iFixit Gives AirPods 5 a 2/10, Says Apple Misses Right-to-Repair Rules in 10 States
Updated
Updated · CNET · Oct 7
iFixit Gives AirPods 5 a 2/10, Says Apple Misses Right-to-Repair Rules in 10 States
3 articles · Updated · CNET · Oct 7
Summary
AirPods 5 scored 2 out of 10 in iFixit’s teardown, while Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 each got 4 out of 10, extending criticism of Apple’s newest wearables.
Battery replacement drove the low marks: both watches still require cutting through stubborn adhesive and risking display damage, though Series 12 added a pull tab that slightly eases removal.
Apple also fails right-to-repair compliance in 10 US states, iFixit said, because independent shops still lack Apple Watch parts, tools and manuals required under some state laws.
The scores were not uniformly worse than before—AirPods improved from 0 out of 10 and Series 12 edged up from its predecessor—but iFixit called those gains modest.
Google’s Pixel Watch, which iFixit rated 9 out of 10, was cited as proof that more repairable wearables are possible even with durability and waterproofing constraints.