Apple Is Backing a New Right to Repair Act—Here's Why

Tech giants are backing the idea of fixing your own gadgets.

Apple is encouraging California legislators to approve a "right to repair bill," mandating manufacturers let users repair their malfunctioning devices. It's part of a growing nationwide movement intended to reduce electronic waste and reduce costs for consumers. 

"People want and need to be able to fix their machines when they break and fiddle with their machines by themselves," Elizabeth Rosenblatt, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, told Lifewire in an email interview. "Until relatively recently, there was no issue with that—you could just tinker with what you had. Now that many devices use software as well as hardware, the right to repair becomes crucial because getting into your device to fix it or modify it may mean getting through an encryption barrier in addition to whatever else you want to do."

The DIY Movement

The new bill, called SB 244, aims to obligate manufacturers to provide repair tools and components to repair shops and product owners under fair and reasonable conditions. The bill is currently under discussion in the California Assembly following its Senate approval in June. A forthcoming vote in the Assembly Appropriations Committee is anticipated.

In the statement, Apple expressed that SB 244 achieves an optimal equilibrium between "consumer choice and trustworthy repairs," all while safeguarding privacy, data security, and manufacturers' intellectual property.

"Any final version of California's Right to Repair legislation should harmonize device integrity, functionality, and physical safety with consumers' preference for repairing over replacing their devices," Apple said.

The right to repair lets users extend the lifespan of their gadgets, appliances, and vehicles, saving them money in the long run, Mark Vena, the CEO of SmartTech Research, said in an email.

"This right fosters sustainability by reducing electronic waste, which is crucial for the environment," he added. "Users benefit from having access to repair manuals, spare parts, and tools, enabling them to fix their items themselves or choose affordable third-party repair services."

California's legislation extends beyond what has been passed in Minnesota and New York by specifying a duration for the availability of parts and updates, noted the repair company iFixit in a blog post. For products priced between $50 and $99.99, the required components, tools, and guides must be available in California for three years following the product's last manufacturing date. For products priced over $99.99, repair resources must be accessible for seven years. This stipulation ensures manufacturers cannot cease repair support immediately after a product's warranty expires.

"Apple's endorsement of the Right to Repair Bill in California is a watershed moment for consumer rights," iFixit's CEO Kyle Wiens said in the post. "It feels like the Berlin Wall of tech repair monopolies is starting to crumble, brick by brick."

Over the past year, three states have enacted Right to Repair laws. New York focused on consumer electronics, Colorado targeted powered wheelchairs and farm machinery, and Minnesota's legislation included electronics and household appliances.

How Self Repairs Save Money

The right to repair can save you money. For instance, when restoring a laptop, users can replace a faulty battery or upgrade RAM and storage without voiding warranties, Vena said. These laws also facilitate fixing smartphones, home appliances, and even automobiles, offering options beyond expensive manufacturer repairs. 

"In essence, users regain the autonomy to maintain and customize their possessions," he added.

Let's say a capacitor goes bad on your laptop's motherboard, which renders the machine unable to power on, engineer Nizel Adams said in an email. Typically, what the manufacturer would do is replace your entire motherboard. 

"Since the motherboard connects every component, replacing the motherboard is essentially replacing the entire machine, which means it is a costly repair," he added. "This is why when you take things to an OEM store like Apple, you can potentially end up paying thousands of dollars in repairs.

"Right to repair requires companies like Apple to make available documentation like schematics along with tools so that engineers or the customers themselves can perform motherboard level repairs like replacing the capacitor itself, which costs only a few cents at best," Adams said.