France is investigating Apple over allegedly planning obsolescence for iPhone by restricting repairs, prosecutors and an association claimed on Monday. Self Service Repair is part of Apple’s efforts to further expand access to repairs, and is intended for individuals who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices. Agence France-Presse: The probe into purported misleading commercial practices and planned obsolescence has been under way since December, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. It follows a complaint filed by the Halt Planned Obsolescence (HOP) association. HOP said it hoped the investigation would demonstrate the iPhone maker was “associating the serial numbers of spare parts to those of a smartphone, including via microchips, giving the manufacturer the possibility of restricting repairs by…

France is investigating Apple over allegedly planning obsolescence for iPhone by restricting repairs, prosecutors and an association claimed on Monday. Self Service Repair is part of Apple’s efforts to further expand access to repairs, and is intended for individuals who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices. Agence France-Presse: The probe into purported misleading commercial practices and planned obsolescence has been under way since December, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. It follows a complaint filed by the Halt Planned Obsolescence (HOP) association. HOP said it hoped the investigation would demonstrate the iPhone maker was “associating the serial numbers of spare parts to those of a smartphone, including via microchips, giving the manufacturer the possibility of restricting repairs by…

France has been investigating Apple since December after the organization Halte à l'Obsolescence Programmée (HOP) accused the company of "planned obsolescence" over serialized repair parts, according to French news agency AFP. Apple's self-service repair program requires customers to enter a device's serial number when ordering parts for devices like iPhones and Macs, and any parts ordered need to be paired with the same device after installation. HOP said this policy gives Apple the potential to restrict repairs to approved technicians only, and limit the functionality of devices repaired with uncertified parts. The organization added that Apple's self-service repair program is bad for the environment given that Apple ships large and heavy tools to customers. Do-it-yourself repair website iFixit also expressed…

Macworld Macs have a high price so it’s understandable that many Mac users will want to put off replacing them for as long as they can. But just how long should you expect a Mac to last? You may also be considering buying a secondhand Mac and wondering how old is too old? For example, is that 2017 iMac for $400/£400 a good deal, or would you be better off spending a bit more on a newer model? One factor to consider is the age at which most Macs start to experience issues, such as random shutdowns and degraded batteries that no longer hold their charge. Unfortunately, at one point repairing your Mac or MacBook will no longer be a…

Macworld It’s been a long time since you could only buy an iPhone directly from Apple or from AT&T. Today, they are offered by all major carriers and big retailers, many of which try to entice you with special deals. Of course, you can still buy from Apple directly, either in-store or online, but the lowest prices can generally be found elsewhere. If you haven’t yet put in your order for an iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Pro, this article will help you to spend as little money as possible. We provide a summary of the best deals and promotions offered by popular retailers, plus automatically updated price-comparison tables covering the wider market, all of which will help you find the very best deal on your…

Macworld If you’re looking for an iPhone but don’t want to spend a fortune, the third-gen iPhone SE, Apple’s cheapest current handset, is the phone for you. It features a powerful processor (the A15, which also appeared in the flagship iPhone 13 Pro from 2021) at an affordable price, starting at $429 in the U.S. or £449 in the U.K. For a phone that’s even cheaper, however, you may want to consider the second-gen iPhone SE from 2020. Apple no longer sells this device itself, but other vendors may still sell you one for a bargain price. In this article we round up the best deals and discounts currently available on each iPhone SE model, as well as cheap bundle…