Apple Supports Right-To-Repair Law In US (Image: Pixabay)
Apple made a significant announcement on October 24 that they would support the US right-to-repair bill. With this law, the iPhone parts and tools will be available to all customers, and it will end consumer complaints that the iPhones are difficult and expensive to fix. During a White House event, Apple also supported the national right to repair legislation.
In July 2021, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at reducing vendor repair restrictions. Joe Biden made this move to promote competition and combat practices that inflate consumer prices. The right-to-repair bill focuses on providing consumers with greater autonomy in repairing their possessions, including smartphones and other products. “In the simplest terms, the right to repair means that when something you own breaks, you should have the right to fix it yourself or to take it to an independent repair shop,” said Lael Brainard, Director of the National Economic Council, during a White House event.
Under the right-to-repair bill, big tech companies, including Apple and Microsoft, have to make the parts, tools, and documentation needed for repairs of consumer electronic devices and appliances available to independent repair shops and consumers. The bill also mentions that the whole process should be provided at fair and reasonable prices. Lael Brainard also added that the ability to repair consumer electronics devices could reduce the nearly 7 million tonnes of annual electronic waste in the US, and it will also support small independent repair shops in the country. Lael Brainard informed that states like California, Colorado, New York, and Minnesota have already enacted these laws, while another 30 states have introduced right to repair bills.
