Apple will now let you repair your own MacBooks beginning Tuesday, a big win for the right-to-repair movement
Nickie Louise
Posted On August 22, 2022
In September 2021, we wrote about Apple after the iPhone maker announced it would let you start selling parts to let iPhone or Mac users repair their own devices. The announcement was hailed as a big win for the “Right To Repair” movement, an advocacy group that allows consumers the right to repair their own devices.
Almost a year later, Apple announced today it is expanding its Self Service Repair program to some of its laptops including MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks with M1 chips beginning Tuesday. This means users of these types of MacBooks will be able to repair their own Apple laptops themselves.
In a statement Monday, Apple said that users with MacBook models that have M1 chips, which include both MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, will be able to order genuine Apple parts, access repair manuals, and rent or purchase the tools needed to fix those devices starting Tuesday, August 23.
The Self Service Repair for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro offers more than a dozen different repair types for each model, including the display, top case with battery, and trackpad, with more to come. “Customers who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices will be able to complete repairs on these Mac notebooks, with access to many of the same parts and tools available to Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Service Providers,” Apple said.
Apple also added that it will offer rental kits for $49 so that customers who do not want to purchase tools for a single repair still have access to these professional repair tools.
“The Apple tools are custom designed to help provide the best repairs for Apple products, and are engineered to withstand the rigors of high-volume, professional repair operations where safety and reliability are the utmost priority. Apple will offer rental kits for $49, so that customers who do not want to purchase tools for a single repair still have access to these professional repair tools. Customers will have access to the tool kit for one week and it will be shipped free of charge.”
The Right to Repair movement, which has now become a battle between big tech companies and the people who use their products, is proposed government legislation that would allow consumers the ability to repair and modify their own consumer electronic devices.
