Apple got low grades in the “Failing the Fix” report for smartphones and laptops.
The report is from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, which “conducts research, policy analysis and public education to advance solutions to problems that affect consumers’ health, safety and well-being.” The annual report calculates a repairability score for the most popular cellphone and laptop brands, and grades which manufacturers are designing devices to last and which are “Failing the Fix.”
Apple received a D- grade in the Cellphone Repairability report by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund. That compares to a B+ for Motorola, C- for Google, and D for Samsung.
Apple also did poorly when it comes to laptops. For laptop manufacturers, ASUS leads in repairability with an B+; followed by Acer with a B; HP, Dell, Samsung and Microsoft are tied for third each scoring a B- grade; followed by Lenovo with a C; and finally Apple in last with a C-.
However, there was some good news for Apple. From the report: Apple has made real progress on parts pairing, the practice of tying components to a specific device so that third-party repairs result in degraded functionality or error messages. With the iPhone 16 and iOS 18, Apple introduced a new on-device Repair Assistant and allows used genuine Apple parts to be calibrated and reused in repairs — a meaningful shift from its prior policy, which required Apple authorization to complete even basic repairs. Colorado’s anti-parts-pairing law took effect in January 2026 and Oregon’s in 2027, both retroactive to devices made in 2021 and later, and Apple’s changes appear to be a direct response to this legislative pressure. But independent repair advocates say the changes don’t go far enough. Third-party aftermarket parts — which can cost as little as half the price of an original Apple part — remain largely restricted, and iFixit’s hands-on testing of the new Repair Assistant found continued restrictions on Face ID replacement. Apple also extended its Activation Lock anti-theft feature to individual parts, which repair advocates warn will strand large numbers of perfectly functional components — locking them out of the repair ecosystem entirely. Apple isn’t alone: parts pairing and software restrictions remain an industry-wide problem that consumers and independent technicians continue to face across manufacturers.
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