For years, we’ve been told that modern laptops are marvels of engineering. Thinner. Faster. More powerful. More “premium.” And in fairness, many of them are. The problem is what happens after the honeymoon ends.
In our workshop, we see a growing number of devices that are not actually broken in any meaningful sense. They power on. The motherboard works. The CPU is fine. The issue is often something mundane: a battery that’s worn out, a cracked screen, or several keys that stopped working.
Problems that used to be routine repairs, are often end the device’s life nowadays. This isn’t because replacement parts are inherently expensive. In many cases, they aren’t. The real issue is quality, labour, and economics colliding in a way that no longer makes repair sensible. Despite our best efforts to keep those devices out of landfill, we frequently turn down repair requests.
Let’s talk about parts first. The problem is rarely the raw cost of a battery or screen. The problem is consistency and reliability. Genuine parts are often unavailable, discontinued early, or restricted to authorised channels. Aftermarket alternatives exist, but quality is wildly inconsistent. A battery might fit but degrade quickly. A screen might work, but with poor brightness, colour shift, or short lifespan. Repairs become gambles instead of solutions.
When a repair shop installs a part, they’re putting their reputation on the line. If that part fails in six months, the customer doesn’t blame the supply chain. They blame the technician. That risk matters.
Then there’s labour, which is where reality really sets in. Modern laptops are engineered to be thin, compact, and visually clean. Glued batteries. Riveted keyboards. Chassis designs that require full disassembly just to reach a consumable component. What used to be a 20-minute repair can now take one or two hours.
Heat makes the situation worse. Many modern laptops run hot by design, using the chassis as part of the cooling system. That heat accelerates battery wear, weakens adhesives, damages keyboards and backlights, and shortens component lifespan. The device may still function, but it is aging far faster than it should.
Depreciation finishes the job. Electronics lose value quickly. When a device is worth a few hundred dollars on the second-hand market, even a modest repair bill becomes hard to justify. Perfectly usable machines are written off not because they’re beyond saving, but because saving them no longer makes economic sense.
Labour costs are not arbitrary. They reflect wages, taxes, rent, insurance, tools, compliance, and the cost of simply existing in a high cost-of-living country. Repair shops don’t operate in a vacuum. When labour is factored in, repairing a low-value or budget device often makes no financial sense, even if the part itself is cheap. This is why cheap devices are frequently uneconomical to fix. Not because technicians are greedy, but because the maths no longer works.
This is planned obsolescence without anyone admitting it out loud. Manufacturers often frame repair restrictions as safety or quality control issues. Batteries can be dangerous. Repairs should be done by professionals. Intellectual property must be protected. Some of that is valid. Much of it conveniently shifts responsibility away from long-term support.
The outcome is predictable. Devices are treated as disposable far earlier than necessary. Consumers lose value. Repair shops are forced to recommend replacement instead of repair. Electronic waste keeps growing. There are better approaches. Devices designed with accessible components, consistent parts supply, and realistic serviceability last longer and retain value. They turn repairs back into predictable maintenance instead of financial gambles.
The right to repair movement exists because this isn’t a theoretical debate. It’s happening daily on workbenches everywhere. Before buying your next device, it’s worth asking practical questions. How hard is it to open? Can common wear items be replaced reliably? What happens when it’s out of warranty? Does repair still make sense in three or four years?
So what’s the alternative? Buying a brand-new economy car rarely makes sense when you could have a luxury pre-owned car in great condition for about the same price. The same logic applies to cheap laptops too. For many people, the most practical and cost-effective option isn’t a brand-new consumer laptop. It’s a refurbished business-grade machine.
Business-class computers are designed differently. They’re built to last longer, to be serviced, and to survive years of daily use. Parts availability is better. Construction is sturdier. Thermal design is usually more conservative. Even when something does go wrong, repairs are more predictable and more likely to make financial sense.
That’s why we sell refurbished business-grade computers with a full one-year warranty. Before buying your next computer, it’s worth asking practical questions. How easy is it to service? Are common wear items replaceable? Will repair still make sense in three or four years? Because the real cost of a computer isn’t what you pay on day one. It’s how long it can realistically be kept running once something small inevitably goes wrong.
