The European Parliament voted Tuesday to approve a strong right-to-repair proposal. It aims to make consumer electronic goods more repairable, with companies required to prioritize repairability over replacement.
The draft legislation still needs to go through negotiations between the Parliament and the Council before it can go into effect.
During Tuesday’s right-to-repair event in the White House, Apple announced the expansion of its Self-Service Repair and Independent Repair Provider programs nationwide.
This move will help independent repair shops by providing them with the necessary tools and documentation for repairing Apple devices.
In a major U-turn, Apple endorsed a Right to Repair bill in California. This surprising move comes after years of the company fighting and delaying similar bills in various states.
Apple sent California state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman a letter Tuesday endorsing the SB-244 Right to Repair Act — with certain stipulations.
Turns out the iPhone 14 isn’t a cookie-cutter copy of its predecessor like everyone thought, but the big changes are all on the inside. A teardown of Apple’s new “basic” handset finds that it’s easier to repair than earlier versions.
iFixit, which did the teardown, calls it “the most significant design change to the iPhone in a long time.”
Apple now offers the parts and tools to fix several MacBook models. This is a hassle but lowers the cost, right? Not necessarily.
The total cost of one of the most-common DIY repairs is more than double what is to have Apple do it.
The guy who brought us the world’s first USB-C iPhone (and sold it for $86,001 on eBay) is now training his soldering pen on the AirPods charging case.
Engineering and robotics student Ken Pillonel put out a new video addressing AirPods’ repairability problem — they’re made to be replaced, not repaired. He demonstrated how he 3D-printed a new case and swapped the Lightning port for USB-C.
The iPhone Self Service Program that Apple announced last fall launched Wednesday. It provides customers with the parts and tools they need to repair their own handsets. And it marks a major shift in the company’s approach to hardware fixes.
The program is for individuals, not small businesses.
President Joe Biden says an executive order he signed in mid-January forced companies to loosen restrictions on who can repair their devices.
“Companies like Apple and Microsoft are changing their policies so folks will be able to repair their devices themselves,” he said Monday.
Apple today revealed its new Self Service Program, which will provide customers with the parts and tools they need to repair their own devices. It marks a major shift in the company’s approach to hardware fixes.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups are the first to be supported, but will be soon followed by Mac computers powered by M1 chips, Apple said. The Self Service Program launches next year in the U.S., and will expand in 2022.
Apple is reportedly walking back a policy that might have put many small phone repair shops out of business. It promised to stop disabling Face ID on iPhone 13 units that have had their screen replaced by anyone other than Apple-authorized techs.
The change will come in the form of a software update.
Steve Wozniak may be the co-founder of Apple, but that doesn’t mean that he’s always in lockstep with the company’s policies or opinions. One area of difference appears to be on the topic of right to repair.
While Apple lobbyists helped shoot down multiple right to repair proposals, Woz seems extremely receptive to the topic.
Responding to a Cameo request from right to repair advocate Louis Rossmann, Woz said “it’s time to recognize the right to repair more fully.” He continued that he believes “companies inhibit it because it gives the companies power [and] control over everything.”
Apple’s built-in laptop security safeguards, introduced with the 2018 MacBook Pros, are hitting independent repair shops and electronics recyclers hard, a report by Motherboard claims.
The system combines software security locks, various diagnostic requirements and Apple’s T2 security chip. Together, they mean that Macs stop working if they’re operated on by someone not using Apple’s proprietary repair tools.
Apple has long been trying to push users to shun third-party repairers and go through Apple for device repairs. Now it’s activated a previously dormant software lock on iPhone to try and crack down on battery replacements by third-party repairers.
That’s even the case if they’re replacing your battery with an official Apple battery.
Tech lobbyists, backed by companies including Apple, have killed another Right to Repair bill, this time in Ontario.
The bill, put forward by Liberal MPP Michael Coteau, would have compelled companies to provide businesses and consumers with spare parts and repair manuals. It failed in its vote on Thursday after lobbying efforts.
Right to Repair legislation in Apple’s home state of California has been successfully pushed back to at least January 2020. After intervention by an Apple lobbyist, the co-sponsor of the bill pulled it from committee on Tuesday.
“While this was not an easy decision, it became clear that the bill would not have the support it needed today, and manufacturers had sown enough doubt with vague and unbacked claims of privacy and security concerns,” said California Assembly member Susan Talamantes Eggman.
An Apple representative reportedly met with California legislators in an effort to kill a law that would make it easier for people to repair their own smartphones.
With initiatives like its battery replacement program, Apple helped extend the life of million of iPhones. But moves like this won’t please “right to repair” advocates.
Apple has been publicly opposed to a rapidly growing movement known as “Right to Repair”
But internally, the tech giant is slowly loosening its grip on parts for repair as 20 states consider legislation that would make it easier for consumers to repair their electronic devices, such as iPhones and MacBook computers.
Insurance giant Allstate has purchased third-party smartphone repair company iCracked, giving the Right to Repair movement much-needed lobbying muscle.
Already, the insurance company has assigned a lobbyist to proposed legislation underway in New Hampshire, one of 15 states considering Right to Repair bills opposed by tech companies, including Apple.
Apple has confirmed that certain repairs for its new Macs, sporting the T2 chip, can only be carried out by officially sanctioned Apple repair shops.
That’s because it contains software locks which brick the computers if they’re not operated on by someone not using Apple’s proprietary diagnostic software, called the AST 2 System Configuration. iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens describes this as a “guillotine that [Apple is] holding over” product owners — and potentially third party, unauthorized repairers, too.
Apple’s home state of California could embrace the “Right to Repair” act if a new bill introduced by lawmaker Susan Talamantes Eggman is passed.
California is the 18th state in the U.S. to look into the possibility of making electronic devices easier to repair. The Right to Repair act would compel tech companies to release repair guides and make official parts available to any customers or third-party repair shops who want them. Doing so could have multiple benefits, such as reducing the amount of e-waste produced every year.
Apple’s ongoing PR nightmare concerning the iPhone slowdown case could turn out to be a boon for “Right to Repair” advocates, backing bills that will force companies to supply the necessary parts to repair older devices.
Specifically, it would mean Apple offering customers more options by giving third-party repair shops the legal right to buy official spare parts, and access service manuals. The result could help bring down the cost of repairs for iPhones.
Future iPhones and MacBooks will be more robust and easier to repair if the European Commission has its way.
Parliament is pushing for gadget makers like Apple to prolong the lifespan of their products by eliminating planned obsolescence and making it easier for consumers to repair and upgrade their devices.
New York state records show that Apple has been lobbying hard against the Fair Repair Act, a bill that would force companies to sell replacement parts to customers.
Apple isn’t the only company opposed to the bill. According to New York State’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics, others include Verizon, Toyota, printer company Lexmark, heavy machinery marker Caterpillar, phone insurance company Asurion, medical device company Medtronic, and the Consumer Technology Association are also fighting against it.
Apple delegates have officially opposed the so-called “right to repair” bill in Nebraska that would make it easier for consumers to repair its products.
Should the bill be passed, Apple could be forced to give users and third-party repairers access to its components and service manuals. Company representative Steve Kester warned Nebraska would become a “Mecca for bad actors.”
