Apple Flops: Low Grades for Device Repairability

A new report from the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund has critically evaluated the repairability of laptops and smartphones, with Apple receiving the lowest grades. The consumer advocacy group's "Failing the Fix (2026)" report analyzed popular devices, assigning Apple a C-minus for laptop repairability and a D-minus for cell phone repairability.

The PIRG report utilized criteria from the French repairability index and the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL). Factors such as ease of disassembly, availability and cost of spare parts, and repair documentation significantly influenced the scores. Companies were penalized for opposing right-to-repair legislation through industry group memberships, affecting vendors like Apple, Dell, and Samsung.

While Apple has shown some progress, such as moving away from parts pairing in phones and introducing a Repair Assistant, challenges remain. Third-party Face ID replacements are still non-functional, and Apple's extended Activation Lock feature for individual parts raises concerns about locking functional components out of the repair ecosystem.

Lenovo also faced criticism for compliance issues with French repair score display requirements, despite some improvement since the previous year's report. Overall, the report suggests that while consumer access to parts and information has improved, fundamental improvements in device disassembly take longer to implement across the industry.