Kinda interesting that people seem to agree here that John Deere is abusive, but Apple does the same thing with consumer electronics, and tends to have a favorable view on this subreddit.
Tech companies named after fruit and car manufacturers (yes, plural) who's names begin with T and end with A can do little wrong around here. Sure they catch a little flak because they engage in less than ideal behavior (just like every other sociopaths BigCo engages in) but they get at least a partial pass or benefit of the doubt because they make products the HN demographics like and would at least consider owning. Comparatively nobody here sees themselves using their bonus as the down payment on a swather so the narrative devolves into a simplistic and nuance free "Kubota good, Deere bad".
If my iPhone or my Toyota breaks, I can go to any of a dozen locations in my city and get it fixed in a few days. And basic repairs don't have to be done by a professional. I can still change the oil, brakes, fuel pump, water pump, belts, etcetera on my toyota. I can fix the screen on an iphone pretty easily. From what I hear, John Deere requires official access to the on-board software for even the most mundane of repairs. Something a farmer could fix in 15 minutes turns into a months-long affair. If your Deere tractor breaks, supposedly it's almost impossible to get a tech out to your farm in a timely fashion. So your $1 million piece of equipment is broken during harvest and your crops are dying in the field.
The exact same argument could apply there.
The plebs just can not be trusted to repair their own things, it is far too dangerous. If you repair you iPhone you might burn down your home, if you repair your brakes you might kill grandma, and if you repair are Tesla you might .....
Safety has never, and will never be a valid reason to prohibit independent / self repair
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that when someone mentions right to repair, more people think about Apple rather than John Deere. (Especially considering that, in my experience, many city people don't even know what John Deere is, this is definitely the case outside of the US at least).
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rossmann
[2] https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2019/08/apple-gets-halfway-to-all...
"subreddit" becoming synonymous with internet forum?
Apple devices have always been designed with limited end-user serviceability. You can reload the OS, change some firmware settings, but not much more. In my opinion, the majority of people buying these devices expected them to "just work". When that ceases to be the case, people go to the Genius Bar.
There are justifiable reasons to limit users' ability to modify firmware. Piracy prevention is one. Also warranty. Users might run modified software that breaks the vehicle, then restore OEM software. A potential compromise might be to release keys, but cancel warranty for customers to opt to do so.
Apple is building devices that are inherently difficult or impossible to service without a supply chain of bespoke parts—and refusing to open their parts supply chain.
Consumers wanted phones that didn’t die when accidentally dropped into the bath. Apple, Samsung, etc complied.
Devices are still repairable, you just need knowledge of techniques and replacement adhesives. But now the chances of needing a repair in the first place have greatly lowered. That seems like a consumer friendly win to me.