Apple's War against Right to Repair: The Fight to Fix

Hello! Everyone, this is my second post.

Ever since the release of Microsoft and Android, the computer and mobile platform have remained somewhat non-competitive . That is, until Apple hit the monopolized market with its new operating system and made standard for itself with the bars set high, it had a high price, high performance product line where the consumer would receive a unique experience, but ever since the change of management and replacement of members and founder of Apple, the company have begun proving themselves as obsolete and somewhat inferior. Their high price remained yet high performance and quality of life could not compete with the competitor. At the moment, any minor malfunction in an apple device could cost as much as more than half of the device's paying price to  repair.


The right to repair act legislation has been a vigorous attempt by consumers of apple products to take it upon themselves to repair their damaged handheld devices. Repairs as minor as fault charge sockets cost over a quarter of the device's price itself when presented to an apple certified repairman. While the same job can be done by a regular repair shop for significantly cheaper costs and quicker. There have been documented cases of service members outright denying any repair possibilities and instead of offering an upgrade for a more expensive version of the same lane. The company has skyrocketed its absurd pricing strategies ever since the core management team was replaced. A recently launched equipment by apple was the 'Apple stand' standing at an outrageous price of $999.

The same pricing structure has been implemented on the repair areas of Apple's devices. Apple defends its claim of fighting the right to repair act by stating that the consumer may hurt themselves by puncturing the lithium-ion battery. During the golden days of Apple's first launch, they held a unique space in their market by providing something other competitors couldn't, an IOS and a secure platform as opposed to android. This did not last as jailbreak became a trend and IOS was no longer secure, it fell short in performance and compatibility. Not to mention, the expensive hardware is required to be usable in day to day tasks. Apple also went forward and removed headphone jacks, forcing its users to buy their air pods in order to gain quality of life improvements.

"The fact is that Apple, and many other manufacturers, take all manner of actions that restrict repair, which result in higher costs for consumers and a faster rate of obsolescence", says Nathan Proctor, director of the US PIRG's Right to Repair campaign. Proctor also argues that when Apple offers replacement products instead of repairing a device. It is effectively refusing to repair.

Apple has fought against the right to repair act repeatedly and lost consistently.

"Louis Rossman" a YouTuber and spokesperson, has acted against Apple by providing educational videos on how to repair their products in a home environment. Apple has responded by suing Louis Rossman and lost due to its already questionable design where an excessive amount of adhesive is used to hold the device together. Critical reviewers have rated the products poorly.

It is very unethical of apple to do business in such a manner, charging almost the same price as a new product or even sometimes double the price of the device. Apple is against the right to repair, it claims that it is primarily to restrict the release of confidential trade secrets and other intellectual property, such as the blueprints for devices. However, if disassembly of tangible goods is outlawed for any third party, so is the right for consumers to repair said goods. The practice of requiring consumers to go to the manufacturer for repairs has generally been criticized as anti-competitive as it prevents any type of third-party from servicing these devices, manufacturing compatible parts and can stifle innovation.