Most people now just buy a new computer instead of repairing it. Or just have the warranty do the work.
Actually it's the opposite. People who couldn't repair computers are dying off and the job market is being flooded with kids who came out of the womb holding a smartphone and want to do things related to computers.
Doesn't mean all of em will know how to fix or build a PC.
It depends if they're in the Starbucks, uggs, twitter and need to have an iPhone group of people. I'm sure there are going to plenty of them who can build a PC and fix it. But also a lot who won't
Yea, using your hands to repair a PC is a totally different ballgame than doing computer related tasks. Tinkering/repairing/etc. with your hands is a different skill set than fixing code on a computer interface, for example. Consumer goods, especially electronics, are so disposable these days that repairing them is economically inefficient. You are better off spending your money investing in a new product rather than sinking funds into the repair of a soon-to-be obsolete electronic device.
Most people these days are more apt to just buy something new rather than learn how to repair. I'm 27, and I like to tinker with every mechanical thing I own, including cars, bikes, keyboards, chainsaws, and whatever else is laying around. I like to know how things are put together, how they work, how they can break, how they can be fixed.
But I don't know too many people personally, if any, that have the same sort of interest in just taking stuff apart and putting it back together. With the influx of disposable consumer goods, out went the serial tinkerer. People just throw their hands up and scream helplessness, not allowing themselves to learn how to take care of the things they own.
To fix something, you have to be willing to take the time to learn a few things, understand what you are working and screw up a few times before you get the hang of it. Patience and concentration are paramount. Attention spans are so short, and the ability to put something down and move on to something new is so easy, what is the point of learning how to fix anything?
That's why I was focusing on the diagnosing. Anyone can turn a screwdriver, and it's a more mechanical skill, but the diagnosing: that's what it's all about.
That said, I agree strongly! Goods are more disposable than repairable nowadays. I don't remember a time when it was otherwise, but I have some vintage electronics that includes a full BOM and PCB images so you can etch a new one and repopulate it should anything fail.
I think more expensive items (notebooks, tablets, phones) there will always be a market for repair, especially under warranty.
Now, why have we gone to a more disposable mindset? Partly it's because of the rapid pace of improvements and increases. Why pay to fix your consumer laptop if it's outdated by the end of the year? With new advancements coming out all the time, it doesn't make sense to maintain old equipment.
That doesn't apply to everything though. It's sad that they have gone this way, but most test equipment should be repaired. There's nothing my DMM does that 10-year old DMM's don't, they can last quite some time. I would like to see an increase of repairability especially in some market.
The other reason I think we have gone this way is because a disposable item is cheaper. Why would a consumer pay more for something that does the same (but is repairable). Why not just replace it when it's broken, that's much easier.
I think Hoffmanmyster put ti well: tinkering and a drive to learn. It's not a mindset that's too common, sadly.
