Quote:Apple has begun locking its batteries with software to prevent third-party replacements from reporting their status properly. The company is apparently activating a feature that it’s previously built into its products. The message persists, even if you swap in a genuine Apple battery, and it’s an attempt to shove customers towards using Apple and Apple-authorized resellers to the exclusion of third-party stores.
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Apple is far from the only company that’s taken an aggressive stance against customer right-to-repair. Console manufacturers shipped hardware with illegal “You cannot open this enclosure without voiding your warranty” stickers for years. John Deere has refused to allow farmers to repair their own tractors. But this is why right to repair legislation is important. Apple tries to frame this issue as one of consumer trust. That’s deeply ironic, considering Apple has repeatedly demonstrated that it cannot be trusted not to sabotage device performance in order to improve its own bottom line. I didn’t used to make that argument, but the company’s conduct during its battery fiasco, combined with Tim Cook’s willingness to blame his own customer base for opting to repair Apple’s screw-up changed my mind.