Apple's War on Right to Repair Through Serial Numbers

Apple's latest maneuver in the battle against the Right to Repair movement is nothing short of a declaration of war on consumers and small businesses alike.

Both Cory Doctorow and iFixit have shed light on an increasingly common and unsettling practice—Parts Pairing. This tactic is not exclusive to Apple; it finds its roots in the auto industry, known there as VIN Burning. The endgame? To ensure that replacement parts, whether new or used, are rendered useless without the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) "blessing."

What is Parts Pairing?

The Mechanics

In layman's terms, Parts Pairing is the technological "handshake" that occurs between a device and its replacement part. This "handshake" requires an authentication or "pairing" process conducted by the OEM. Imagine you've got a puzzle piece that only fits when the puzzle maker says it fits. Annoying, right?

The Motive

Now, you might ask, "Why would any company do this?" The answer is simple—control. OEMs have already cashed in on their innovations, intellectual property, and brand image. Yet, they still want to keep you on a short leash, ensuring you remain dependent on them for even the most basic repairs.

The Real-World Consequences

Killing the Repair Business

Parts Pairing is not just a mere inconvenience; it's an existential threat to repair shops. These businesses rely on the ability to use parts from one machine in another. With Parts Pairing, that's no longer an option.

The Circular Economy at Risk

Even more alarmingly, Parts Pairing undermines the very concept of a circular economy. Without the ability to reuse parts, the market for used components dries up. In turn, recyclers lose the financial incentive to harvest parts, leading them further down the road to obsolescence.

Industry Reactions

Cory Doctorow's Verdict

Cory Doctorow doesn't mince words; he calls Apple's practice what it is—scum. Read more.

iFixit's Analysis

iFixit's teardown of the iPhone 15 reveals the usual challenges in repairing Apple products, along with some glaring design and execution flaws. Read the full story.

What Next? Legislation and Activism

This insidious trend underscores the need for stronger Right to Repair laws at both the state and federal levels. We can't afford to let OEMs dictate the terms of our ownership.

Join the Fight

If you care about your right to repair, now is the time to get involved. This is not just about Apple or tech companies; it's a fight for consumer freedom and environmental responsibility.

Introducing: CES Worst in Show Awards

iFixit joins USPIRG and Repair.Org for the first annual Worst in Show Awards. #CES2021 is off and running, and so are the claims of life-changing technology....

CES, the self-described “global stage for innovation,” gives manufacturers an annual opportunity to show off shiny new tech, whether it’s fridges you open with your voice, AI-powered robot vacuums, or $3,000 smartphone-operated doggie doors. Some of it could be life-changing stuff. But many products never see actual release, those that do often fall short—and far too many of them are insecure, unrepairable, and destined for the landfill. 

Every year CES encourages manufacturers to out-“innovate” one another by honoring “outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products” with its Innovation Awards … and boy do they innovate. While the press does their best to raise their eyebrows and ask whether anyone will really buy these things, there’s never enough time to dig into what these “innovations” really mean for people or the planet.

That’s why the Right to Repair coalition teamed up to create the first-ever “Worst in Show Awards.” We think consumers should know which attention-seeking products were designed to be repaired, and which are destined to become hard-to-dispose waste, especially in a year when so many OEM service centers were closed and repair options were limited. We’ll also, with the help of our friends, draw attention to the least secure, least privacy-conscious, and straight-up least useful products introduced this week under the pretense of endless “innovation” (read: consumption).

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We’ve defined six award categories for the Worst in Show Awards:

Repairability

A failure of repairability isn’t just a bummer for fixers, it means this product is sure to waste its resources mouldering away in a landfill.

Privacy

This award goes to the device most likely to leak your home security footage, baby photos, or just get you some alarmingly too-targeted ads.

Security

Voted most likely to be a zombie in a botnet, or to infect the rest of your Internet of Things, keep clear of this Trojan tech.

Environmental Impact

No matter how novel or well-designed, some products cost the planet and its people too much, luckily we’ve got just the badge of shame.

Community Choice

Sometimes there’s no perfect category and we just need an outlet for the collective groan we let out at a miserable product, here’s to you, voters!

Overall Worst in Show

This product is just an egregious hodge-podge of bad decisions and should not see the light of day.

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To help us out, we called in an expert panel of guest judges for each award category, including:  

• Repairability (Kyle Wiens, CEO and cofounder, iFixit)

• Privacy (Cindy Cohn, Executive Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation)

• Security (Paul Roberts, founder, securepairs)

• Environmental Impact (Nathan Proctor, National Campaign Director, USPIRG)

• Community Choice (Selected by our community on Twitter, presented by Cory Doctorow, Special Advisor, Electronic Frontier Foundation)

• Overall Worst in Show (Cory Doctorow, Special Advisor, Electronic Frontier Foundation).

Our panel of judges will be announcing their winners on Friday, January 15 @ 9am PST during a livestream on the iFixit Youtube channel. They’ll discuss the main factors driving their decisions and answer any questions you might have. If you can’t make the livestream, we’ll share the results of our awards and a livestream recording shortly after on Repair.org.