Apple Configurator 2 version 2.16 Mac App store for OSX Monterey 12.4+ and Apple's "Right to Repair" promise.

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Level 1

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Apple Configurator 2 version 2.16 Mac App store for OSX Monterey 12.4+ and Apple's "Right to Repair" promise.

In an emergency, I became aware of Apple Silicone issues around restoring a Mac that will not boot (normally, into safe mode, or into recovery). When this happens, the computer tries to boot, the apple logo appears then disappears. The only way to recover this computer is by putting the computer into DFU mode, and running Apple Configurator 2 on another Mac computer.

The problem is, as of 1 week ago, Apple updated Configurator to version 2.17 which only supports OSX 14, and does not provide download links for version 2.16 which supports OSX 12.4 & OSX 13 machines.

There is no way to download the older version of this application to repair future issues with this machine and others like it. As part of a legal deal, Apple has promised follow the "Right to Repair Act," but without access to the older versions of this application, machines that are not running the latest version of OSX are left out.

I cannot update to Sonoma, it crashes multiple applications that I use daily. I have a stable computer, and forced updates are problematic.

Currently, there is no ability to download Apple Configurator 2.16 (released 11 months ago) from Apple or the Apple store. Customer support through Apple cannot help, and the legal team's contact is not given for this type of support.

There is a gap in this "right to repair" transition, and no one at Apple has offered support. They keep passing me onto other customer service reps, who pass me on to other customer service reps.

I'm here to gripe and look for alternative solutions.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Nov 26, 2023 1:43 PM

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Answer 1

etresoft

Level 9

51,044 points

Nov 26, 2023 2:22 PM in response to Cornelius3

I'm not sure what "Right to Repair Act" you are referencing. There are several in various jurisdictions across the world. But generally speaking, these refer to hardware repair. I've seen one in Canada that seems to reference software but only with respect to bypassing copyright protections. I'm not sure it really matters. I don't know of any lawyers who answer questions here in the forums. As far as the law goes, your opportunities for redress are usually limited to lawsuits or appears to your government representatives. Good luck on either front.

To make matters worse, nowhere in any of these "right to repair" concepts does it include the right to "free" repair. You can download Apple Configurator and it works fine. You will need a computer running macOS 14 to run it. You certainly have the right to buy one if you don't already have one. Lacking that, you can contract with your own independent repair provider that already made that investment. For a lesser cost, you could get an external hard drive and boot your stable compute with macOS 14.

Personally, I think the easiest solution is to just take the thing to Apple and get it fixed.

But I appreciate your gripe. Normally I'm pretty obsessive about keeping my own copies of things with the expectation that Apple or others will delete and/or change the information. I haven't been obsessive enough. I think I still have an old copy of Apple Configurator. I'll have to remember to archive that, and pretty much everything. I have no intention of using Sonoma anytime soon.

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Apple Configurator 2 version 2.16 Mac App store for OSX Monterey 12.4+ and Apple's "Right to Repair" promise.

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