Apple is again under fire from complaints, which denounce a clear desire to make its products difficult to repair. A practice that has serious consequences for the environment and for consumers…
For several months, if not for several years, Apple has been under pressure on the issue of the repairability of its devices, whether by its customers, by environmentalists, by European authorities, and even by part of its shareholders. The firm is regularly accused of doing nothing – or too little – to facilitate the repair of its devices and, above all, of promoting a very lucrative ecosystem operating in a closed circuit – non-approved repairers in particular are sidelined . Result: all this leads to planned obsolescence.
After a complaint lodged by the French association Halte à l’obsolescence programmed (HOP) in December 2022, which accuses Apple of “voluntary irreparability”, an investigation was opened, at the request of the Paris prosecutor’s office, for misleading commercial practices and planned obsolescence. This is a real problem because, in addition to the financial impact on consumers, who are forced to pay an astronomical sum to buy a new device, this generates a lot of electronic waste – remember that a device that pollutes less is a device that lasts longer, with the majority of its carbon footprint being produced during its manufacture.
Serialization: a questionable method to master repairs
In a statementthe association explains that it wants to shed light on the practice of “serialization”, which “consists of associating the serial numbers of spare parts with that of a smartphone, in particular via microchips, giving the manufacturer the possibility of restricting repairs for non-approved repairers or of degrading a smartphone repaired with parts” “remote” generics. This practice obviously affects the parts most frequently subject to breakdowns (screens, battery, camera, etc.) and poses a risk of future malfunctions on refurbished devices sold on second-hand markets.
The complaint filed is documented by almost sixty pages of numerous cases in which malfunctions were found after the repair of a part “same identical and original” but “not authorized by Apple software”. Problems can also be triggered during an update. For HOP, these bugs clearly aim to disadvantage independent repair or reconditioning in favor of the sale of new smartphones or captive repair, at prices that are often dissuasive for the consumer. The investigations were entrusted to the national investigation service of the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF).
Planned obsolescence: an ecological disaster
The association asks smartphone manufacturers to guarantee the right to repairability. She had already obtained in 2020 the condemnation of Apple to a fine of 25 million euros for “deceptive marketing practice by omission” regarding iPhone batteries. In 2018, one of their complaints denounced the facts of premature and voluntary aging of old iPhones. Apple had finally admitted that it deliberately restricted the performance of these after a certain time, supposedly in order to extend their lifespan.
For HOP, “serialization, unavailability of spare parts at reasonable prices and deadlines (outside the authorized circuit), unexplained defects following updates… are all questionable practices, leading one to believe that the manufacturer is above all seeking to sell ever more equipment , to the detriment of consumers and the environment.” In addition, they undermine the right to repair, the democratization of reconditioning and the development of the circular economy, which are a real necessity from an ecological point of view – according to Ademe, using one more year of its smartphone reduces its ecological footprint by 25% and buying a refurbished smartphone rather than a new one can reduce by 8 its environmental impact and its cost up to 75%.
Apple repair policy: what consequences for consumers?
As a reminder, the repair of Apple devices is reserved, except for appointments made at the “genius bar” of the Apple Store, at the 5,000 Apple authorized service centers as well as the 10,000 members of the repairer program. brand-approved independents around the world. They alone are authorized to supply themselves with official spare parts. Of course; Apple launched the “Self Service Repair” repair program in December 2022 which, as its name suggests, allows you to repair your Apple device yourself by buying official parts and renting the specific tools necessary to carry out the operations. (see our article). A commendable initiative on paper, but which is actually more like greenwashing. A journalist from The Verge tried it and was surprised to receive two boxes of tools weighing more than 35 kg. In addition, the manipulations and the process are particularly complicated, which led the journalist to conclude that this service was a real charade.
In France, where a repairability index, graduated from 1 to 10, has been mandatory since the beginning of 2021, the scores collected by the American company are not famous and range, as noted last spring by the newspaper Le World, from 4.5 to 6.10 depending on the references – and again, the brand is saved by the accessibility of its documentation, which drives up the ratings. And that’s not to mention that the prices for changing the battery of an iPhone, an iPad or a MacBook literally soared on March 1, 2023 (see our article), with an increase of €24 for all iPhone models, €36 to €60 for MacBooks and €40 for certain iPad models. In short, this does not encourage the user to have his device repaired – prices for batteries range from 100 to 289 €!
These maneuvers by Apple are a good way to force the consumer to buy new products, making him a real cash cow that the firm continues to pump until the last drop. Indeed, according to the European Commission, choosing replacement rather than repair leads to a loss estimated at nearly 12 billion euros per year for individuals. The fact remains that it is working on a right to repair, which would last from five to ten years depending on the electronic devices – well after the expiry of the guarantee, therefore – in order to prioritize troubleshooting over replacement, and therefore make them more sustainable (see our article). Will that be enough?