Apple and John Deere Shareholder Resolutions Demand They Explain Their Bad Repair Policies - iFixit:
Apple and John Deere, primary antagonists of the Right to Repair movement, may soon have to explain their domineering repair programs to one of their most demanding audiences: their shareholders.
U.S. PIRG, working with its affiliated socially responsible mutual fund company, Green Century Funds, has filed shareholder resolutions with both Apple and John Deere, asking them to account for “anti-competitive repair policies." Both resolutions admonish the companies for fighting independent repair and ignoring the broad political shift toward Right to Repair laws.
Touch ID stops working if you replace the fingerprint sensor on your iPhone. This used to brick iPhones; now it’s just the sad reality of iPhone repair.
Green Century’s Apple resolution says that the company “risks losing its reputation as a climate leader if it does not cease its anti-repair practices.” Noting that internet-connected devices will account for 14% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, Green Century’s resolution demands the company reverse course to “mitigate regulatory and reputational risks and bolster the company's ambitious climate commitments.”
[...] The John Deere resolution calls out the company’s broken promise to make crucial repair software available to farmers. "Company representatives are quick to point out that less than 2% of all repairs require a software update," Green Capital Funds notes. "However, Deere does not disclose what percentage of the repair sales the 2% represents."
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Thursday September 16 2021, @06:52AM (3 children)
It's good for your bottom line.
Any other questions?
No?
Didn't think so.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 16 2021, @07:36AM (1 child)
Well, is it good for the bottom line? Maybe on the short term yes, but I'm not so sure for the longer term.
That may not be so relevant for investors in Apple but I expect that quite some shareholders at John Deere may be in it for the longer time.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Thursday September 16 2021, @07:57AM
Long term? Stocks are more hire and fire these days than employees, who cares what the share is worth tomorrow when I can cash in today?
Stocks as investment is so yesterday. And even if, just move to another company, it's not like you have to invest in Deere or Apple, there's plenty of fish in the sea and some of them will be here in decades. Of course, their short term revenue potential really sucks.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Thursday September 16 2021, @02:19PM
How is keeping me from buying your product good for your bottom line?
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience