Technologies

Microsoft Will Provide Surface Pro 9 Parts for Repairs in 2023

Surface Pro part availability is a big win for the right-to-repair movement.

Microsoft will begin providing Surface Pro 9 parts for repairs in 2023, the company told DIY site iFixit on Thursday. Microsoft confirmed the statement in an email to CNET.

The Surface maker said it recognizes the importance of device repairability and decided to integrate that philosophy into the design of the Surface Pro 9. The replaceable components will include the display, battery, motherboard, thermal module with fan, SSD, SSD door, kickstand, Surface Connect port, speakers, Wi-Fi deck with microphones, front camera, rear camera, power and volume buttons and the back cover.

Repair guides will be available for download by the end of this year, according to iFixit. Microsoft is also working with a «major US retailer» to build an authorized repair network in early 2023. Spare parts for independent repair shops and consumers should land in the first half of 2023.

iFixit’s assessment of the Surface Pro 9 called it the most repairable Surface yet. Past models were difficult to repair, with the Surface Pro 7 getting a one out of 10 repair score. iFixit gave the Surface Pro 9 a seven out of 10, a major improvement.

iFixit said it’s been consulting with Microsoft’s hardware team directly, giving advice on what’s best for making a repairable device. A big sticking point has been glued-down batteries, which makes battery replacements incredibly difficult. With the Surface Pro 9, the battery is screwed into place, meaning it can more easily be swapped out.

The Surface Pro 9 follows a trend in tech spurred on by the right-to-repair movement. Earlier this year, New York passed the Digital Fair Repair Act to require companies that sell tech products in the state to provide documentation, components and software to consumers and independent repair shops. Tech influencers and lawmakers have long demanded that major tech companies make products more repairable to dismantle their control of devices and repairs.

In 2021, President Joe Biden asked the Federal Trade Commission to make it harder for companies to restrict how people can repair their devices. The FTC sent a proposal last month demanding companies produce repair documentation for some household appliances. An iPhone 14 teardownearlier this year showed that Apple made changes to the phone’s design toallow repair shops to more easily service the device. Not only that, Apple now offers do-it-yourself repair kits for some of its products.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Oct. 25

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 25.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s the longest one of the week, and some of the answers are tricky. Read on for help. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Sword go-with
Answer: SHIELD

7A clue: Hamburger or Frankfurter, for example
Answer: GERMAN

8A clue: Sticky stuff on bark
Answer: TREESAP

10A clue: Hotel room pricing
Answer: RATE

11A clue: Classic arcade game of hopping between obstacles
Answer: FROGGER

14A clue: The «W» of the W.N.B.A.
Answer: WOMENS

15A clue: Looked after a pup
Answer: DOGSAT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Drill instructor’s rank: Abbr.
Answer: SGT

2D clue: «___ Loss» (#1 album for Drake and 21 Savage)
Answer: HER

3D clue: Fury
Answer: IRE

4D clue: Appears on the scene
Answer: EMERGES

5D clue: Dish layered like this: sheet of noodles, sauce, cheese, repeat
Answer: LASAGNA

6D clue: Genetic screening procedure
Answer: DNATEST

9D clue: «As ___ my last email …»
Answer: PER

11D clue: Subject line abbreviation
Answer: FWD

12D clue: Aussie marsupial, for short
Answer: ROO

13D clue: «No wayyyy!»
Answer: OMG

Technologies

Verizon Offers New Internet Plan That Could Cost $25 Per Month

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 25, #397

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 25, No. 397.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun one. It helps if you’re familiar with the athletes of the Pacific Northwest. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: When you get hurt.

Green group hint: Beaver State.

Blue group hint: Not surnames, but…

Purple group hint: Think oxygen.