Wanting to repair something is not a cheapskate move. If my vacuum can last 20 years with regular small repairs, is that not better for everybody concerned? Except the vacuum manufacturer.
Apple want you to buy buy buy every year. They aren't really concerned about the environment.
I'd say Apple does care about the environment, but like all of us, they're in business to exist. They certainly seem to have a much better commitment to minimizing environmental impact than most companies, but as always, those who try to do the most attract the most criticism for not doing more (just like habitual liars aren't held to the same high ethical standards as the usually-honest).
The best thing any of us could do for the environment is to end the dominance of humanity on earth - don't procreate, don't take steps to live longer lives, demolish and safely dispose of our presence... Give the world back to the other species. Since very few of us seem to be willing to do that, everything else is relative. We have enough trouble doing the right thing for members of our own species; we certainly aren't going to give it all up for the sake of other species.
Yes, repairing products to extend their useful life tends is more environmentally sound than simply tossing them in the landfill. However, there are also environmental costs to repair - the manufacture and shipping of replacement parts, etc. Building products for repairability nearly always costs additional resources. One has to balance the cost of repairability against the benefits (eg. more metal for screws, less petroleum for adhesives). Those equations are not always easy. Some people will still toss their stuff into landfills, even if the repair cost is minimal. Will the added repairability-related resources pay off for the majority of units manufactured, or will most be retired without needing repair? If repairs are not required, then the resources invested in repairability are wasted.
One could argue that Apple should charge less for repairs in order to encourage people to repair those items rather than send to landfill. However, people dedicated to minimizing their environmental impact should be willing to pay the fair cost of repair, and labor is a substantial part of any repair. Demands for lower prices tend to put negative pressure on wage rates, which has its own human cost.
And so it goes. People want the world boiled down to simple, Tweet-length arguments and solutions. However, we've built a very, very complex world.
