Apple’s ‘180 On Right To Repair’ Was Widely Overstated
The consumer quest to be able to affordably repair your own tech is going well, if you hadn't noticed. Maine just became the fourth state to implement right to repair protections in the wake of laws passed in New York, California, and Minnesota. As that vote (84 percent of Maine voters approved) illustrates, support for the movement is significant and bipartisan.
The laws aren't perfect; several contain carve outs for the most problematic industries. Lobbyists made sure that New York's law, for example, exempts medical gear, agricultural gear, vehicles, and home appliances, all arenas where repair monopolies are widespread. Still, the progress activists have made is nothing short of remarkable in a country where consumer protection is often an afterthought.
The Verge has a good piece on the state of the right to repair movement which notes that activists are hoping to take the movement further by targeting stuff like parts pairing" and software locks:
Parts pairing refers to how manufacturers tie device functionality to the purchase and use of their in-house parts, tools, and service. Ten to 15 years ago, when a component broke down, it could almost always be replaced with any compatible replacement part. But paired parts have built-in microcontrollers that are programmed to communicate with the main board to authenticate the replacement. If that software handshake doesn't occur - say, because the repairer used an aftermarket part or didn't have access to proprietary pairing software - the device might throw up a warning message, or it might cease to function altogether."
While Apple obtained ample praise for its recent decision to support the California right to repair law, the company generally remains terrible on numerous aspects of right to repair. iFixit, you'll recall, recently had to downgrade the iPhone 14's repairability score after users complained Apple was using parts pairing to ensure that independent, affordable repair is either cumbersome as hell or simply impossible.
According to iFixit, the iPhone 15 is even worse:
Tests on a 15 Pro Max revealed that swapping the screen without usingApple's System Configuration toolcauses Face ID, True Tone, and auto brightness to stop working, while swapping the battery causes a non-genuine part warning message to appear, and the phone stops displaying battery health data."
Apple likely realized that being overtly hostile to right to repair laws and bullying small independent repair shops wasn't a good look, so it has shifted its public-facing tactics. Though it seems extremely likely that Apple remains busy, like many companies, lobbying for softer state laws and weak federal right to repair protections in order to pre-empt tougher, more consensus-driven state protections.
Of course the problem is much bigger than just Apple, with many cars, printers, and even chainsaws using software locks to make repair expensive and cumbersome. Still, progress is progress, and getting some of the most wealthy and powerful companies in the world to rethink their environmentally harmful, anti-consumer behaviors remains no small potatoes.