Apple has expressed its support for California's Right to Repair Act bill which seeks to create various laws that would require technology companies to provide tools for both customers and independent stores to repair products.
While the tech company was initially against the passing of the bill, its decision to support it instead came as a surprise. The bill, known as SB 244, will mandate manufacturers to provide parts, tools, and repair diagnostics as necessary to aid both customers and third-party repair providers in order to fix products.
Apple Supports California's Right To Repair Bill
The idea of the bill is to encourage what is considered a "competitive repair market" that is both cheaper for consumers and is also better for the planet in general. The bill would have manufacturers provide parts, tools, and repair documentation for products that fall under the price range of $50 to $99.99 for three years after the end of the product's manufacture.
But for products that cost at least $100, such materials must be made available for seven years after the end of manufacture. In a statement, iFixit, an American e-commerce and how-to website that sells repair parts and publishes free wiki-like online repair guides for consumer electronics and gadgets, said that the terms of the bill ensure that manufacturers cannot just simply drop product repair support at the end of a product's warranty period, as per 9to5Mac.
Right now, the tech company provides support for products for up to five years after the end of that particular product's sales. In some instances, parts for the products are made available for up to seven years after it is no longer sold, depending on the availability of the parts themselves.
If the law is passed and a company is found to violate its provisions, it would be forced to pay $1,000 per day for the first violation, $2,000 per day for the second violation, and $5,000 per day for subsequent violations.
Providing Better Repair Services
Across the United States, New York was the first to pass the Right to Repair bill and since then, a lobbyist who is working for Apple, Google, and Samsung, has been working to minimize the impact of the new law.
Apple's decision to support the new bill comes as the company is set to meet the law's requirements with its Self Service Repair program and various repair programs that it has for repair shops. These include options to become Apple Authorized Service Providers as well as being given parts through the Independent Repair Provider Program, according to Mac Rumors.
Additionally, California's new bill says that service and repair facilities that have been given authorization as repair providers for a company need to disclose if they are using replacement parts that are used or not from the manufacturer.
Apple lent its support to the bill on the grounds of offering consumers the ability to have their devices repaired safely without risking their privacy or data. In a statement, the tech company said that it manufactures its products with the intent of them lasting a long time, said TechCrunch.
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