Apple
is now backing a California right-to-repair bill, a major shift in the company’s attitude toward the movement and a potential boon for the environment, according to a letter obtained by CNBC.
California Senate Bill 244 would require manufacturers such as Apple to allow customers to fix their broken or damaged devices. It was introduced by state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman in March. Eggman has put forward other right-to-repair bills in the past, saying that expanded right-to-repair legislation would “give consumers the choice to save some money.”
In a Tuesday letter to Eggman’s staff, Apple’s policy team concurred but said the company would not support the bill if it allowed repair shops to turn off Apple’s anti-theft remote locks, which often make it impossible to repair or activate old computers that have been sold.
“We support SB 244 because it includes requirements that protect individual users’ safety and security, as well as product manufacturers’ intellectual property. We will continue to support the bill, so long as it continues to provide protections for customers and innovators,” the company’s lobbyists wrote in the letter seen by CNBC.