U-turn: Apple for (restricted) right to repair in California

Apple has spoken out in favor of a legally anchored right to repair: In a letter to a US senator, the company supports a corresponding legislative initiative in the US state of California and calls on the responsible politicians to pass the current version of the legal text. According to the document, Apple always tries to find the “right balance” between longevity and easy repairability in products.

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Apple makes support conditional

Such a law must protect the security of end customers as well as the intellectual property of manufacturers, Apple also restricts in the letter published by The Verge and ties its support to several conditions: The company demands assurances that the law ultimately does not require manufacturers allow repairers to disable certain security features for repair. Apple also argues that manufacturers should only be obliged to provide original parts and manuals for “authorized repair channels”. In addition, a specification for repair shops must include that they disclose the use of non-original parts or used spare parts.

The public support for a right-to-repair initiative in the US represents a U-turn at Apple, but comes as no surprise: in recent years, Apple was initially noticed by its sometimes vehement resistance to such legislative projects, but has now taken precautions with several repair programs – not least to anticipate corresponding laws.

iPhone repair possible by users

It is now also possible for end customers in Germany to order original iPhone parts and carry out repairs using the original manuals. However, this is a complex process that is usually only a little cheaper than repairs by the manufacturer. Many Apple products are also considered to be comparatively difficult to repair, even if minor improvements have recently been made – for example with the iPhone 14.

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