Apple Announces Self Service Repair

[AleksandarK]

Apple today announced Self Service Repair, which will allow customers who are comfortable with completing their own repairs access to Apple genuine parts and tools. Available first for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, and soon to be followed by Mac computers featuring M1 chips, Self Service Repair will be available early next year in the US and expand to additional countries throughout 2022. Customers join more than 5,000 Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) and 2,800 Independent Repair Providers who have access to these parts, tools, and manuals.

The initial phase of the program will focus on the most commonly serviced modules, such as the iPhone display, battery, and camera. The ability for additional repairs will be available later next year.



"Creating greater access to Apple genuine parts gives our customers even more choice if a repair is needed," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "In the past three years, Apple has nearly doubled the number of service locations with access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and training, and now we're providing an option for those who wish to complete their own repairs."

Apple builds durable products designed to endure the rigors of everyday use. When an Apple product requires repair, it can be serviced by trained technicians using Apple genuine parts at thousands of locations, including Apple (in-store or by mail), AASPs, Independent Repair Providers, and now product owners who are capable of performing repairs themselves.

Self Service Repair
To ensure a customer can safely perform a repair, it's important they first review the Repair Manual. Then a customer will place an order for the Apple genuine parts and tools using the Apple Self Service Repair Online Store. Following the repair, customers who return their used part for recycling will receive credit toward their purchase.

The new store will offer more than 200 individual parts and tools, enabling customers to complete the most common repairs on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.
Self Service Repair is intended for individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices. For the vast majority of customers, visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair.

Expanded Access to Apple Repairs
In the past three years, Apple has nearly doubled the number of service locations with access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and training, including more than 2,800 Independent Repair Providers. The rapidly expanding Independent Repair Provider program originally launched in the US in 2019 and has since grown to more than 200 countries, enabling independent repair shops to access the same training, parts, and tools as other Apple Authorized Service Providers.
In addition, Apple continues to offer convenient repair options for customers through its global network of over 5,000 AASPs that help millions of people with both in- and out-of-warranty service for all Apple products.

By designing products for durability, longevity, and increased repairability, customers enjoy a long-lasting product that holds its value for years. Apple also offers years of software updates to introduce new features and functionality.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Selaya]

meh.

 

[claes]

Apple backs off of breaking Face ID after DIY iPhone 13 screen replacements

A software update should help make replacements easier.

www.theverge.com

derp

 

[mb194dc]

meh.

That guys youtube channel is great. Don't own any Apple kit so not aware of just how expensive and restrictive parts and repairs are.

The main point is that if you don't want to be tied in to a proprietary hardware and software ecosystem just don't buy any Apple gear in the first place.

 

[Initialised]

Apple's response to the Right-to-Repair movement. Good work people, keep it up!

 

[silentbogo]

I think I smell something....

Spoiler

First, they wanted to "help" independent repair shops by making them comply with totalitarian rules that will surely put them out of business.
And now it's time to "help" the average joe
I'm wondering how many NDAs do I need to sign and how much collateral is necessary in order to get a replacement battery for iPhone 13?..

P.S. The only valuable information I get from this press release is Right to Repair is on the winning streak, and Apple knows it.

 

[Octavean]

Hell just froze over,....right?

 

[Initialised]

Hell just froze over,....right?

Nope this is Apple figuring out what Right to Repair looks like.

 

[mechtech]

Read headline, almost crapped my pants.

 

[claes]

Dang y’all are so negative

I don’t think there are any manufacturers that sell replacement parts with a repair manual

They got rid of the FaceTime breaking screen replacement problem (which wasn’t an issue for authorized repair people). Not saying it wasn’t a bad look, but can you imagine a company like Apple releasing repair kits that would break features? Unbelievable.

There’s no need for an NDA — ifixit has existed for years

Great to see a company like Apple not just embrace but lean in to right to repair. Hopefully we see less solder and glue in future products.

 

[MIRTAZAPINE]

I still hold my doubts about how Apple would implement judging by year of their anti repair practices and design of serialised components. Repair from apple themselves is so expensive that many buy a new phone instead so this cast me doubt about the cost.

I don’I think apple is doing this because they support the right to repair but it is just a way to get an extra financial avenue rather than people going to ifixit or 3rd party repairs. Still a move to right direction but let see how it turns out.

 

[Vya Domus]

None of this really matters if a "genuine display" still costs half the price of the phone, that's the real problem.

 

[silentbogo]

Dang y’all are so negative

You don't know the half of it... It's not the first time Apple makes this publicity stunt, and definitely not the last one.

I don’t think there are any manufacturers that sell replacement parts with a repair manual

Most manufacturers don't have to sell parts due to the nature of their product (built mostly from off-the-shelf parts). And repair manuals - it's a bit complicated.
There are lots of big companies that rely on third-party repair. I used to buy parts and defective boards from a large local supplier, and they had their own chain of service centers and a dozen or so small subcontractors that did in-warranty repairs for MSI, ASUS, Asrock and others. They did get schematics and service manuals, but they also had NDAs in place (like it matters ). Today they get less informative materials, and manufacturers more frequently settle on replacement rather than repair, but that's usually the matter of labor and cost effectiveness.

 

[Ferrum Master]

more frequently settle on replacement rather than repair, but that's usually the matter of labor and cost effectiveness.

It ain't that simple.

It is not because of cost and labor, but laws. If the warranty repair takes more than a month, you normally can be sued and it happens as a norm. There are inexperienced Asian companies who do not know how business runs and will get burned in one way or another. Either the carrier ie seller will crush them with ie not pay for new units or the local buyers right protection will manage blacklist the trademark.

For decent manufacturers when repair time exceeds, compensation procedure is triggered. Usually 5-10days. You get a new unit while the seller gets a bill for that, if you use a shady source for buying your phones, you can fault only yourself of stripping your warranty rights, by saving few pennies.

The compensated units do not get anywhere actually, they remain internally at the company I got repaired externally afterwards and are used as loans while your phone is in repair, so cost effectiveness is out of question for those. For shitty makers those units are torn into spare parts, but that's rare and for really shitty makers, it is usually the first sign of that brand falling apart.

As for this move... it will not change anything. They will still reject warranty as long something will not match their numbers and either way will be blame you on poor repair attempt. It is apple, it will be all a farce to cover some legal issues they are facing because of the right to repair movement.

 

[Totally]

Dang y’all are so negative

I don’t think there are any manufacturers that sell replacement parts with a repair manual

/Whoosh

This ENTIRE conversation is lost on you.

Regarding the bolded, They're called Tech/Service manuals, don't know when they stopped but that was the norm, latest I remember being able to get them for whatever was in 2000 right about the time the internet went mainstream.

 

[timta2]

The weirdest part is that nobody is mentioning that this is nothing new. I was buying Apple parts from my local Apple dealer in the 80's. The markup was crazy, but they would order just about anything you needed.

 

[eidairaman1]

Apple's response to the Right-to-Repair movement. Good work people, keep it up!

Erm actually their hand was forced

The weirdest part is that nobody is mentioning that this is nothing new. I was buying Apple parts from my local Apple dealer in the 80's. The markup was crazy, but they would order just about anything you needed.

Yup customer svc has went to crap within 30 years.

 

[trparky]

I certainly hope that this is a change of heart in the halls of Apple for I own some Apple tech namely an Apple TV, iPhone 13 Pro, and an Apple Watch SE.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I think I smell something....

Oh yes... I smell it too.

P.S. The only valuable information I get from this press release is Right to Repair is on the winning streak, and Apple knows it.

And this. The writing has been on the wall since the 1970's. The act that protects right to repair may have been created for the scope of automobiles, but the wording of that legal code does NOT place limits to vehicles.

 

[InhaleOblivion]

Can we be honest about the fact that only the last picture is legitimate? The vast majority want the "right" for someone else to fix their phone for cheaper than what Apple charges, or claims that you need another one(forced to upgrade).

 

[AsRock]

meh.

Yes he learned the lesson the hard way hehe.

 

[Chomiq]

Then a customer will place an order for the Apple genuine parts and tools using the Apple Self Service Repair Online Store

That's the catch.

Up next, John Deere "self service repair" you buy parts from them and the tools.

I bet ya this will somehow end up being more expensive than signing up for Apple Care.

 

[Valantar]

On the surface this looks great, but am I the only one getting an inkling that this "service" locks you into buying spare parts directly (and only) from Apple? I.e. they set whatever ludicrous prices they want, and still screw you over?

 

[Vayra86]

Dang y’all are so negative

I don’t think there are any manufacturers that sell replacement parts with a repair manual

They got rid of the FaceTime breaking screen replacement problem (which wasn’t an issue for authorized repair people). Not saying it wasn’t a bad look, but can you imagine a company like Apple releasing repair kits that would break features? Unbelievable.

There’s no need for an NDA — ifixit has existed for years

Great to see a company like Apple not just embrace but lean in to right to repair. Hopefully we see less solder and glue in future products.

You're really naive aren't you?

Its going to be interesting how costly those self repairs will be. That's the real message. Another real message is that Apple has been actively working against the same repair shops it said to support until they got called out on it... for over a decade.

Its similar to the recent lawsuit against them for in-app purchasing. They lost and rightly so and its about damn time. Closed platforms and ecosystems are also supposed to conduct fair business, and Big Tech has been stalling on that for far too long.

And let's not even begin on the myriad of other consumer-unfriendly policies such as ye olde AppleCare, Antennagate, the overall cost of peripherals and chargers, etc etc etc ad infinitum. Proprietary is abused to the max, even down to the internal design of the devices, even today. Apple announcing Self Repair is Apple creating a problem and only offering a solution when they're forced to.

BTW, that Epic fight is still ongoing, and Apple still hasn't fully committed to the court's decision, it considered waiting until they got their appeal done, and got slapped on the fingers for it. It has to change immediately and its probably going to get worse still for them;

Epic's latest argument in its fight against Apple keeps antitrust issues front and center | TechCrunch

Epic Games, the game engine developer and creator of the wildly popular Fortnite game, is keeping the focus squarely on antitrust issues in its lawsuit

techcrunch.com

Meanwhile, the EU is rubbing its hands and will use this as precedent.

Apple really thinks and acts like its above the law, a trait we find, curiously, at nearly every new internet-based platform economy company. Uber, Google, FB, the list is long.

That's the catch.

Up next, John Deere "self service repair" you buy parts from them and the tools.

I bet ya this will somehow end up being more expensive than signing up for Apple Care.

This.

 

[Chomiq]

On the surface this looks great, but am I the only one getting an inkling that this "service" locks you into buying spare parts directly (and only) from Apple? I.e. they set whatever ludicrous prices they want, and still screw you over?

Exactly, like LR said, you can't buy the same screen directly from AUO, you have to buy it from Apple.