is “fueled by higher consumption rates, short life cycle, and few repair options” for electronics. To address this, the company aims to “increase the lifespan” of its devices by selling first-party replacement parts (opens in new tab). Things are starting off small as the only repairable products at launch will be computer mice from the MX Master (opens in new tab) and MX Anywhere (opens in new tab) lines. Between the two series, 11 different models will be covered, from the MX Master 3S to the MX Anywhere 3 for Mac. So, at the very least, customers will have a decent amount of options.
Spare parts “will be available as standalone or in Fix Kits” later this summer in the iFixit Logitech Repair Hub (opens in new tab). The kits will also “contain everything needed to complete a repair” including all the necessary tools like a precision bit set.
What’s available
The Repair Hub is currently open for people to check out, but you can’t buy anything at the moment. Replacement guides for the mice are the only things available on the website; the page for the Logitech MX Master mouse, for example, has instructions on how to carefully open the device and clean it.
At the beginning, you will only be able to replace just two parts on an MX mouse: the battery and the rubber feet at the bottom. There’s no indication of whether customers will be able to replace more like the buttons or the scrolling wheel later down the line.
Prices vary depending on what device you have. To give you an idea, Fix Kits (opens in new tab) to replace the battery on the MX Master, Master 2S, MX Anywhere 2, and the MX Anywhere 2S cost $30. If you just want the battery itself, it’s $25. For the MX Master 3, Master 3S, and MX Anywhere 3, the kit is just $15. We should mention every single one of the listings comes with a notice telling you what you’re about to purchase is a genuine part from Logitech and not some third-party knock-off.
Potential expansion
Even though iFixit’s program hasn’t launched yet, the company is seemingly working on expanding support to more devices. Scroll down to the bottom of the Repair Hub, you’ll see entries for keyboards, headphones, cameras (opens in new tab), even products from the Logitech G series (opens in new tab). It does appear these entries are just placeholders awaiting future content, however, as most are just page stubs (opens in new tab). The ones that do have guides usually just focus on tweaking a few things or replacing a battery with, presumably, a third-party part and nothing directly from Logitech.
We reached out to both companies with several questions about the partnership. For instance, we wanted to know when we will see repair kits for other Logitech devices, if that is indeed in the works. Also, will more parts be available later on, and will it be possible to replace the buttons on a mouse? This story will be updated at a later time.
It is good to see Logitech joining the likes of Samsung and Valve in offering device repairs, but not every problem is a hardware one. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best data recovery software to learn other ways to grow your computer’s lifespan.
Source: www.techradar.com
