You may or may not have heard of this thing called "right to repair" in the news the past few years, especially recently. What this refers to is legislation that is trying to apply the same philosophy that resulted in laws regarding third-party repair of cars to also apply to electronics. Unfortunately a number of companies, particularly Apple, strongly oppose this and are lobbying against it. The situation with Apple and iPhones is particularly bad, but it's now carrying over into their computers more and more.

Recently in the news was how Apple is making it even more difficult for third-party repair shops to repair the newest MacBooks, forcing certain Apple-only tools to be run when key parts are replaced. This will not affect me as much as other places, but the trend is still very concerning and could have bigger implications later if allowed to continue unopposed.

While I am Apple and Dell certified, I don't represent or work for either company, so my services are still considered "third party" and I'm only offering out-of-warranty repair work. So everything regarding "right to repair" applies to me, and if you use my services (or anyone else's) it applies to you as well and so you should definitely care about this. Here are ten reasons why you should care about right to repair.

What can you do? The best thing is to get involved and be vocal. Contact your state legislators. Click here for more details and easy links to email them, but even better is calling (or writing a physical letter). If you're lucky enough to get face time, bring it up in person. Make your opinion known and tell them why this is important to you.