Apple, Microsoft and Google all receive low repairability scores
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Laptops and smartphones made by Google, Apple and Microsoft are found to be less repair-friendly than products made by their competitors.
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France’s repairability index is a score out of 10 telling consumers how fixable a product is based on five criteria
A new report released on Tuesday by the US Public Research Interest Group’s (US PIRG) Education Fund shows that laptops and smartphones made by Apple, Microsoft and Google are considerably less repair-friendly than those made Asus, Dell and Motorola, according to The Verge.
The report draws on data that companies are now releasing in France to comply with the "repairability index" law, which was passed last year, and forces manufacturers of electronic devices to score their products on how easily repairable they are and make these score and the data available to consumers at the points of sale.
The repair scores of 187 laptops and phones produced by 10 companies were compiled, and the results were also mixed with another score that penalizes companies that actively oppose independent repair and run lobbies against it.
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US PIRG calculated the score of the companies and took points away if the companies are active in anti-right-to-repair lobbies.
Out of the 10 companies, US PIRG ranked, Apple was the worst offender, with its 12 recent Macbook Air and Pro models receiving 3.16/10, and with iPhone models dating back to the iPhone 7 receiving only 2.75/10.
Microsoft ranked second worst, averaging 4.6 for its nine recent Surface laptops, and Google was third, receiving an average of 4.64 for the Pixel 4a, 6 and 6 Pro.
Dell, Asus and Motorola were at the top. US PIRG scored 36 Dell laptops, which received a score of 7.81, and 22 Asus laptops, which got a score of 7.61. Motorola averaged 7.77 for 18 of its smartphones
All of the 10 companies on the list lost points for lobbying against the right to repair, except for Acer and Motorola.
