Apple's Independent Repair Provider Program will soon expand to more than 200 countries. At the moment if something goes wrong with a household appliance, games console, computer or smartphone consumers don’t have the option to repair it themselves, or to take it to a third party of their choice – with manufacturers forcing consumers to use their approved repairers. Even then it’s often an unnecessarily expensive option – and many choose to throw the product out and buy a new one. The restrictions also hurt small businesses and infringe on consumer’s rights and lead to anti-competitive pricing. Apple, for example, refuses to provide spare parts outside of their repair network. Often the repair is something any competent tech can fix but the parts or any repair information aren’t available to them.