Apple started adding repair scores to its Apple Store website and app in France to meet the demands of the new Repair Right laws (via MacGeneration)
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The scores, displayed on the purchase pages for a variety of Apple products, give devices a rating of ten for ease of repair, similar to iFixit’s repair ratings. The scores are intended to inform customers of “whether this product is repairable, difficult to repair or irreparable”, according to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition.
All iPhone 12 models received a score of 6.0, while the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro scored considerably worse, 4.6. The iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone XR have a score of 4.5, and iPhone XS and XS Max have a score of 4.7 and 4.6, respectively.
Better ratings are made by the second-generation iPhone SE with 6.2 and the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus with 6.6. The best rated general model is the iPhone 7, with a repairability score of 6.7.
For Macs, the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 has a score of 5.6, the 16-inch MacBook Pro has a score of 6.3 and the M1 MacBook Air has a score of 6.5.
A French Apple support page presents repair score information for a variety of iPhones and MacBooks, with details that justify why each device received its rating. Criteria include availability of repair documentation, ease of disassembly, availability and price of spare parts and software updates.
Apple determines these ratings against a grid offered by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, as opposed to a central regulatory authority, but they are supervised and verified by the Fraud Prevention Directory (FRCCB).
In November last year, the European Union voted in favor of a motion on the Right to Repair, including a mandatory labeling system on consumer electronics products to provide explicit information on the repairability and shelf life of products. As a result, laws that require technology companies to display repair scores for their devices, as well as those in France, may come into effect across the EU.