Apple reveals poor repairability ratings for MacBooks and iPhones
To comply with "right to repair" laws in France, Apple has revealed repairability ratings for various models of MacBook and iPhone. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the ratings make for rather bleak reading.
The ratings are based on analysis of how easy it is to dismantle a device, how easy it is to get hold of spares, and the availability of repair manuals. The idea behind the ratings is to give people an idea of how likely it is that they will be able to fix problems themselves, and Apple's low scores show that at-home repairs can be pretty much ruled out across the board.
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French website MacGeneration reveals that the top-rated iPhone in terms of ease-of repair is the iPhone 7. With a score of just 6.7 out of 10, even this is not what most people would consider a high repairability rating -- and the fact it is the highest is slightly depressing for anyone who likes the idea of fixing things for themselves.
The current iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max all receive a rating of 6 out of 10. The lowest rating of 4.5 is given to the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
For laptop owners, the news is not much better; various models of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air also receive low scores. The new MacBook Air M1 is rated 6.5 out of 10, while the new the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 gets a score of 5.6 out of 10. The worst-performing model is a tie between the 2018 MacBook Pro and the M1 model, and the best is the 2017 MacBook Air with a score of 7 out of 10.
Apple's full list of repairability scores can be found here.
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