alt Hacker NewsRestricting access to documentation, part serialization, or restricting OEMs from selling components directly has nothing to do with laptop form factor though.
Whether repair of such devices is economically viable is one thing and that's up to the market to decide, but making repair intentionally harder is a choice of the manufacturer and has nothing to do with how slim the laptop is.
The reason is simple: corporate control. It's not a good reason.
If only you could take a big old stick and beat the "control freak" tendencies out of all the major corporations out there.