Rethink
No more expensive display breakage? Apple lets us repair iPhone and Co. now at home
Every smartphone owner knows the fear of jumping in the display (symbol image)
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Broken Apple devices can quickly become expensive. That brought the group a lot of criticism. Now the group wants to make self-repairs easier. But many questions are still open.
A brief moment of inattention can quickly become expensive. If the iPhone fell on the floor and the display cracked, the repair is often so expensive that many consumers prefer to buy a new device straight away. At least some of them could soon do the repairs themselves: Apple wants to make it easier to repair your own smartphones and notebooks.
The group announced this in a press release. Under the program called self-service repair, the group wants to enable access to original spare parts, tools and instructions so that customers can carry out repairs themselves. The program is scheduled to start in the USA at the beginning of next year and then be expanded to other countries in the course of the year.
Self-repair with restrictions
Anyone who is happy to be able to repair all older Apple devices is likely to be disappointed: Initially, Apple only wants to support all variants of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 for self-repair, later the Mac computers will follow, but only those with the in-house M1 chip. The group does not reveal whether other Apple products such as iPads, the Apple Watch, AirPods or older iPhones and Macs could follow.
But there are details about the possible repairs. First of all, they want to focus on the repairs that have so far been needed most frequently, according to Apple. Examples are the display, battery and camera of the iPhone. Further repair options should then follow later. Overall, Apple wants to offer over 200 components and tools necessary for repairs in its specially set up accessories shop, according to the group.
However, the repair will not be suitable for everyone, the company is already warning. “The self-service repair is aimed at technology-savvy people who have the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices,” says the press release. “For the vast majority of customers, visiting a professional service provider with certified technicians using genuine Apple parts is the safest, most reliable way to get a repair done.” The main thing is to offer customers another option in addition to the numerous previous repair services, Apple COO Jeff Williams is quoted as saying.
Open questions
Some questions remain unanswered. So far, Apple has not given any prices for the original components. If you believe reports from repair services, they are unlikely to be cheap. The high part prices are an important reason why repairs by third-party suppliers with original parts are often hardly or not at all cheaper than with Apple itself should show.
There are also question marks when repairing the Mac. Many components, such as the main memory, are firmly soldered to the motherboard, so it should not be easy to replace them. Only when Apple provides details here can it be assessed to what extent the repairability really increases in the end.
Apple as a pioneer in the U-turn
It is quite remarkable that Apple of all people is taking this step. The group is considered to be one of the pioneers of the now widespread practice of making repairs more and more difficult over time through measures such as glued parts, soldering and fixed batteries. At least some of these measures can be explained by the increasingly compact design of the devices, but they still caused protests from consumer advocates and environmental activists.
There are two main reasons why Apple is now swiveling in the other direction. On the one hand, the “right to repair” movement, which demands the customer’s right to repair technology, is gaining more and more political tailwind, and not just in Apple’s home country, the USA. On the other hand, like other corporations, Apple is placing increasing emphasis on manufacturing its products in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Thanks to greater reparability, the group can score points in both areas before there are changes in the law. And customers benefit from it too.
Source: Apple