Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak stands against the company's anti-repair stance

• The Right to Repair movement has a new voice, and a strong one at that – Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
• In a 10-minute interview, Wozniak said an ‘open technology world’ is one of the factors that helped in creating Apple.
• He urged people to think critically and asked them to think if their devices are their own, or of the company that sold them.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is the latest to join the ranks of people and organisations taking a stand against the iPhone-maker’s anti-repair stance. This is not the first time that Apple is being called out in this regard, but it’s the first time that its co-founder has criticised the company.

Wozniak is known for being outspoken, something that he thinks is the reason behind him not being involved with Apple’s operations.

“We wouldn’t have had an Apple had I not grown in a very open technology world,” said Wozniak, in a 10-minute interview on Cameo.

“Back then, when you bought electronic things like TV’s and radios, every bit of the circuits and designs were included on the paper. Total open source,” he added.

And that’s not Wozniak being nostalgic for the sake of it – the Apple II computer, designed primarily by Wozniak and launched in 1977, came with the complete circuit schematics and was socketed, making it as easy to fiddle around with as a Lego set.

“Even non-technical family members could pull out the tubes and find a tube tester, and if it was bad, buy a new tube. Everyone did this all the time back then,” he further added, explaining how easy it was to repair things at the time.

‘Time to start doing the right things'

Throwing his support behind the Right to Repair movement, Wozniak urged people to think critically and understand if the device they purchased is their own or that of the company that sold it.

“It’s time to recognize the right to repair more fully. I believe that companies inhibit it because it gives the companies power [and] control over everything,” he added.

What is the Right to Repair movement?

The Right to Repair movement is aimed at bringing government legislation, empowering individuals to repair and modify their electronic devices. While there is no law against repairing your own devices, it’s almost impossible to do so because of the control that companies have over these devices – primarily phones and laptops. This can vary from companies prohibiting third-party repair or simply making the spare parts scarce.

Having the ability to repair your own electronic devices not only helps reduce your bills but also extends the life of your device and helps reduce your carbon footprint since you won’t have to dump your device if the repair cost is not prohibitive.

The entire 10-minute interview of Wozniak can be watched below.


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