Apple and Lenovo have the least repairable laptops, analysis finds
A new PIRG report reveals that Apple and Lenovo rank lowest in laptop repairability due to difficult disassembly, limited spare parts availability, and poor documentation—trends that create long-term cost and sustainability risks for enterprise IT organizations managing large device fleets. As right-to-repair legislation gains momentum globally, IT leaders should anticipate increased pressure to reduce locked-down devices, plan for longer product lifecycles through third-party repair options, and evaluate vendor compliance with emerging repairability standards that will impact total cost of ownership and environmental commitments. This shift signals a fundamental change in device purchasing criteria where repairability and modularity will become competitive differentiators alongside performance and security.
Apple earned the lowest grades in a report on laptop and smartphone repairability released today by the consumer advocacy group Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund. The report, which looks at how easy devices are to disassemble and how easy it is to find repairability information, gave Apple a C-minus in laptop repairability and a D-minus in cell phone repairability. For its “Failing the Fix (2026): Grading laptop and cell phone companies on the fixability of their products" report, PIRG analyzed the 10 newest laptops and phones that were available in January via manufacturers’ French websites. PIRG uses devices available in France because much of its criteria stems from the French repairability index, a grading system for device repairability that must be displayed on products sold in France. The group, along with other right-to-repair advocates, believes vendors should apply the French requirements to devices sold in other geographies as well. To calculate laptop vendors' grades, PIRG used the French index but gave more “weight to the physical ease of disassembling the product” because it believes that “is what consumers generally expect a ‘repair score’ to refer to.” The other French repairability index categories are:Read full article Comments
