{"id":329,"date":"2012-09-20T07:24:43","date_gmt":"2012-09-20T15:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/?p=329"},"modified":"2012-09-20T07:37:01","modified_gmt":"2012-09-20T15:37:01","slug":"fix-your-iphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/fix-your-iphone\/","title":{"rendered":"Fix your iPhone"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fix
\nPhoto from:\u00a0www.ifixit.com<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s sad that our society is so consumed with consumerism, now more than ever with cell phones. I know a few people that actual pre-order their Apple gadgets prior to their release, and then run out to get them the second they’re available, tossing their “old” 1 year old phones\/ipads\/ipods to the side. (Well, some of them sell their phones on Craigslist or through other avenues, but this doesn’t excuse this bad behavior.) It seems that Apple has single-handedly brainwashed the population to believe that if you don’t have the newest thing, then you’re just not cool. \u00a0I am afraid that a majority of smart phone subscribers are barely making ends meet, with their constant phone upgrades, $100+ \u00a0cell phone bills, cable bills, internet bills, etc! Who’s saving for retirement anymore, anyone?<\/p>\n

So when I read this article from GOOD, I wanted to share it: \u00a0yes, you can fix your phone \u2013 even though Apple will tell you to just buy a new one!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From GOOD.is<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n

Digital Makeover:
\n5 Reasons You Should Fix Your Gadgets, Not Replace Them<\/h3>\n

Unless you\u2019ve just woken up from a coma, you\u2019ve probably heard that Apple recently announced the iPhone 5. Lots of people will be lining up the night before the September 21st release to get their grubby hands on the glossy screen\u2014us included.<\/p>\n

Our motivations are a little different than the average Joe: Here at iFixit, we get new gadgets to\u00a0tear them apart<\/a>\u00a0and teach people\u00a0how to fix them<\/a>. We won\u2019t shame you for wanting something new and shiny. But if your old phone is no longer up to snuff, you don\u2019t necessarily have to shell out your hard-earned cash for a new one. Battery won\u2019t hold a charge? Screen cracked? Camera stopped working? All of these things can be fixed.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s task is to learn how and why to fix your gadgets instead of replacing them. Repair will save you money, of course\u2014fixing a “red ringed” Xbox 360<\/a>\u00a0costs just $30, less than one-sixth of the price of a new console. But here are five other reasons to fix your stuff.<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s easier than you think.<\/strong>
\nDoes the thought of prying apart your iPhone make you weak in the knees? We have step-by-step guides and instructional videos to walk you through everything from\u00a0changing an iPhone battery<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0changing the oil in a tractor<\/a>. If we don\u2019t have a guide for it, the repair gurus on\u00a0iFixit Answers<\/a>\u00a0can help you out.<\/p>\n

2. Knowledge is power.<\/strong>
\nLearning that you don\u2019t have to live with broken stuff makes life better. You, too, can be free of stuff that squeaks, wobbles, or flickers when it shouldn\u2019t. Repair doesn\u2019t just give you control over your stuff, it connects you with it\u2014you learn what makes it tick. Plus, you\u2019ll never be overcharged for a simple repair again.<\/p>\n

3. You prevent e-waste.<\/strong>
\nAbout 75% of end-of-life gadgets in the US end up in landfills, incinerators, or e-waste dump sites around the world (pdf<\/a>). The gadgets that are recycled are usually shredded, then sold as raw material. But recycled plastic and rubber can\u2019t be used to make new computers\u2014the mix of dyes and plastics means it can only be\u00a0“downcycled”<\/a>\u00a0into park benches and freeway dividers.<\/p>\n

4. You conserve mining and manufacturing efforts.<\/strong>
\nMining is hard on the earth. In just the last month, there have been two big wastewater leaks: one at\u00a0a gold and silver mine in the Philippines<\/a>\u00a0and one at\u00a0a zinc mine<\/a>, which contaminated an Amazon river tributary. Manufacturing has real human costs: the\u00a0labor disputes at Foxconn manufacturing plants<\/a>\u00a0are infamous. When you fix your old stuff, you\u2019re not contributing to the mining and manufacturing of new stuff.<\/p>\n

5. You get more out of your old stuff.<\/strong>
\nAre you maximizing the potential of the devices you currently own? Could you get the same new, shiny feeling if you downloaded some free apps for your phone? Could you double your computer\u2019s storage space by\u00a0adding a second hard drive<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Repair is good for your brain, good for your wallet, and good for the planet. So go fix something.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo from:\u00a0www.ifixit.com It’s sad that our society is so consumed with consumerism, now more than ever with cell phones. I know a few people that actual pre-order their Apple gadgets prior to their release, and then run out to get them the second they’re available, tossing their “old” 1 year old phones\/ipads\/ipods to the side. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":578,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":337,"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329\/revisions\/337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ijdesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}