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FTC Report Highlights Consumer Harms of Manufacturer Repair Restrictions
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This is why I won't buy any new apple products anymore. My phone was the last. If my ipad goes then I just use my iphone until it dies. then buy a used one. My G4/G5/Macpro are all fixable except for the raid battery and just ignore that.
Yep, like the glued on engine hood, non-user replaceable batteries, and only Apple Music for tunes. Can't wait.
Many industries have specialized tools and proprietary software. What deters most third-party repair is the costs to obtain and maintain. A local automotive repair shop said to get the tools necessary for today's vehicles for the many manufacturers would run more than $75,000 per year. There is more than just Apple out there. Imagine special tools for each of them. Other then forcing Apple and others to give away their proprietary tools and software, the costs alone will self regulate the industry.
Specializes tools for specific repairs is understandable. Having exotic fasteners just because ain't.
Back in the old days, every computer manufacturer used Philips or Torqs head screws. You didn't have to buy 5 different sets of screw drivers (pentalobe, square, triangle and so on). 30 years ago, when I repaired Mac/PC's for a living, I used a standard P2 screwdriver for 95% of all the computers I had to open up.
Imagine how mechanics would feel if they had to use 5 different standards of wrenches in addition to SAE or Metric to work on a car? They're gonna need a bigger shop.
I would normally be for right to repair...but these devices are becoming, really are, different than devices that came before. No, I don't mean the chemistry of the battery. But the security issues with being able to add and remove parts from someone's device for nefarious purposes and to evade security measures.
The reason they aren't recycled is that it isn't cost effective. Even with the high price of lithium, it's still cheaper to dig it out of the ground than to recycle the packs, given the low volume of packs being recycled and the high cost of setting up the facilities. So for now, they store the batteries in battery graveyards. When the price of lithium gets high enough to make recycling affordable, you'll see recycling centers get built. Several companies are starting construction on new plants now. And then they'll start into the backlog.
Those security issues are vastly overhyped. Which is more likely — that someone who wants the data from your phone will steal your phone overnight, swap out the fingerprint reader with a custom design that can capture and replay the print, and sneak it back into your room, then steal it again after it has captured your prints, or that the nefarious party will lift your print from a drinking glass and steal your phone once?
No, security is being used as an excuse to limit your right to repair.
Yes, electric car batteries are a big issue. Volkswagen is the only manufacturer I know of that is trying to fix the issue. They are trying to make their batteries 90% reusable.
“longevity” and “reliability” is not the same as “repairable”. I’ve handed down some iPhones, they all still work. That’s pretty long lived and reliable. If you tell someone they can have a repairable phone, buuut it’ll look like the Fairphone, they’ll drop repairability as an idea in a heartbeat. That’s probably why they focused on longevity and reliability instead of repairability.
Here’s the thing though, if they’re actually able to sell that… if THAT is what the market will bear and have decided they want, eh, more power to ‘em. I don’t believe I’d buy a car like that, but, if the price is right, I’d bet there’s a lot that would.
Relying on survey data isn't a good way to measure the actual wants vs needs of consumers. The vast majority of consumers don't respond to the survey, and those that do have either an axe to grind (I hate company XYZ) or an agenda like a repair shop (or, if I could start a shop to repair device X, I could make a bazillion dollars!). The FTC winds up chasing ghost consumers and representing the outraged minority.“longevity” and “reliability” is not the same as “repairable”. I’ve handed down some iPhones, they all still work. That’s pretty long lived and reliable. If you tell someone they can have a repairable phone, buuut it’ll look like the Fairphone, they’ll drop repairability as an idea in a heartbeat. That’s probably why they focused on longevity and reliability instead of repairability.
You're about half right. Apple will repair your devices, I've done it plenty of times. They do outsource it to a facility under contract of some sort.
Apple is absolutely horrific when it comes to repairs. I've seen Apple Geniuses screw customers on simple repairs many times claiming the repair will cost hundreds of dollars when it can really be done for a few bucks. That forces the customer to buy a new machine discarding his current one and that's exactly what Apple wants. Their ideal customer will buy a brand new $3K system with full Applecare, use it for 3 years max, discard it the day warranty ends and buy a new one. They have very little incentive to help you if your machine isn't under warranty and most of the time it results in "you need a new display/logic board and that will be $700+" so you buy a new machine instead.
Latest designs they have are incredibly difficult to repair. Example - I have a 2018 15" MBP. Apple serviced the machine and after that it started dropping wifi signal often. On the older machines I'd just replace the wifi card and be done. On this one they offered to replace the entire logic board for something like $700 because it's out of warranty. So now I have a 2.5 year old machine which has a major problem and I can't get it repaired for any reasonable amount of money. Wonderful, isn't it?
Latest designs they have are incredibly difficult to repair. Example - I have a 2018 15" MBP. Apple serviced the machine and after that it started dropping wifi signal often. On the older machines I'd just replace the wifi card and be done. On this one they offered to replace the entire logic board for something like $700 because it's out of warranty. So now I have a 2.5 year old machine which has a major problem and I can't get it repaired for any reasonable amount of money. Wonderful, isn't it?
That's incorrect. Apple does repair devices. I've brought macbooks to the apple genius over the years, they've replaced different things, screen, motherboard, battery. Never did I get a new Macbook. I've definitely heard of people getting new machines, but they do definitely repair them as well.
Also, per your own argument, if Apple replaces your device, the "refurbished" product Apple gives you, by its own definition it's a refurbished product that has been repaired and restored. It's not recycled, though I'm sure Apple will recycle certain products that are either vintage or unrepairable.
I think there’s three considerations:
- Reliability
- ‘Repairability’
- Affordability
Apple’s out of warranty (including damage/accidents in warranty) is ridiculously expensive but I suspect that’s because they generally swap phones unless it’s a simple in-store repair.
I recently dropped my iPhone X and my insurer replaced the display with a ‘compatible’ non-Apple LCD display. It was awful (touch and quality) and in the end broke down. I battled with it for a few weeks and gave up opting for a new iPhone.
If the insurer had access to Apple parts would it have been different? Maybe, Maybe not…
- Reliability
- ‘Repairability’
- Affordability
Apple’s out of warranty (including damage/accidents in warranty) is ridiculously expensive but I suspect that’s because they generally swap phones unless it’s a simple in-store repair.
I recently dropped my iPhone X and my insurer replaced the display with a ‘compatible’ non-Apple LCD display. It was awful (touch and quality) and in the end broke down. I battled with it for a few weeks and gave up opting for a new iPhone.
If the insurer had access to Apple parts would it have been different? Maybe, Maybe not…
What your insurer should have done was pay the amount for an authorized repair center to fix the phone or provide a replacement with the closest equivalent device in the case that a repair was prohibitively expensive. I would have pushed them to go that route, which is what I have done for any insurance claims I have ever made.
there are no electronics products that don’t break. and you can’t always “go the Apple way” even if you want to. I used to not care about right to repair till a few years ago the power button on my iPad Air broke. AppleCare+ has run out on it by then. I took it to Apple for repairs. They refused to do it even though I was willing to pay and told me I have to junk the iPad. I tried twice: at an Apple store and at at authorized repair dealer. Refusal both times. I had it fixed at an unauthorized repair shop. it was cheap but the replacement part was a knock off since Apple doesn’t provide original parts. The repair wasn’t perfect but I still got a couple extra years out of the iPad. more recently Apple refused to replace the battery on my iphone 6s because the health indicator was not low enough. I tried pleading with them because the battery life was absolute **** but they refused even though I was willing to pay. So no Apple way in this case either. Got the battery replaced at a 3rd party repair shop and the phone has been great since.
I have a SonicCare toothbrush that stopped working and was never even sure if someone could pay to have it fixed outside the warranty period. Oral-B does mention being able to pay for an out of warranty repair on their product. The thing about the SonicCare is often, and in my case, nothing is really broken. It just has a metal plate that slips over time and needs to be readjusted to correctly set a gap between the electromagnet and mechanical linkage to the brush head. But there is no official published specification on what the gap should ideally be. So probably a lot of brush handles end up in the garbage or ewaste recycle bin that aren’t really broken.
Interesting, yeah that’s a significant upside! All I really want is for batteries to be easily replaceable. Batteries are not long for this world, it’s insane that they’re not always easily replaceable in every product. It’s like a mattress with sheets sewn on.
Easy repairability and compact design are difficult to combine. In that sense I understand Apple’s position. However, there could be a middle ground solution. A manufacturer has to either meet certain repairability criteria or provide warranty period covering the typical lifetime of the device.
If I get a three-year warranty for my iPhone, I do not need any special repairability.
It is, of course, a bit different story with appliances. I have discarded a five-year old fridge because its thermostat (the most commonly failing part) could not be properly replaced. I have spent hours cleaning a no-clean tumble dryer — a half hour job but a lot of trial and error without a service manual.
There I’d like to have the service manuals and spare parts easily available, because the technology is not evolving very fast.
If I get a three-year warranty for my iPhone, I do not need any special repairability.
It is, of course, a bit different story with appliances. I have discarded a five-year old fridge because its thermostat (the most commonly failing part) could not be properly replaced. I have spent hours cleaning a no-clean tumble dryer — a half hour job but a lot of trial and error without a service manual.
There I’d like to have the service manuals and spare parts easily available, because the technology is not evolving very fast.
More likely not. If there’s an insurer that can’t let you know for certain that they’ll be able to cover your loss, they shouldn’t be taking money for that coverage.
Actually tires are not a replaceable item on the Apple Car. They are glued on.