Prologue.

In a not so distant future — say 2030 — we may recall with bewilderment a period of time that began somewhen in the 2010s: In the years to come we were sold “premium” consumer electronics products that were — despite their staggering prices — mediocre quality at best with hardly any viable chance to repair them in case they broke. Even worse, they were deliberately engineered in ways that made them extremely difficult and expensive to repair, if possible at all. …