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There's not much new to the Surface Pro 9 on the outside, as our review points out . Inside, however, there is evidence of a lot of work by Microsoft to make the device more repairable, as shown in an iFixit teardown .

iFixit has consulted with Microsoft's hardware teams for a while now, providing advice on making devices more repairable. As evidence of this, Microsoft claims in a statement that it will:

• Make repair guides available for the Surface Pro 9's components by the end of the year
• Work with "a major US retailer" to build out an authorized (in-store) repair network by early 2023
• Offer parts to individuals and repair shops by the first half of 2023

All these factors improve repairability, both in practice and in iFixit's (and French , European , and potentially other nations') repair scores.

Enlarge / The circuitry that's increasingly inside every modern appliance adds another layer of complexity to fixing the things you own. (credit: Getty Images)

The Federal Trade Commission is considering new rules that would require any appliances touting a familiar yellow EnergyGuide label to also include "information on how consumers can repair their products."

Citing its own " Nixing the Fix Report ," the FTC states that repair information will "strengthen consumers' right to repair damaged products, without the need to go back to the manufacturer." That could save customers money, allow non-licensed dealers and repair techs to better compete, and protect the environment, the FTC claims.

Right-to-repair advocates are energized by the proposed rulemaking , the publication of which was unanimously approved. "This is a big deal," Kyle Wiens, CEO of repair advocate and store iFixit, wrote Monday . "It's hard to think of a more impactful, consumer-facing and repair policy move from the FTC, or a more surefire way to get repair instructions into the hands of more consumers who need them." Wiens noted that appliance manuals, whether provided by the company or written by iFixit members on the company's wiki-style site, are harder to come by than for small electronics. Most people don't want to take apart devices that weigh hundreds of pounds and draw heavy power or flammable gas to learn more about them.

Enlarge / Apple is willing to actually replace the battery on its newest, smallest iPad, with potentially more to follow, according to a MacRumors report. (credit: Andrew Cunningham )

Replacing a battery can be fraught with peril, at least for the iPad. Repair shops and experienced DIY-ers know this, and Apple seems to acknowledge it, usually giving customers seeking battery swaps a new iPad instead. Starting soon, with at least one model, Apple and its repair techs could start actually replacing an iPad's battery instead of sending it into the refurbishment ether.

A report at MacRumors claims that Apple is issuing a new policy for the iPad mini 6 (i.e., the 2021 iPad mini ), allowing repair centers (where devices are shipped for more in-depth service) to replace just the battery, rather than provide a Whole Unit Replacement (WUR) from existing or refurbished stock. MacRumors states that "other iPads may follow in the coming weeks and months," without specifics.

Replacing the battery on an iPad requires removing the screen, and that's tricky on almost all of them. Apple's proprietary repair tools, sized to each device, may be easier to use than using hand tools at home . But there's an unavoidable physics issue of having to apply strong suction or prying force to a long, wide, and thin display. The sixth-generation mini iPad, being the smallest of them, likely represents a device with the highest success rate of screen removal.

Enlarge / Repairs to phones and tablets like those made by Samsung could be possible for up to five years after they leave the market, if an EU proposal is implemented. (credit: Getty Images)

European Commission regulators have suggested that smartphones and tablets sold there offer 15 different kinds of spare parts for at least five years, as part of a broad effort to lessen their environmental impact.

A draft regulation of "ecodesign requirements for mobile phones, cordless phones, and slate tablets" posted on August 31 notes that phones and tablets are "often replaced prematurely by users" and are "not sufficiently used or recycled" (i.e., junk-drawer-ed) at the end of their life. The cost is the energy and new materials mined from the earth for new phones, and unrecycled materials sitting in homes. Extending the lives of smartphones by five years—from their current typical two- to three-year lives—would be like taking 5 million cars off the road, according to the Commission's findings.

The most notable proposed fix (listed in Annex II) is for phone makers and sellers to make "professional repairers" available for five years after the date a phone is removed from the market. Those repairers would have access to parts including the battery, display, cameras, charging ports, mechanical buttons, microphones, speakers, and hinge assemblies (including for folding phones and tablets).