While Apple has long been one of the loudest opponents of the so-called Right to Repair movement, it has seemingly softened its stance over the past several months. And now it’s completely changed its position and offered its full endorsement to California’s version of the legislation.
As first reported by TechCrunch, Apple has sent a letter to California state senator Susan Eggman backing the bill and urging its passage. Apple’s support likely paves the way for the state to pass the legislation, as it has unanimous support in the state Senate.
In a statement, Apple said it “supports California’s Right to Repair Act so all Californians have even greater access to repairs while also protecting their safety, security, and privacy, We create our products to last and, if they ever need to be repaired, Apple customers have a growing range of safe, high-quality repair options.”
That growing range of options includes Apple’s own Self Service Repair, which lets customers service their iPhones, MacBooks, desktop Macs, and displays at home. Additionally, it made the iPhone 14 easier to repair with an easier way to remove the glass back and is expected to bring the same internal design changes to the iPhone 15 Pro.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.