London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Apple founder Steve Wozniak backs right-to-repair movement

Apple founder Steve Wozniak backs right-to-repair movement

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has issued a passionate endorsement of the right-to-repair movement, despite the company's opposition.

The movement wants laws passed to guarantee users access to information and parts to repair their own devices.

"We wouldn't have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world," Mr Wozniak, its co-founder with Steve Jobs in the 1970s, said.

"It's time to recognise the right to repair more fully."

'Extremely dangerous'


Existing right-to-repair rules in Europe and the US are limited to appliances and vehicles, respectively.

And right-to-repair advocates say Apple is one of the fiercest opponents to expanding the legislation to cover consumer electronics.

It allows repairs by its own authorised technicians only and does not generally provide spare parts or repair information.

And it has reportedly engaged lobbyists to persuade lawmakers repairing devices can be extremely dangerous.

But Mr Wozniak, 70, said: "Companies inhibit [the right to repair] because it gives the companies power, control, over everything.

"It's time to start doing the right things."

Mr Wozniak made his comments in an impassioned nine-and-a-half-minute reply to a request from right-to-repair campaigner Louis Rossmann on Cameo, a site that allows ordinary people to pay celebrities for a short message.

"This one has really gotten to me," he said.

"When starting Apple, I could never afford a teletype for input or output.

"They cost as much as two cars."

But he knew how TVs worked and had access to schematics - so he built his own solution to turn his TV into an early computer monitor for the Apple I.

"I didn't have to afford something I could never afford," he said.

"I wasn't restricted from anything that kept me from building that computer and showing the world that the future of personal computers is going to be a keyboard and a TV.

"That all came from being able to repair things, and modify them, and tap into them yourself."


He also credited an open platform with the success of the Apple II, which he said had shipped with schematics and designs.

It had been, he said, the only source of profits at Apple for the company's first decade.

"So why stop them? Why stop the self-repair community?" he asked.

"How was Apple hurt by the openness of the Apple II?"

Mr Wozniak left Apple in the mid-80s but revealed in an interview last year he was still technically an employee, receiving a weekly paycheque of about $50 (£36) out of "loyalty" despite having no role in the running of the business.

'Creative minds'


He also had much to say about the value of open technology for education.

"You could repair a lot of things at low cost - but it's even more precious to know that you did it yourself," he said.

And he spoke of the "motivation and joy" of young people learning to write software and develop hardware "to prove to themselves they've got a little special skill in the world", adding it was "very motivating for creative minds, believe me - that's how I grew up".

Earlier this year, Mr Rossman began trying to raise $6m to get the right to repair passed into law by a direct-ballot initiative.

So far, he has raised $750,000.

And he has now posted a video asking for direct involvement and a donation from Mr Wozniak, saying other interested donors were waiting for a figurehead to "go first" before donating large amounts.

Apple has been contacted for comment.

US President Joe Biden is widely expected to announce some form of executive order on the topic in the coming days - as pressure also mounts from officials in Europe.


Should devices be easier to fix?


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×