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There’s always a string attached.
Follow the money, as they say. There is absolutely something Apple is getting out of this. They didn’t suddenly find Jesus, if they are supporting something like this, they will benefit in some way. And it will not benefit the consumers.
Then there is probably something in that bill the voting public would not like. If the fox is happy about the defenses of the chicken coup then that means he knows something you don’t.
What’s the catch?
Just like the defence industry - profit. Sell parts to repair shops 😂
The article says:
Apple’s pledge to extend California’s law on a national level is “a strategic move.” “Apple likely hopes that they will be able to negotiate out the parts of the Minnesota bill they don’t like,” Chamberlain wrote in an email, pointing specifically to the “fair and reasonable” parts provisioning measure that could preclude Apple’s tendency toward pairing parts to individual devices.
And the article linked about that Minnesota law says that:
The modified [NY’s] bill also allowed manufacturers to sell “assemblies” of parts—like a whole motherboard instead of an individual component, or the entire top case Apple typically provides instead of a replacement battery or keyboard—if an improper individual part installation “heightens the risk of injury.”
and that:
Minnesota’s bill, by comparison, covers most electronic products sold on or after July 1, 2021, and doesn’t allow for as much manufacturer discretion. Companies that sell in Minnesota but don’t offer customers or independent repair shops the materials needed to fix devices with “fair and reasonable” terms and within 60 days can be found in violation of the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices law
And also:
given how manufacturers must now provide free documentation for Minnesotans who want to repair their goods, most companies will post them online. Once online, they’re liable to spread everywhere.
So from that article, the answer is easy. Apple rather lobby to get the bills towards one where they essentially can sell you half a computer/phone preassembled vs one where they need to sell more specific components.
Very green for them, and not the environmental kind.
There is a higher overhead if you’re selling each capacitor and restitor separately. This would be a logistic nightmare… even if apple did this the cost would be astronomical for these parts.
Sure, but you can’t tell me that Apple needs to rivet the keyboard into the aluminum top chassis of a MacBook and sell keyboard replacements for hundreds of dollars. Nobody else in the industry does that.
I’m sure there is some middle ground that makes more sense between having every single capacitor available and having to get half a laptop replaced when your battery dies, or your cooler dies and stuff like that. Not sure if that’s the case anymore, but it was before the last redesign.
As for the cost to the consumer, it depends. Apple wanted me to pay like 500 for a noise cooler replacement (since they replaced half the laptop) when I could literally buy and get one repaired in a shop for like 50…
If I wanted a battery replacement, I would need to leave my Macbook with them for like a week, and then pick it up again. Again at like $500. Meanwhile, no laptop. Or I could go to a third party shop and get some third party battery from who knows where and they do it in an hour and for like $100.
There’s levels to it.
And for repair shops, they should at least allow them to pre stock these assemblies at least so they can repair quickly, and also use one ‘donor board’ and repair multiple devices from those capacitors, resistors and chips. My latest knowledge is they didn’t allow any of that.
Again, not an expert, but I doubt Apple is suddenly going for the most user friendly choice.
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it raises the bar for their competitors and makes it more difficult for them to compete since they need to support their own repair programs
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it allows them to boast about their sustainability efforts
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Catch is the same as USB C thing. They forced to do it in one of the major markets(California this time) and it’s easier for them to do it everywhere than have multiple processes.
This is a total Red Herring.
Apple just wants to control what “Right to Repair” will mean so they can profit off of it by rerequiring “authentic” Apple repair parts, blah blah blah.
Fuck Apple.
So apple should not sell parts? or should give parts away for free? What is your suggested solution to the selling of parts? Force them to open source all software and release any and all IP licenses they hold to anyone who wants to make parts and products of thier own?
you know what, thats better than no right to repair
It’s a step in the right direction. Serial linking parts that disable features if a used or recycled part is used is still kind of shitty though.
That is called calibration, and if your using parts form an iCloud locked devices apple servers will not provide diagnostic mode the calibration profile as you are likly using stolen parts.
Wha apple should do is document the protools that would let you load your own claibraiotn profile if you purchase third party parts (that come with profiles)… but such parts would cost as much as OEM parts from apple as factories that produce parts and bother to create calbiraiotn profiles do no too this for cheap.
So what, the iCloud locked device now just goes straight to landfill? I’d understand stolen devices but devices where people have forgotten their passwords or devices where the person has sold it on unknowingly.
You’re naive to think that every iCloud locked device is stolen. Apple genuine parts should work, calibration or not, even so,Why don’t they just release the calibration tools… it’s all for profit
I don’t think Apple ever thought this would last for ever (their anti-repair practices) but they are riding it as long as they can. They are still going to make money on parts, and I bet their “hardware serial pairing” stuff will be a key for them to getting OEM parts from them and using their tools or you can properly pair the components.
Legacly speaking there is no “serial pairing on device” apple have crafted this to infact be calibration profiles and then have put the job on apples servers to not let a phone download calibration info for part SN that have already been paired to another SOC.
This was a change with the iPhone 12 (and M1 Macs). Moving it server side means they could (and might well) change this to let you download the profile but only if the donwer device is not iCloud locked (otherwise it might be stolen…)
Should they provide documentation on how third parties can create thier own calibration profiles and provide them along side parts? Yes but getting a law past that would require apple to write stuff would be hard in the US… the entire “you can compel speech” legal defence that apple used successfully to not be forced to make a custom version of iOS that would let the FBI crack into phones.
No surprises. Be at the forefront of supporting local legislation. They have to do this in the EU anyway. Easy win. Lots of positive PR. Easy win.