Technology

Fortunately, fiber can be installed outdoors as well. Surprisingly the fiber cables that are used outside are stronger than any other cables. But still choosing high-quality outdoor cables can be a tricky task because there are lots of websites that are providing high-quality outdoor optic fiber cables.

In this article, you will get all the information related to the best quality outdoor optic fiber cables. Not only this will have you also got the best website or best providers of outdoor optic fiber cables. Let’s dig into this article and get all the information related to outdoor optical fiber cables.

What Is Meant By Outdoor Fiber Optic Cables

Outdoor fiber optic cables are specially designed to be very strong and highly resistant to stay in use for a longer time. Outdoor fiber optic cables are designed for outdoor applications. They are typically thicker outside. They have armor elements and strength so that they can withstand rough handling, harsh weather and more.

There are lots of benefits to using these outdoor optic fiber cables. You can get these cables from different websites but if you want full procedure of manufacturing of these fiber optic cables with the installation process. The website Bonelink is my first priority. You can trust the services of Bonelink of the best outdoor fiber optic suppliers.

Features of Outdoor Fiber Optic Cables

Easy to Install

One of the standout features of outdoor fiber optic cables is their ease of installation. The cables are constructed with protective jackets that safeguard the delicate optical fibers inside. This protection not only ensures the longevity of the cables but also simplifies the installation process.

Low dispersion and Attenuation

Outdoor fiber optic cables excel in providing reliable and high-quality signal transmission. Dispersion, the spreading of light signals as they travel through the fiber and attenuation, and the loss of signal strength over distance, can negatively impact signal performance. However, outdoor fiber optic cables are engineered to minimize both dispersion and attenuation.

Tested mechanical and Environmental Properties

To withstand harsh outdoor conditions, these fiber optic cables undergo rigorous testing for their mechanical and environmental properties. They are tested for tensile strength, crush resistance, impact resistance, and resistance to extreme temperatures, ensuring they can endure various challenges in outdoor installations.

Waterproof

Outdoor environments frequently present the risk of moisture and humidity, which can have a negative impact on cable performance. Outdoor fiber optic cables are designed to be waterproof to combat this. The waterproof feature protects the internal fibers from water damage, allowing for stable signal transmission even in damp or wet conditions.

Outdoor Fiber Optic Cable Products

Here are some common types of outdoor fiber optic cable products:

• Individual fibers are contained within a protective gel-filled loose tube, providing excellent protection against moisture and harsh weather conditions.
• Armored cables have an extra layer of metal or polymer armor to protect them from rodent damage, crushing, and other physical threats.
• Because these cables contain no metallic components, they are appropriate for areas with high electromagnetic interference or where electrical grounding is prohibited.
• These cables are rugged and can withstand burial without additional protection because they are designed to be buried directly in the ground without the need for a separate conduit.

Sum Up

This was all about the best quality outdoor Optic Fiber Cables. Now you can easily install high-quality outdoor fiber optic cables without any second thought. These outdoor fiber optics are not only helpful to provide strong sharing but also provide high strength to stay in place for longer. If this blog provides something new to you don’t hesitate to share your thoughts.

Commercial cleaning is crucial to keeping public areas clean and hygienic, from businesses to hospitals, airports to schools. The physical effort required by conventional cleaning techniques can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. Commercial cleaning operations, however, may be altered with the introduction of floor-cleaning robots, making the procedure quicker, more effective, and more affordable. There is more benefit of floor cleaning robot too.

Implementing Floor-Cleaning Robots

Integrating floor-cleaning robots into commercial cleaning operations takes great planning and attention. While using floor-cleaning robots, keep the following in mind:

Type of Robot

Several different kinds of robots can clean floors, including ones that utilize brushes, suction, or both. The kind of flooring to be cleaned and the amount of filth and debris present will determine the kind of robot needed.

Mapping the Space

Before using floor-cleaning robots, the area must be mapped to make sure the robot can move around it safely and efficiently. This technology can map the area for the robot to follow by locating obstructions like furniture, stairs, or elevators.

Programming the Robot

The robot must be configured to follow a cleaning plan covering the whole area after the mapped space. The manufacturer or a skilled user can perform this programming.

Operator Training

To guarantee that the floor-cleaning robot performs securely and effectively, operators must get training on operating and maintaining it. Programming, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting should all be covered in this training.

Improvements in Robotic Floor Cleaning Technologies

Floor-cleaning robots are getting more and more intelligent as technology develops. The following are some of the most recent developments in floor-cleaning robot technology:

Artificial intelligence

Some floor-cleaning robots utilize artificial intelligence to adjust to their surroundings and improve their cleaning techniques. With the use of this technology, the robot may adapt its cleaning habits by learning from its surroundings.

Autonomous Navigation

Robots can explore environments without human assistance thanks to autonomous navigation technology. Thanks to this technology, robots can navigate their surroundings and avoid obstructions, guaranteeing they clean the whole floor.

Multi-Surface Cleaning

Certain floor-cleaning robots can clean carpets, tile, and hardwood floors in addition to other surfaces. They are useful tools in commercial cleaning operations because of their adaptability.

Disinfection by UV-C

Robots that clean floors can use UV-C disinfection technology to sanitize surfaces while they work. Healthcare facilities and other settings requiring a high level of disinfection benefit most from this technique.

Uses for Robotic Floor Cleaning

Robotic floor cleaners may be used in a variety of commercial cleaning tasks. The following are some of the most popular applications:

• Office Buildings: Robotic floor cleaners are perfect for rapidly and effectively cleaning big office spaces.
• Healthcare Facilities: To stop the transmission of diseases, medical centers must be extremely clean.
• Schools & Universities: Maintaining clean floors can be difficult due to the heavy foot traffic in these establishments.
• Airports and transportation hubs: Frequent cleaning is necessary to keep the flooring at airports and transportation hubs free of dirt and debris.
• Retail Stores: In order to draw clients, retail establishments need to keep their surroundings neat and tidy.

Advantages of Robotic Floor Cleaning

When compared to conventional cleaning techniques, floor-cleaning robots have various advantages, including:

• Increased Efficiency
• Consistent Outcomes
• Cost-Effective
• Better Safety

Conclusion

Commercial cleaning operations can profit greatly from using floor-cleaning robots. Robotic floor-cleaning systems must be carefully planned and implemented, along with a number of additional tasks. Floor-cleaning robots will probably get much more advanced as technology advances, giving commercial cleaning operations new capabilities and advantages. Hence, investing in floor-cleaning robots can revolutionize commercial cleaning operations.

You might not know this, but conveyor belts are one of the most essential tools in a wide range of industries and commercial businesses. From manufacturing to construction, these belts play a vital role in ensuring that materials are moved quickly and efficiently from one place to another without any damage.

And while there are many different types of conveyor belts on the market, portable conveyor belts are becoming increasingly popular due to their versatility and convenience. But what exactly is a portable conveyor belt and how do they work? In this article, we are going to find out everything you need to know about these handy little devices. keep reading to learn more!

What is a Portable Conveyor Belt?

Portable conveyor belts are typically composed of interconnected metal rolls that form an uninterrupted loop, allowing items to be quickly transferred around the facility while maintaining product integrity. These conveyor systems can be easily moved or even set up outdoors, making them well-suited for changing production lines or seasonal demands.

Portable conveyor belts generally require minimal maintenance for operation and are available in a wide variety of sizes, meant to suit any application’s needs.

Benefits of a Portable Conveyor Belt

One of the key benefits of portable conveyor belts is that they can be used both indoors and outdoors. This makes them incredibly versatile and means that they can be used in a wide range of settings and situations. For example, portable conveyor belts can be used on construction sites to move heavy materials such as bricks or concrete from one area to another quickly and efficiently.

They can also be used in warehouses or factories to transport goods from one part of the building to another. And because these conveyor belts come in a variety of different sizes. This means that they can be custom-fit to any application or setting, which further increases their versatility.

How Does a Conveyor Belt Work?

At the most basic, these systems involve two or more pulleys — some rotating and some stationary — combined in a continuous loop. The rotating pulley is powered by an electric motor that causes the belt to move along its entire length, while the other pulleys provide tension and help support it.

Despite their compact size and lightweight, portable conveyors offer great versatility in their different applications; they can be used to move material horizontally or up an incline, based on individual needs. With proper maintenance, adjusting of the speed controls, and a few simple safety measures in place, portable conveyer belts remain an invaluable tool for many industries.

What Material is Best for a Portable Conveyor Belt?

When choosing a material for a portable conveyer belt, durability should be one of the main considerations. Also, make sure it’s lightweight and flexible yet tough in nature to make transportation easier. Moreover, choose a material that is also resistant to corrosion, heat, and various chemicals.

Conclusion

Portable conveyor belts are becoming increasingly popular due to their versatility and convenience. If you’re looking for a way to move materials quickly and efficiently, then a portable conveyer belt might be just what you need. Keep this information in mind next time you need to transport goods from one place to another!

Not all USB-C cables are associated with fast charging. Still, whenever it comes to fast charging, USB-C cables are the first option used for this purpose. USB-C cables become popular right after their use in the latest iPhone ultra-fast charging.

However, these cables are not only used in iPhones, but smart and android phones are also using these cables for superfast charging applications. One such example of USB-C cables used in the Huawei supercharge.

Right after Samsung, Huawei is the second-largest smartphone selling brand, with their purchase more than the iPhone. As these phones are so popular in the world, the company is continuously improving the quality of their phones.

As charging is the biggest concern associated with phone usage, most people prefer superfast chargers and charging cables to save their time and better performance. If you are also a Huawei user, then the Ugreen supercharge USB-C cables is the absolute solution for your smartphone charging.

Here are some of the important features of Ugreen USB-C cables that you need to know before buying these cables.

1. Ultra-Fast Charging

As the name indicates, the Ugreen USB-C cables support the 5A supercharge. Due to their 5A charging current delivery, these cables can fully charge the Huawei P20 within just 1.5 hours, making them ideal for your supercharge phones.

Due to fast charging, you can save 80% of charging time compared with other regular cables.

2. Data Synchronization

With the fast charging speed, the Ugreen Huawei USB-C cables also have a fast data transfer speed. These cables can transfer 480-megabyte data within just a second, which makes them ideal data sync cables.

3. Stable Charging

The Huawei supercharge USB type C cables have superior quality connectors that help them fit perfectly into all the USB sockets and avoid poor contact.

4. Durable Construction

The quality of charging cables ensures their life, performance, and safe use. The Ugreen Huawei USB-C cables are made from multiple layers of premium materials to ensure a fast charging and syncing rate.

These cables have a covering of;

• Timed copper
• Nylon yarn
• GND
• Aluminum foil
• Metal braid
• TPE jacket
• Nylon shielding

All these coverings make these cables sturdy and flexible so they can resist 10000+ bending and insertions.

5. Compatibility

The Ugreen USB-C cables have a wide range of compatibility for multiple Huawei phones, including;

• Huawei P20, P20 lite, P20 pro, mate 10, 10 pro, mate RS, mate 9 pro, and many others.
• Other than Huawei, these cables can also be used for Samsung, honor note, nexus, LG, and other devices.

6. Safe Charging

Unlike other local charging cables, the Ugreen Huawei USB-C cables have a built-in smart charging chip with a resistor. This chip ensures the safe charging of smartphones against over-charging and over-heating.

Conclusion

If you are among the list of Huawei users, USB-C cables will surely make the charging applications convenient and time-saving. Ugreen offers quality products to their customers with the best customer service and reasonable prices.

Check Ugreen.com to check the complete cable collections and pick one according to your requirements.

Ultrasound technicians are responsible for performing diagnostic procedures such as heart scans and vascular sonography. Their work requires extensive knowledge of the cardiovascular system. They work with physicians and other healthcare professionals to perform cardiac scans and evaluate cardiac health. In addition, they must have strong interpersonal skills and be able to put patients at ease during procedures. There is high demand for ultrasound technicians, and they can find jobs in clinics, hospitals, and diagnostic laboratories. As a result, pursuing an education in this field is an excellent career choice.

Despite the high demands of the job, ultrasound technicians often enjoy flexible hours, allowing them to plan their daily lives around their work. A technician working 10 hours a day may be able to group his or her workdays into one, resulting in a long stretch of time off without having to take any vacation time. In addition, an ultrasound tech who works 12 hours a day is sure to have a good amount of free time if needed, and it is not uncommon to be able to take a two-week break, without using any vacation days. Thus, an ultrasound technician can have a great work-life balance.

An ultrasound tech’s job is safe and rewarding. It is a safe profession, as the equipment used is completely sterile. The images produced by ultrasounds are sent to doctors for analysis. The ultrasound technician must also be able to transmit information about the findings quickly to physicians. Additionally, the ultrasound tech must keep track of findings from sonograms, which must be reported accurately in a timely manner. A medical professional should have at least five years of experience to become an ultrasound technician.

Another great advantage of being an ultrasound technician is that their schedule is flexible. This means that ultrasound technician can plan their life around their work schedule. A 10-hour day can be broken up into two eight-hour days. On a 12-hour day, a technician can take a day off without using any vacation time. This gives an ultrasound technician an outstanding work-life balance. There are many reasons why this career is so popular. The healthcare industry is growing in the United States and is a great place to work.

An ultrasound technician’s job is an important part of the healthcare system. This position is vital to diagnose and treat illnesses. The job is extremely rewarding. While an ultrasound technician will work with patients, they may also be exposed to various types of pathogens. A medical scan may reveal a condition that is threatening and needs immediate treatment. The patient’s family will also benefit from the technician’s knowledge of the medical system. The technology that is used in these procedures is constantly evolving, and it is vital for physicians to keep their patients informed of any changes.

In addition to being a vital part of the healthcare system, ultrasound techs also have a variety of duties. They perform all types of ultrasound procedures, including the imaging of the lungs and abdominal organs. They also assist with interventional procedures and review images for technical quality. In addition to performing all of the above tasks, an ultrasound tech’s job is highly diverse and exciting. And, if he or she has a passion for the field, he or she can even pursue a graduate degree in nursing or another related field.

Ultrasound techs can specialize in different areas, including vascular sonography and breast imaging. Women are more likely to be hired in this role because the job is more satisfying and provides a good level of social interaction. But if you’re not sure about the career itself, it might not be the right choice for you. You can be confident in your decision after researching the career opportunities and salaries available in this field. If you’re interested in learning more about this exciting career, then consider enrolling in an online college or university.

Ultrasound technicians can work in hospitals or private practice settings. You can earn a certificate straight out of high school. However, it’s not easy to get a job as a technician without a degree. It’s essential to get an associate’s degree to get a good job in this field. If you’re interested in becoming an ultrasound tech, consider the following career tips. You’ll be well on your way to becoming an ultrasound technician.

Introduction

Domestic cleaning is one of the most demanded services nowadays since people want their house to look clean. Covid-19 has increased the demand for cleaning services in domestic areas. Hygiene has become a major priority for everyone. The giraffetools pressure washer motor has its own major role in cleaning homes and making a hygienic environment. This blog will highlight the major applications as well as benefits of your giraffetools pressure washer in domestic areas.

Benefits

You can use your giraffetools pressure washer with cold water as well as hot water. Both the processes have their own properties and benefits. These are described below :

Giraffetools Pressure Washers Benefits With Cold Water

You can find various benefits of cold water usage in your giraffetools pressure washer. The major advantage is that it is highly cost-effective as compared to the hot water operator in giraffetools pressure washer. The giraffetools pressure washer that requires cold water utilization, has very low maintenance. These are also smaller in size as compared to hot water operating giraffetools pressure washers.

Giraffetools Pressure Washers Benefits With Hot Water

Hot water operator in giraffetools pressure washer is also useful but in few cases. It is mostly used where there is a dirt layer of years and months. The hot water melts the hard layers and helps you clean effectively. You will be able to clean the dirty surface with hot water within no time.

Environmental Benefits Of Giraffetools Pressure Washers

The environmental benefits of giraffetools pressure washer in domestic uses depend upon the time of engine it uses. The electric-powered giraffetools pressure washer is considered more environmentally friendly as compared to the gas-powered giraffetools pressure washer. It is because an electric-powered giraffetools pressure washer doesn’t emit toxic gases like that of a fuel-powered giraffetools pressure washer.

Applications

The giraffetools pressure washer has some semi professional applications as well. These applications can be seen widely in domestic areas.

Cleaning Of Pool Through Giraffetools Pressure Washers

In high-class residential areas, there are large swimming pools for house members. During winter times, the swimming pool usage reduces and it becomes dry with time. This causes the production of saline that causes dirt to collect in the bottom of the pool. A giraffetools pressure washer can help you clean your swimming pool and get it back to life.

Cleaning of Small Boats Through Giraffetools Pressure Washers

Giraffetools Pressure Washers can be quite Helpful in washing small boats as well. If you are living somewhere near the beach and you have small boats to run then giraffetools pressure washers can help in washing them. The best part is that you can use giraffetools pressure washers inside and outside of the boat without any issue.

Cleaning Of Vehicles

Giraffetools Pressure Washers have their uses extended in almost every field of life. You can perform light-duty jobs to heavy-duty washing jobs through this magical equipment. You can even wash your cars with the help of a giraffetools pressure washer.  However, you should make sure that you aren’t exerting high pressure on your vehicle otherwise it can cause real damage to it.

Rooftops and Gutter Cleaning Through Giraffetools Pressure Washers

Gutters and rooftops are more prone to get dirty with time. The only way to clean them efficiently is to use giraffetools pressure washer. It can do a quick and easy cleaning and washing job for you without consuming a lot of your time. A pressure of 1600 PSI is enough to clean your rooftops as well as gutters.

A smartwatch is a small and portable device that looks like a classic timepiece. Essentially, it’s a wearable device that contains a wide variety of features that reduce the number of gadgets an individual must carry at any given time. Despite being called smartwatches, these devices do much more than tell the time.

The popularity of smartwatches has increased over the years. Thankfully, Honor jumped on this bandwagon by producing some great wearable technologies, like smartwatches. From making us look great when we put them on to helping in tracking, analyzing, and transmitting personal data like heart rate, sleeping pattern, etc., there are so many things you can do with these devices.

We’ll take a look at some of the benefits of owning honor smartwatches below.

Benefits of Owning Honor Smartwatches

Mobile Features of Honor Smartwatches

Honor smartwatches can be linked to other technological devices, including smartphones, and can access different features specific to these devices, such as mobile messaging and calling features. You can use smartwatches to make phone calls in two different ways – they can be a remote for picking up calls answered by smartphones, or they can have SIM cards that turn them into standalone devices. Whatever the situation, users will never again miss a call.

Notifications and alerts

Honor smartwatches can receive alerts from devices that they’re connected to. Notifications on a smartwatch – whether standalone or connected – will vary depending on its type. Most of these notifications come from SM apps such as Facebook, Twitter, or WhatsApp. With some smartwatches, you’ll only receive notifications, while other watches will allow you access the apps you received the messages from. Furthermore, smartwatches can be set to alert their owers of set reminders, e-mails, and other activities as they are scheduled in their calendars.

Healthwise benefits of Honor smartwatches

Fitness trackers are often integrated into Honor smartwatches. These smartwatches do more than just monitor health and fitness parameters, which is an advantage over regular fitness trackers. They can monitor the following:

• Blood pressure
• Quality and length of sleep
• Activity level (by using pedometers)
• Heart rate
• caloric intake and diet tracking.

Smartwatch users who are interested in monitoring their health regularly will benefit from these features, and a perfect product is the band 5.

Longer periods of connectivity

The battery life of smartwatches is much longer than those of regular smartphones. Compared to your phone counterparts, honor smartwatches typically boast stronger batteries. In case your phone dies, their smartwatches will still allow them to communicate. If you’re involved in long-term activities, such as hiking and camping, you’ll find this feature particularly useful.

Additional connectivity

Users of smartwatches can stay connected to the world even when they’re offline. Smartwatches can be used effectively by users when they cannot access connected devices, such as smartphones. People who do intensive exercises that often make it difficult to use devices such as phones will benefit from receiving calls and texts from the convenience of their wrists. Swimmers, cyclists, and runners all benefit from the smartwatch’s simplified communication.

Location and navigation

The number of smartwatches with GPS and navigation systems is increasing, even though they are not widely available. In the years to come, GPS will become an essential feature of smartwatches. They’re, however, available on Honor smartwatches like Honor Magic Watch. If you wish to track your physical activities or simply navigate around town, having GPS on your smartwatch is essential. With GPS-equipped smartwatches, users can accurately document distances and other parameters during exercise.

Conclusion

Technology always finds a new way to make different activities easier for man, and Honor has incorporated that technology. If you can, you should invest in an Honor smartwatch today.

Hydrogen is at the center of many industrial processes and potentially part of major future energy ecosystems, but the process of isolating and storing it is wasteful and expensive. DiviGas, armed with a $3.6M seed round, hopes to clean up the hydrogen production industry with a new tech that leapfrogs existing methods, potentially supercharging this piece of the new green economy.

While hydrogen itself is generally considered a clean and extremely useful basic element, its production is married to numerous dirty industrial processes. Oil refineries and plastic production, for instance, may give off various hydrocarbons and other mixed gases and chemicals, and to separate them requires further processing and emissions.

One cleaner and simpler option than chemical reactions uses membranes or filters, which essentially separate the H2 and CO2 gases from each other and from other substances in the input stream. But these filters cannot operate at high temperatures, output some gases at low pressures that must be re-pressurized at cost, and rapidly degrade in the presence of common acidic gases.

Essentially the hydrogen diversion industry — and it’s big, by the way, billions big — is split between an expensive, emissions-heavy option and a cheap, limited option. After meeting in Singapore at one of SOSV’s HAX incubators, the founders of DiviGas plan to provide a third that has none of the aforementioned weaknesses.

The company claims to have engineered a new “hollow fiber polymeric membrane” at the angstrom scale, which is to say one tenth of a nanometer. It’s not like they designed a filter the size of an atom, but rather that the functional features of the material are at this scale, producing the kind of highly specialized effect desired — in this case, causing hydrogen and carbon dioxide gas to separate at slightly different pressures, allowing them to be diverted and isolated.

Huge numbers of fibers are bundled together into tubes through which the input gas is forced, with no chemical reactants required. Unlike other membranes, this new one can operate at high temperatures — up to 150 degrees C — and is resistant to common acidic compounds in the gas mix formed from sulfur and chlorine, which means it can handle more caustic and untreated input flows without degrading. And it does so while performing as well or better than the old membranes on basic scales of selectivity (affecting output purity) and permeance (which affects maximum operable pressure).

Because the method is the same in principle as existing membrane techniques, DiviGas’s tech can be substituted in with minimal fuss and modification. And although manufacturing the new fibers is not a trivial task, they aren’t particularly exotic and use many existing processes. As co-founder, CTO, and creator of the new material Ali Naderi explained, it’s the result of various cutting edge innovations but ultimately still easy to manufacture.

“To make it economically viable, we developed a dual-layer hollow fiber membrane to use the functional materials (i.e., expensive materials) as low as possible on the selective layer (i.e., outer layer) and a cheap/commercially available polymer in the mechanical support layer (i.e., inner layer),” he wrote in an email to TechCrunch. “This type of membrane can be fabricated commercially by using a customized spinning line that has the same price as a standard spinning line has.”

The prospect of simpler, cleaner hydrogen and CO2 production has been met with extreme enthusiasm by people in the industry, according to co-founder and CEO Andre Lorenceau.

“We’ve got clients banging down our door, asking us when we can give tens of millions of these things to them,” he said. “This round is us playing catch-up.”

The money is going towards building a pilot-scale plant in Melbourne that should be operational in March; currently it takes months to build a single unit (a usable bundle of fibers) for demonstrations, and a given client might want hundreds or thousands on a regular basis. Once the company is able to build them at a rate of around one a week, they can do larger demonstrations and small installations that will secure serious orders — and those proceeds will go towards building out out the full-scale manufacturing process.

“It’s two or three times more expensive right now, but they don’t care,” Lorenceau said (though the price will come down with volume, he added). “They say, ‘It’s a tech I know, a manufacturing process I know — if you can give it to us at that price it’s Gucci.’ And it’s a lot of clients, and we haven’t even been doing sales.”

The competitive landscape, he added, is conducive to quick action on their part, being full of slow movers and stalled startups.

“There are these giant lumbering corporations, they have a department for this and they do improve, but it’s old guard. Same reason why it isn’t the old PhDs of computer science who build the next generation of software tech — they’re not trying to build next-gen weird shit all the time,” he said. “The startups are also research PhD people who aren’t used to the high speed VC thing. They have excellent research performance, but in terms of manufacturing, it costs a zillion bucks to make a square inch of the damn stuff. They say, ‘we’ll figure out the manufacturability…’ and they never do. So we can leapfrog them and the big corporations.”

The $3.6M round was led by Mann + Hummel, a German industrial filter company clearly looking to get ahead of the game. Also participating in the round were Entrepreneur First, Albert Wenger (USV), SOSV/HAX, Energy Revolution Ventures, Amasia VC, Volta.vc, and Climate Capital, along with several individual investors.

Apple just became much friendlier to do-it-yourself repairs. The company is launching a Self Service Repair program that will let you repair products yourself using official Apple parts and tools. The option will be available in the US in early 2022 (later that year for other countries) and will initially give the resources to fix an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 (you’re looking at iFixit’s iPhone 13 Pro teardown above), with M1-based Macs eligible soon afterward.

The first “phase” of Self Service Repair will focus on core components like the battery, camera and display, with other parts eligible later. Apple will ask customers to review a repair manual and then order relevant parts through a Self Service Repair Online Store. The company didn’t say how much parts would cost, but did offer credit to customers who return used parts for recycling.

Not surprisingly, Apple stressed that the program was meant for people with experience repairing electronics. The “vast majority” of people were still better off getting service from professionals, whether at Apple stores or authorized providers. 

The company didn’t say what prompted the openness to self servicing. However, it may be a matter of government pressure. The White House, the Federal Trade Commission and multiple states have backed right-to-repair measures that could force Apple and others to allow customer maintenance. This theoretically heads off some of the major complaints by letting any skilled person fix a device themselves without resorting to unofficial parts.

There are lingering questions. Will the part pricing be competitive enough to make Self Service Repair a viable alternative to professional help? And will Apple tweak its product designs to make these repairs more practical? While there are signs of these tweaks between a relaxed policy on iPhone 13 display repairs and easy-to-remove MacBook Pro batteries, we wouldn’t expect simple fixes in the near future.

Update 11/17 11AM ET: iFixit’s Kyle Wiens told Engadget in a statement that Self Service Repair was “exactly the right thing” for Apple to do, and a step back toward “long-lasting” products. The DIY repair shop still had reservations about display swaps requiring Apple part provisioning, but it was so far happy with the move. You can read the full statement below. Also, the Public Interest Research Groups’ right to repair director, Nathan Proctor, heralded this as a “major milestone” for self-servicing.

Making service manuals available to consumers is exactly the right thing for Apple to be doing. No one should be in the dark on how to swap a battery or fix a cracked screen. Access to service information for products is a fundamental human right. We are proud of Apple for making this change.

We won’t know details until we can analyze the legal terms and test the program in January. For now, the catch is that the IRP software requires that Apple provision a part that they sell. You can’t swap the screens between two iPhones and then calibrate them with their service software. That’s an issue for recyclers, refurbishers, and anyone else accustomed to harvesting parts to perform repairs.

Apple leads the electronics industry. They pioneered glued-in batteries and proprietary screws, and now they are taking the first steps on a path back to long-lasting, repairable products. iFixit believes that a sustainable, repairable world of technology is possible, and hope that Apple follows up on this commitment to improve their repairability.

Just a few months after launching support for podcast subscriptions to U.S. creators, Spotify today is making the service available to creators in global markets. The company says the service, which allows creators to mark episodes as “subscriber-only” content, will now become available in 33 new markets worldwide.

When podcast subscriptions publicly launched in the U.S., Spotify had introduced a couple of key changes to how the service worked. Before, creators had only been able to choose from one of three price points for their paid shows. But Spotify heard from creators they wanted more pricing flexibility, so it revamped pricing with the introduction of 20 price point options for creators to choose from, starting as low as $0.49 and increasing to as much as $150.

The company also launched a feature that would allow creators to download a list of their subscribers’ contact information, so they could further develop their direct relationship with their audience.

As the service rolls out globally, Spotify isn’t introducing any new features, it says. Instead, the expansion is just about bringing podcast subscriptions to more people.

Spotify’s podcast subscription platform isn’t the only one on the market. Apple offers its version of subscriptions, but takes a 30% cut of creator revenue, which drops to 15% in year two — similar to other subscription apps. Spotify, meanwhile, is hoping to grow its service by waiving its commissions for the first two years. When the free period ends, it then plans to take a much lower commission of just 5%.

Spotify’s subscription podcasts service is offered via its podcast creation platform Anchor, which notes the subscriptions available today on both iOS and Android to 29 markets. The remaining four markets will roll out next week.

Included in the global rollout are Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Next week, Canada, Germany, Austria, and  France will be supported.

In other podcast news, Spotify additionally announced a multi-year exclusive agreement with Bad Robot Audio, a new audio-focused division of Bad Robot, the production company formed by J.J. Abrams in 2001.

Bad Robot is behind shows like “Lost,” “Alias,” “Fringe,” “Person of Interest,” “Castle Rock,” “Westworld,” and others, as well as films like “Super 8,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker,” and the “Star Trek,” “Mission: Impossible” and “Cloverfield” franchises.

The new division is being led by former Audible and Spotify award-winning executive, Christina Choi, who joins as Head of Podcasts at Bad Robot. The company isn’t yet detailing what shows it may offer on Spotify, but notes that they’ll include both “narrative non-fiction and fiction podcast productions.”