It wasn’t long ago that Apple products routinely raised the ire among repairability advocates. The iPhone maker has more fully embraced user repairability in recent years, owing, in part, to both sustainability concerns and the growing right to repair movement, TechCrunch reported.
Actions like parts paring continue to rankle critics, including iFixit, which retroactively dropped the iPhone 14’s repairability score late last year over the policy.
In the simplest terms, parts pairing requires a specific component (in this case, first-party) for a device to function as intended. A new white paper released on Wednesday offers the most in-depth glimpse of Apple’s current repair policy. Titled “Longevity By Design,” the study highlights a prioritization of durability over repairability.
Apple posted a White Paper titled: “Apple’s Approach To Longevity”
At Apple, we are always working to create the best experience for our customers, which is why we design products that last. Designing for longevity is a company-wide effort, informing our earliest decisions long before the first prototype is built and guided by historical customer-use data and predictions on future usage. It requires striking a balance between durability and repairability while not compromising on safety security, and privacy.
We are also continuously striving to increase product longevity through new design and manufacturing technologies, ongoing software support, and expanded access to repair services. We also make it easy for customers to give their products a second life by simplifying the process to securely wipe their devices in preparation for resale or trade in.
Our approach is working. Apple leads the industry in longevity as measured by the value of our secondhand products, increasing product lifespans, and decreasing service rates.
Apple Insider reported about Apple’s White Pages:
“Designing for longevity is a company-wide effort, informing our earliest decisions lot before the first prototype is built and guided by historical customer-use and predictions on future usage,” it states.
This requires Apple to constantly consider the balance durability, design aspects, and repairability while maintaining safety, security, and privacy.
“Our approach is working. Apple leads the industry in longevity as measured by the value of our secondhand product lifespans, and decreasing service rates.”
As evidence of this, the document points out that the value of its iPhone on the second-hand market is at least 40% more compared to Android devices. That valuation increases with the age of the iPhone.
The lifespan of the iPhone is also continuing to grow. Hundreds of millions of iPhones have been in use for more than five years, it claims.
As for service rates, newer devices are apparently less likely to require repairs than older ones. Out of warranty repairs from 2015 to 2022 were down 38%, with accidental damage repairs for iPhone down 44% since iPhone 7.
In my opinion, it is good that Apple is interested in making Apple products that will have longevity. That’s much better than having iPhones end up in a landfill.