Apple's Efforts to Block 'Right to Repair' Laws Highlighted in New Report

There have been a number of reports about Right to Repair legislation across the United States, and an equal number of reports about the lengths that Apple has gone to in order to block new repair bills from becoming law.

apple independent repair program
Bloomberg today shared a new Right to Repair piece that highlights how Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have worked to put a stop to laws that would require the tech companies to provide genuine repair parts and device schematics to independent repair shops.

In 2021 alone, 27 states have considered Right to Repair bills, but more than half of those have already been voted down or dismissed. Lobbyists and trade groups representing major tech companies have fought hard against them, with Apple specifically arguing that such laws could lead to device damage or consumers harming themselves when attempting to repair their devices.

In Washington, for example, Washington House of Representatives Democrat Mia Gregerson sponsored a Right to Repair measure that was fought by Microsoft, Google, Amazon, along with lobbyists representing Apple. "If you really want to know who was naughty-it was Apple," said Gregerson. Lobbyists said Apple would endorse repair programs at local colleges if the bill was dropped.

Apple has opposed bills in other states that include Colorado and Nevada. Independent repair shop owner Justin Millman said that he has a difficult time sourcing iPad screens, which are repairs that school kids often need. He claims that Apple opposes repair programs to get people to buy new devices.

"That's why Apple doesn't answer my emails," he said. "For them, it's just dollars and cents. They don't think about the person on the other side of the ‌iPad‌."

As it fights Right to Repair bills, Apple has attempted to provide alternatives. Apple has launched a worldwide Independent Repair Program that's designed to provide repair shops that are not Authorized Apple Service Providers with genuine parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics for performing out-of-warranty repairs on Apple devices.

The program is free, but repair providers must have an Apple-certified technician perform the repairs, which is a barrier to entry for some shops like Millman's. Even with this program, some parts, like ‌iPad‌ displays, are not provided, leaving Apple and AASPs as the only repair option.

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Top Rated Comments

MathersMahmood Avatar
54 months ago
Disgusting. This is simply another way to milk the consumer instead of allowing them to repair their devices themselves or going to someone else other than Apple.
Score: 79 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spidder Avatar
54 months ago
Environmental friendly my a..
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ilikewhey Avatar
54 months ago
i'm gonna post my pass experience to show why right to repair is needed,

couple of years of ago i took my friend's iphone 7 to apple cause it won't turn on, they wanted $360, not to repair, but to replace out of warranty.

i ended up going to a repair shop in nyc(not louis rossman but a friend of his apparently) and after diagnostic turn out one of the transistor that regulates the lighting port burned out, he desoldered and replaced it for 60 bucks. no data was stolen, iphone still work to this day. apple doesn't repair anything nowadays.
Score: 62 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vtrautia Avatar
54 months ago
Profits first. Customers and environment second.
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrjetsondc Avatar
54 months ago

"He claims that Apple opposes repair programs to get people to buy new devices." Well that is crap. I guess in this day and age you can just make any old crap up and state it as truth. Didn't the last administration change the libel laws so people like that could be sued, promises made, promises kept. LOL

I think the record is pretty clear, if independent repair shops want access to any of this all they have to do is get one or two people trained, not very hard nor expensive. Oh, it may be for the fly-by-nighter shops, here today, screw up some repairs, gone tomorrow. But legitimate professional repair shops, not a problem. There re actually quite a few around where I live.

So please explain why getting appropriate training and certification is a bad thing? You need it for some aspects of automobiles (obviously not changing a tire), but more intricate things that matter to operation and safety. You need it to maintain furnaces, to repair plumbing and wiring, etc, etc, etc
Relax dude, it’s an iPhone not open heart surgery. Any person can learn to fix a phone. No need to make a bureaucratic mess with certification.
And no, mechanics don’t have to be certified. In fact that 17 year old changing your oil? Yeah he likely is barely passing algebra.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
54 months ago
This topic always amazes me with how the public themselves will advocate against their own best interests, and in favor of the megacorp bilking them.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)