Apple unveils MacBook Repairability Index

Apple has started publishing the MacBook and iPhone repairability index on the French store to comply with the "anti-waste" law approved in France on February 10, 2020 and which came into force on January 1, 2021. The objective of the measure, mandatory for all manufacturers, is to inform consumers about the possibility of repairing devices, so as to reduce electronic junk.

MacBook easy to repair?

The most famous repairability index is the one published by iFixit experts at the end of their “teardowns”. The number indicates the ease of disassembly and replacement of the internal components of the devices.

The repairability index that Apple has published on the French store is not comparable to that of iFixit. It is in fact the same producer to carry out the calculation on the basis of the parameters provided by the Ministry of ecological transition (but the results are subject to verification). The final score is determined taking into account five criteria:

Documentation availability (repair, use and maintenance) Ease of disassembly (access to the necessary parts and tools) Availability and delivery times of spare parts Price of spare parts (compared to the new ones) Availability of software updates and free remote assistance The iFixit score takes into account only the second criterion. On the other hand, it is clear that the repairability index imposed by the French government is "distorted" mainly by the fifth criterion. In fact, all MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros got the maximum score of 10. The final score is between 5.6 and 7.

The European Parliament approved in November 2020 a resolution in favor of the "right to reparation", so a similar initiative could be adopted in all European countries.

Source: The Verge