When the new Kobo e-readers were announced, the company touted that these would be repairable. This is a way to extend the lifespan of the Kobo Clara BW, Clara Colour and Libra Colour. Kobo and iFixit have formed a partnership, where iFixit would directly sell replacement parts, and the system is now live in major markets, such as Canada and the United States.
What type of replacement parts are available? Motherboards, including the internal storage. Genuine replacement batteries are usually the first to go when you use your e-reader for six to eight years. If you somehow damage it, the front and back covers are available. I have seen e-readers’ front or back panels melt when left outside in hot climates. The screen assembly is also available, which is helpful if you are outside the warranty and somehow damage the screen.
iFixit will not leave you alone in the dark, but they have many handy guides and tutorials. Take the Kobo Libra Colour, for example; they have guides to physically replace everything on the Kobo that they sell. There are no video tutorials yet, but the step-by-step guide should be good enough for most people. They even have pictures, which is helpful too. If there is demand for it, Good e-Reader might send all of the parts to us, and we can film tutorial videos.
What I like about the Kobo relationship is that the replacement parts are in the hands of the customer, and it’s up to them to install them. If a user needs a replacement battery, it can be cheaply shipped out and installed. Whereas most other brands need you to send them the physical device on your dime, they will give you a quote, fix it and then the user has to pay the shipping back, which, most of the time, costs more than the physical unit.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.