Apple Rolls Out Device Repairability Scores in France

[MacRumors]

Apple has begun adding repairability scores to its website and Apple Store app in France to meet the demands of new Right to Repair laws (via MacGeneration).

The scores, displayed on purchase pages for a range of Apple products, give devices a rating out of ten for how easy it is to repair, much like iFixit repairability ratings. The scores are intended to inform customers about "whether this product is repairable, difficult to repair or unrepairable," according to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition.

All of the iPhone 12 models have been given a score of 6.0, while the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro score considerably worse at 4.6. The iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone XR have a score of 4.5, and the iPhone XS and XS Max and have a score of 4.7 and 4.6 respectively.

Better ratings are held by the second-generation iPhone SE with 6.2 and the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus with 6.6. The overall top-rated model is the iPhone 7, with a repairability score of 6.7.

For Macs, the M1 13-inch MacBook Pro has a score of 5.6, the 16-inch MacBook Pro has a score of 6.3, and the M1 MacBook Air does best at 6.5.

A French Apple Support page sets out the repairability score information for a range of iPhones and MacBooks, with breakdowns justifying why each device has been designated its rating. The criteria include the availability of repair documentation, ease of disassembly, availability and price of spare parts, and software updates.

Apple determines these ratings against a grid offered by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, as opposed to a central regulatory authority, but they are overseen and verified by the Fraud Prevention Directorate (FRCCB).

In November last year, the European Union voted to support a motion on the Right to Repair, including a system of mandatory labeling on consumer electronics to provide explicit information on the repairability and lifespan of products. Laws compelling tech companies to display repairability scores for their devices, much like those in France, could come into effect across the entire EU as a result.

Article Link: Apple Rolls Out Device Repairability Scores in France

 

[true god]

Apple devices repairability really sucks as of late.

 

[TheOtherJFK]

Great for everyone to be informed.. but damn that repairability badge is fugly.

 

[japanime]

Great for everyone to be informed.. but damn that repairability badge is fugly.

So what you're saying is, the repairability badge could use some repairing?

 

[TheSkywalker77]

Great for everyone to be informed.. but damn that repairability badge is fugly.

It looks nothing like Apple. :/

 

[repoman016]

Apple devices repairability really sucks as of late.

exactly. unless you have an EEPROM programmer good luck transferring true tone on anything above an 8. oh and good luck getting face ID to work without transferring every camera. Want that pesky genuine battery message to go away? better go see apple.....

 

[chilly willy]

Probably not best to rely heavily on a manufacturer’s assertion as to repairability imho.
That said, I do think it’s a very laudable move on Apple’s part.
Maybe the impetus for being able to add my own RAM again one day? A person can dream.... ?

 

[JPSaltzman]

Well, that's good for a laugh. Yeah, go ahead, try and fix that iDevice or M1 Mac on your own, especially when their proprietary SSD stick wears out prematurely. Wonder what Apple would charge you just for the SSD (and not the disassembly and installation required.....

What do the Air-Pods/Buds/headphone cans rate? A Zero? You can't replace the battery, even if you could access it without totally destroying your Air-device.

 

[randolorian]

I wonder how many potential buyers will see this as they go to buy a phone and change their mind.

 

[HiVolt]

How do you repair something that's glued shut?

 

[repoman016]

How do you repair something that's glued shut?

heat gun.

 

[subi257]

Probably not best to rely heavily on a manufacturer’s assertion as to repairability imho.
That said, I do think it’s a very laudable move on Apple’s part.
Maybe the impetus for being able to add my own RAM again one day? A person can dream.... ?

It's good to dream, I don't think With the M1 CPU going forward there will ever be replacing RAM again, as the "Unified RAM"....unless I am wrong, memory chips soldered directly to the processor board. That pool of RAM being shared for everything.

 

[Wildkraut]

Well, it's pure greediness.
Cluing all together = profit

Look at the latest Macs, you can't swap RAM, nor the SSD anymore.
If it turns out that BigSur/M1 is really wearing SSDs out, like stated in the recent news, then customers will have a lot of fun.
1 Year later, when the warranty is over, Apple will say "it costs 300-600Eur to repair the logic board with the SSD".
Then the next lawsuit will knock on their door.

At the same time, they try to wear the white vest and put ******** marketing sites like that up:

Environment

Apple 2030 is our plan to use recycled and renewable materials, clean electricity, and low-carbon shipping to bring our net emissions to zero.

www.apple.com

 

[subi257]

Apple devices repairability really sucks as of late.

Repairability of anything electronic is not what it used to be. Technology has moved on past that, with everything being so compact, tin terms of the functionality of what used to be on 5 discrete circuit boards is now all on 1 board that is 1/4 of the size of and of the discrete boards were. If you open the devices, you will just have to replace entire modules which can cost as much as the entire unit.

 

[ddtmm]

A step in the right direction. I wonder how they compare with iFixit’s scores. There should be some sort of measure in place to force them to compensate if the rating is below 5, like have to make documentation available, or not be allowed to void warranties if 3rd party repair shops do repairs. Something to that effect.

 

[PsykX]

This is a great idea, it should become a norm for ALL electronic products on Earth.

However, I am wondering something. Shouldn't the repairability score be function of each component?

For instance, changing the speakers might be a lot harder than just changing the battery. I don't see how they can reflect that into a single aggregated score.

 

[PsykX]

Apple devices repairability really sucks as of late.

This is mainly due to miniaturization. It encourages new processes such as gluing things together.

 

[Johnny907]

Which mean absolutely nothing, as this only ranks their own repairabilty score, not the average users. Until Apple allows access to the web based tools that allow end users to update the firmware when you replace a camera module or screen with OEM Apple parts so 1) the new parts function properly and 2) an error message complaining about “non official parts” doesn’t continually pop up, these scores don’t mean anything.

 

[Johnny907]

This is mainly due to miniaturization. It encourages new processes such as gluing things together.

Gluing in parts has nothing to do with “miniaturization.” That myth was thoroughly debunked by engineers years ago after it started becoming a thing. Apple’s decision to glue down components is intentional, but not for that reason.

 

[AndiG]

6 out of 10? 1 out of 10 would be reasonable …

 

[TheHorrorNerd]

How is the 11/pro score lower than the 12 when the 12 requires heat to open?

 

[Johnny907]

How do you repair something that's glued shut?

Heat gun. Heated gel pad. Opening up the case and removing the screen is the easiest part of the process. Getting the battery out is akin to pulling teeth, thanks to those ****** sticky pads. If I had a nickel for every one of those I’ve torn halfway through regardless of how gently I pull, well I’d have a heck of a lot of nickels.

 

[Johnny907]

How is the 11/pro score lower than the 12 when the 12 requires heat to open?

Both require heat. Pretty much every iPhone since the 6S requires heat to remove the screen thanks to the gasket that seals the case.
If I had to guess the reason for the lower score for the 11 is due to the glass back versus metal on the 12, given the internals aren’t wildly different.

 

[Fabian Leopold]

Well this is laughable. Samsung.fr rates their latest phone with 9.6.
The Fairphone 3, literally made to be user repairable with just a screwdriver, has a rating of 8.5.

This smells fishy.

 

[Villarrealadrian]

M1 mac a score of 5.6?! Don’t make me laugh can’t replace ram, can’t replace SSD, can’t replace battery