“When consumers can easily access information on how to fix devices, it makes it easier for people who can’t afford the latest and greatest technology to still be able to access the tools they need,” Nersisyan added.
Apple lags but shows some improvement
Apple’s MacBook repairability scores placed it at the lowest grade of the US PIRG’s list, save for Lenovo.
However, Apple’s overall repairability score improved from 4.3 last year to 5.1 this year. It gained a quarter of a point in this year’s score because it supported right-to-repair legislation in California within the last year. Apple’s support was a divergence from previous repairability stances from Apple, which had fought right-to-repair efforts for a decade before its about-face on California legislation starting in August 2023. Some have suggested that the change was due to Apple wanting input in legislation that, at the time, seemed likely to pass (California’s bill did eventually pass). Apple has also made notable self-repairability efforts lately, though, including launching and expanding a Self Service Repair program.
Still, Apple has room to grow, with the manufacturer earning the lowest total disassembly score (97)—besides Lenovo, whose score (14) only included one device. Apple also had the lowest disassembly average score (4.9 versus an average of 7.4) out of brands examined. Last year, Apple had an average disassembly score of 4.
In a deeper breakdown of the scores below, Apple’s disassembly scores improved compared to 2024 (9.7 versus 8), as did its parts pricing score (10.9 versus 9.8). However, parts availability declined (13.2 versus 12.8), per US PIRG.
Overall, Apple wasn’t able to compete with Asus and Acer, last year’s and this year’s winners. According to the report, “Asus and Acer continue to manufacture the most repairable laptops due largely to their ease of disassembly.”
Looking ahead, tariffs and other things impacting laptop availability and pricing, like the supply-chain disruptions witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, could drive demand for more easily repairable PCs.
“When [laptops and electronics] cost more or are harder to get, I’d expect shoppers to want to keep them in use for as long as possible and value their repairability,” Gutterman said.