Apple Will Ship You 79 Pounds of Gear for $49

The right to repair movement has taken off in recent years. With Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft signing on, it feels like the devices we’re buying actually belong to us. But despite the big names signing on, there are still a few caveats to consider—like whether you have the necessary tools to perform phone and laptop surgeries at home.

This week on Gadgettes, we’re talking about what the right to repair movement means for you as the gadget-owning consumer. Will it be that easy to swap out the glass on your smartphone at a moment’s notice? And how much will it cost to buy and rent all the tools and replacement parts necessary to fix your stuff?

Then, your intrepid co-hosts get into what’s next on the horizon for gadget releases. Samsung’s next Galaxy Z Flip 4 is already getting the buzz for a more prominent cover display and bigger battery. Meta could release four more headsets by 2024, including a “laptop for your face”—whatever that means. And there are good rumors about the supposed upcoming Apple Watch Series 8. It could be the first mainstream wearable to offer body temperature tracking, a boon for the wearables industry.

Finally, we’ll cue up John Williams’ epic Star Wars intro music and dive into your co-host’s respective fandoms. We share why the prequels aren’t that bad and thank our middle school libraries for harboring copies from the Star Wars expanded universe, which is no longer canonical to the franchise since the Disney takeover. We also collectively agree that fanfiction helps fix all that.

Listen to this week’s episode of Gadgettes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Also, stay tuned for next week’s episode. We have some exciting changes coming down the pipeline. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.