Laptop Repair – Courtesy DIY Tutorials – Comes of Age

To me, the world today seems strange. A far cry from the good terrain of old, in some quarters. And a definite improvement in others.

On the latter front, I have my field of expertise in mind. Computer – or to be precise, laptop – repair.

I remember the time when the first PCs sold themselves silly in the late 80s. And their current, portable, iteration still gives me goosebumps. Tears of wild mirth, even; contemplating how far we’ve progressed.

Surveying the Years – Down to the Present

Over the years, official (branded) repair, of course, gave way to third-party entrants. These unofficial heroes promised lesser repair costs at varying service qualities. And they still do this, although this last aspect has come of age. Thanks, in large part, to increased tech sophistication.

The new tools of the trade, as it were, are also cheaper. New-age novelties like laptop repair shop software, further, have raised the field’s prospects. Nowadays, it isn’t all too hard to open a corner repair shop with the said facility. Also, the automation entailed in the software use reduces dependence on human labor. Sure, this isn’t a good thing with regard to popular employment.

The learning curve inherent to the trade has also lowered. Courtesy of all the DIY tutorials rampant on the internet. Meaning that any domain non-affiliate can take up the mantle following interment. After a short season of training undergone in these regimens.

‘Pretty, darn cool’, as I often say.

How the Old Repair Guard Gave Way to the New

We didn’t have this accessibility back in the day.

Repair techs in the 80s and 90s were a mean bunch. They didn’t like putting their learnings into the open. Fearing a lowering in market value, they were secretive about their craft. The only people they did let in the circle were telling sycophants. The kinds of pretenders who acted in a servile way.

So it wasn’t a big surprise, then, that they resisted the democratizing onslaught of the web. Raged against it, more like.

But the defense lines couldn’t hold. And so it wasn’t long before a new breed of digital-versed techs came on the scene. Called ‘upstarts’ by some, they made field acculturation a normal thing. Something everyone could aspire towards.

At this point, it makes a lot of sense to dissect the typical DIY tutorial. Its format, for the reader who is unaware, provides ample detail on how the field has progressed.

Also – on a sidenote:

I’m glad how several laptop repair shop software companies have boarded the bandwagon. This is because they understand the importance of expanding the field. More repair techs, of course, would translate into a larger market. New prospects to sell the applications to.

The Do-It-Yourself Craze!

The following statement should feature first in any assessment of the case:

DIY tutorials are all about public empowerment.

They aim to spread actionable awareness about a skill-set.

These days, they’re rendered through:

• Blogs (text)
• Videos (YouTube)
• Social media shares (as quick, informal pointers)
• Interactive walk-throughs (Microsoft-style!)

and a range of other dissemination formats.

By way of narrative orientation, they’re styled in a ‘steps’ rubric. One step leads into the next; culminating in a complete cycle towards an end.

With repetition, the DIY routine learned becomes a habit. A reflex, even – resulting in easy performance.

Automation tools like laptop repair shop software call the opposite way, of course. Instead of encouraging the agent to do the deed themselves, they promote complacency.

Their effect is like that of the calculator. They cause the human brain to favor minimal processing. Stoked, as it were, by the respite granted by the machine. Set, as it always is, to do the bidding.

In the last decade, an entire industry has grown around this craze. Individuals proficient in any number of skills continue to fan the flames. These people commit to the work by way of its added monetary benefit. Another perk comes through the acquisition of the ‘thought leader’ status. An ego-purr that very few modern-day attainments compare with.

How Laptop Repair has Fared

In the narrow niche of laptop repair, two results have accrued:

• A Positive: Increased labor supply, customer-ended service costs lowering
• A Negative: Decreased service wages, deteriorating service quality metrics

I’ll open both in unison; since their connection is decisive.

Greater field acculturation, it is obvious, makes for a larger labor pool. The industry when accounted for in human resource numbers is, in fact, huge. Greater than it’s ever been. More supply, per basic economics’ dictates, means a lowering of service costs. Everything that boils down to happy repair business owners and end customers.

The downsides actualized from the equation are limiting and opposite in profiteering scope. Increased labor supplies lead to a progressive lowering of worker wages. And because of the excess, service quality also deteriorates.

Repair shop software, as already pointed, facilitates this regress.

What the field needs, at this stage, is some committed centralization. A certifying body, if you will, tasked with authenticating repair aspirants. Geared towards maintaining justified barriers to entry. A win-win situation on both the business and consumer ends.

And the Pushback…is Here

Everyone knew it was coming.

As in the natural course of all things, it was only a matter of time that it did. The forces of social equilibrium wouldn’t have it any other way.

The rebellion, on a grassroots level, took root in point of sale software circles. Spurned by proponents of the digital age – an even newer breed – who rose up against their predecessors. Circa 2010 and onward. Tech’s who sought to curb the tide towards complete laissez faire.

In the coming years, I only see this middle-line position getting solid. Entrenched in the didactic access to laptop – all kinds of electronics – repair.

The important takeaway, or consideration note, for the reader is this:

Will you swim with the tide or against it?

Or introspect it from another vantage:

Will you become one with it?