WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR PRODUCTS TO BE should try opening it up,” he said. “It’s out of war-more maker friendly, not just user friendly? When I ranty so.…” Knowing that I was faced with buying a see a product described as user friendly, I wonder if new one, I decided I had nothing to lose opening it. it’s designed to be too easy, like a book that’s writ- Now the iPod mini is in no way maker friendly ten for newbies, and if it will actually prevent me (nor are any of the user-friendly iPods). The person from doing some interesting things. I suspect that at the Apple store told me I needed to use a blow makers want to know as much information about dryer to heat the glue that held the plastic top on. a product as possible and that they enjoy learning So after doing that – about a minute on high — I — if not from manuals then from their own hands- used a butter knife to pry off the plastic top. Then I on experience. bent and removed a metal bracket, which was sol-
We’ve seen the microwave oven with the sticker: dered to the body. Only then was I able to get at the
No User Serviceable Parts Inside. When it comes piece that held the jack. I pulled it out and ejected
to consumer electronics, software, and websites, the stem by pushing it out from the back. After I put
a lot of them are designed to lock out users and all the pieces back together (without the requisite
keep them from getting behind the user interface. soldering and gluing), I was thoroughly amazed
Shouldn’t more of these products be maker-ser- that the restored iPod mini actually worked. Still, I
viceable? Shouldn’t the manufacturers make it shouldn’t need to blow dry an iPod mini to open it,
easier to take a product apart to tune or tweak it, or no matter how cute it is.
simply to repair it myself? Manufacturers should encourage makers, not
So let me tell you about trying to repair my thwart their efforts. To be maker friendly means to
daughter’s damaged iPod mini. The year-old unit provide access to good information about the prod-
had fallen off a table while the audio jack was uct. Makers really want the details, and more impor-
attached; the plug that held the jack broke off, tantly, want access to the product itself. Makers
want to look inside and see the moving parts. They
“Makers really want the want to do the unexpected, such as make repairs and improvements, and even harvest components details, and more impor- once the product ceases to be useful.
Look at the lessons of open source, which pro-
tantly, want access to vides open access to the underlying source code.
When a system is open and easily modified, it
the product itself.” anticipates adaptation to a variety of uses that were
never considered in the project’s original design.
leaving the stem inside the iPod mini port. I first The personal computer had a design that was grabbed a set of tweezers to see if I could pull out maker friendly. I recently replaced a video board on the jack, but I couldn’t get a grip on it. I tried pliers a two-year-old PC without even needing tools, not but I didn’t have a pair small enough. I considered even a butter knife. Try doing that on your TV. sending the unit in for repair, but it was out of If you know of products that you’d recommend as warranty. The Apple support site indicated they’d maker friendly, or ones that fail miserably on that charge for a replacement unit rather than actually account, drop me an email and let me know. repair it. I stopped by an Apple store where the resi- Dale Dougherty is the editor and publisher of MAKE. He can dent geek admitted he couldn’t do anything. “You be reached at dale@oreilly.com.
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