112 Macworld • February 2022OPINION
back those features? It’s early yet to
know just how well the new laptops
have performed, but the reviews
have been kind, and when sales
numbers ultimately arrive next year,
I have no doubt that they’ll back up
those assessments.PARTS IN A WHOLE
And so we come to the company’s
most recent about-face. After years of
insisting that the only way to officially
fix your iPhone was via its own
AppleCare or an Apple Authorized
Service Provider, Apple announced
last week (fave.co/31CAomt) that
it would make replacement parts,
manuals, and tools available to
consumers who want to repair their
own smartphones. The program
begins with certain commonly fixed
iPhone 12 and 13 components like
the screen, battery, and camera, but
will expand over time to include more
components and devices, including
M1-powered Macs.
As an attentive tech journalist
pointed out (fave.co/3dkXhxn),
this timing wasn’t random, nor was
the decision born, once again, of
Apple’s altruism. Rather, it was likely
prompted by the Securities and
Exchange Commission following
up on a shareholder resolution thatpushed Apple to investigate the
impacts of “right to repair” rules. It’s
possible that Apple saw the writing
on the wall and decided to get ahead
of the game by announcing this Self-
Service Repair option.
Ultimately, though, I’d argue that
the result is more important than the
motive. Regardless of how Apple
decided to make the change, the
company did make it and, as with
the App Store and the new MacBook
Pro, this move will probably benefit
consumers (and, thus in the long run,
Apple itself). Even if the company
does prefer to do things its own way,
it’s clear that external forces can
pressure Apple into new behaviours –
and that means there’s always hope
for change.