The reason why Apple is going to allow repairs
Apple has taken the plunge and is going to allow and help fix your iPhone, we know why.
The company has always been very difficult about this. Apple does not have a good track record when it comes to having hardware repaired by customers. Over the past decade, Apple computers have become impossible for users to maintain or upgrade. And the iPhone has always been a sealed box.
Opponents
So it was remarkable, but welcome news, that Apple is going to allow repairs. And will even help with that. The company will supply manuals, parts and tools directly to customers. Activists who have been advocating this for years see this as a victory.
“One of the most visible opponents of repair (Apple) is changing course,” said Nathan Proctor, senior campaign director of Right to Repair at Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG). “Apple’s move shows that what repair proponents have always asked for was always possible.” iFixit was also pleased, saying the move is “just the right thing for Apple to do.”
Reason why Apple is going to allow repairs
Proctor said he thinks “combined pressure from consumers, regulators and shareholders has changed Apple’s thinking.” But he was also quick to point out that there was pressure from within Apple itself. “We saw from some leaked emails from 2019 that many within Apple never wanted to be hostile to fix as Apple has been at times,” he said. You probably saw that [Apple mede-oprichter Steve] Wozniak called for the practices, but leaked emails show internal concern that they were doing the wrong thing.
It’s likely that Apple is thinking about government pressure. However, this change could also simply be part of the company listening to its users. And corrects some mistakes it has made in recent years.
