Finally, something that isn’t vetoed
“California is home to a number of device makers, most notably Apple, which came out in support of the bill after initially trying to stall it.”
Aka they got whatever carve out they wanted and the bill doesn’t cost them money.
It will cost them money, but I’d guess they did the math on whether it was worth it to stop fighting this one and potentially have a bill go through that cost them even more. There are also some things that seem to be carve outs that feel practically written by Apple’s lawyers.
Anyway, I will defend Apple against some of the absolute dogshit takes people have about them here, but Apple’s stance on repairability and right to repair is absolutely dumb. They spent a not inconsiderable amount of time on the action they’re taking to fight climate change and getting the Apple Watch to carbon neutral in the last big keynote and I couldn’t help thinking the entire time that if they just made it so that anyone with opposable thumbs could replace the back plate, screen, and battery in 20 minutes or less using tools you can find in any junk drawer, it would do far more than any recycling program or charging during off hours or whatever else.
Ditto for just basic support and software lockouts. Apple is generally pretty good keeping software support (5 years is entirely common) but the arbitrary cut offs are fucking dumb. I have an Apple Watch 3, and they cut software support for that last year which is fine. The form factor has aged out, it was bordering on under-powered a year or two after it launched, and it was time. But I also have a 2015 5k iMac that is just humming along running just fine and that a group of volunteers can get running the latest, no problem. I have no doubt that if that Apple Watch wasn’t locked down to hell and back, someone would figure out how to get it running debian or something so it isn’t just landfill fodder.
I’d really, really like to see legislation that addresses this. When I pay off a phone at a carrier, I can unlock it and take it where I want. When a manufacturer gives up on supporting that device, they should be required to at minimum unlock it, if not provide source for at least base level of user-space.
As it should be
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Because California is one of the world’s largest economies, this bill may make it easier for people all over the US to repair their devices.
The law, which joins similar efforts in New York, Colorado, and Minnesota, is tougher than some of its predecessors.
Manufacturers must make available appropriate tools, parts, software, and documentation for seven years after production for devices priced above $100.
California is home to a number of device makers, most notably Apple, which came out in support of the bill after initially trying to stall it.
For instance, Google, also headquartered in California, recently confirmed that the Pixel 8 series will get seven years of spare parts — the same number the California bill mandates.
Though the bill is fairly sweeping, there are carve-outs for game consoles and alarm systems.
The original article contains 207 words, the summary contains 133 words. Saved 36%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Because California is one of the world’s largest economies
Is that for real? I know it is the largest in the States, but in the world?
ETA:
California’s GDP in 2022 was $3.6T, representing 14.3% of the total U.S. economy. If California were a country, it would be the 5th largest economy in the world, and more productive than India and the United Kingdom.
https://www.statista.com/chart/6780/only-5-countries-have-a-bigger-gdp-than-california/
It’s gdp is more that france
If California were a sovereign nation (2022), it would rank in terms of nominal GDP as the world’s fifth largest economy, behind Germany and ahead of India.
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_California
Up next, Apple deems all of it products one-time-use and completely abandons 1st party repair. They will then make all tools provided to 1st party repairers available to 3rd party repairers and be compliant with this new legislation. Zero tools is the answer unfortunately. More at 11.
Up next, Apple deems all of it products one-time-use and completely abandons 1st party repair.
I’m expecting the day they decide to pot everything in all of their devices in epoxy. Want to repair a MacBook? Tough shit, the whole thing is one solid mass of epoxy - time to buy a new one!
