GoKawiilRepairability ratings based on official government criteria in Europe have found that Apple gets the worst ratings for the repairability of both iPhones and MacBooks.
However, in the laptop rankings the MacBook Neo was found to be very much an exception, so perhaps there’s hope for the future …
The French government imposes a legal requirement on manufacturers to display their repairability ratings according to a set of criteria intended to allow for like-for-like comparisons between brands. The EU has very similar criteria, and US Consumer Organization Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) uses these for its rankings.
Its latest report provides repairability grades for four smartphone brands and eight laptop brands, with Apple getting the lowest score in both categories. PIRG says that it reviewed detailed repair information for a total of 105 devices.
The grades factor in seven different issues that impact on the practicality of carrying out repairs:
Repair documentation
Ease of disassembly
Spare parts availability
Spare parts pricing
Fasteners used
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