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…

Disk Utility provides features for creating disk images, RAID, and repairing disks. In the second part of our deep dive, we'll look at those options.Use Disk Utility to keep your Mac drives in line. In part 1 of this series, we looked at the basics of Apple's Disk Utility: what are devices and volumes, how to create and use volumes, and how files and folders are stored on volumes. Read more...

Disk Utility provides features for creating disk images, RAID, and repairing disks. In the second part of our deep dive, we'll look at those options.Use Disk Utility to keep your Mac drives in line. In part 1 of this series, we looked at the basics of Apple's Disk Utility: what are devices and volumes, how to create and use volumes, and how files and folders are stored on volumes. Read more...

Image: Will Joel We found a wide range of gifts that’ll help graduates as they embark upon their next adventure, whether that’s college or a career. I’m not going to lie: I don’t envy the class of 2023. Can you imagine having to start high school or college during some of the most unprecedented times in modern history? As if the pandemic didn’t make life hard enough, this year’s grads had to submit college and job applications while facing a string of “once in a lifetime” events, including a major financial crisis. Yet despite grappling with a mind-boggling level of uncertainty, the class of 2023 still somehow pushed through. I think it’s safe to say these students deserve some sort…

While no smartphone repair is so simple a child could do it, the iPhone 13 is among the most straightforward models to repair at home, a report claims, handily beating Android flagships from Google and Samsung.Apple is the top brand for ease of repairTo estimate the DIY repairability of smartphones, ElectronicsHub analyzed hundreds of repair guides for 228 smartphone models from iFixit, a company that provides guides and tools for people to repair their devices. Fixing devices at home is a popular alternative to corporate repair programs that are typically expensive. Read more...