Apple is doubling down on its efforts to prevent anyone but it from repairing its products, even if it refuses to repair them any more. YouTuber Louis Rossman found this out the hard way when he attempted to import legitimate Apple batteries from a Chinese supplier in order to repair MacBooks which Apple refuses to repair as they are legacy hardware. Apple had Customs and Border Protection seize the batteries at the border, claiming that they were counterfeits.
Rossman has been facing this sort of harassment from Apple for years, highlighting in his video how since at least 2013 Apple has been using organizations like the CBP and ICE to seize legitimate hardware like iPhone repair parts because it claims they are counterfeit. That is not the case and it has little legal standing for doing so, but it has managed to have those parts removed from stores and repair shops all the same.
The purpose of this is simple: to prevent individuals and third-parties from repairing Apple hardware.
Fortunately for anyone who's outraged by this move, Rossman doesn't appear to be taking the attack lying down. He plans to appeal, sue, and take any other legal recourse he can to get his batteries back and highlight Apple's dodgy practices.
