Apple announced today that it will offer genuine parts, diagnostic tools, and repair manuals to independent repair shops. It’s a bold move from a company that has lobbied against Right to Repair bills, and a concession to the reality of iPhone owners’ needs. But we still have questions.
Repair businesses with a technician certified through Apple can apply to join the Independent Repair Provider program for free. Once approved, they can, according to Apple, buy genuine Apple parts at the same cost as the more than 5,000 repair stores in Apple’s Authorized Service Providers program. Independent shops also gain access to “tools, training, repair manuals and diagnostics,” which presumably would allow them to overcome issues like unverified batteries, Touch ID authorization (a.k.a. Error 53), missing True Tone displays, and other issues that have dogged third-party Apple repair. But independent shops will not bear the label of an Apple Authorized Service shop, a notable, if seemingly small, difference.
Apple states that it had “launched a successful pilot with 20 independent repair businesses” around the world to offer genuine parts. This seems to allude to the Genuine Parts Repair program we saw leaked in March, and which we heard about from larger repair chains. Today’s news makes the program seem, at least on its face, open to single-site and sole-proprietor independent repair shops as well, which is big, good news.
But if the pricing is the same as the sheets we saw back then, it may be difficult to get customers to pony up for third-party repairs that cost more than a trip to the Apple Store. In those documents, batteries ranged from $16-$33 for the iPhone 6s through the XS Max, which is modest and normal. Screens, however, cost up to $350 in the case of the XS Max, which is $20 more than Apple’s own out-of-warranty repair cost, before the independent shop even factors in their own labor costs and margins.
It’s unclear from today’s release whether offering genuine parts for sale to this larger network will increase the range of repairs that shops can provide. In those leaked documents, we saw parts for screens, batteries, cameras, speakers, receivers, and vibration (aka the Taptic Engine). Some of those related repairs would typically require a phone to be sent into Apple, rather than repaired on-premises in a store or Authorized Service Provider.
Apple is offering the tools and means for independent repair shops to fully restore broken iPhones, which is as it should be. We do, however, have questions about how Apple will decide who counts as “established” and “certified.” Apple’s page about its Independent Repair Program notes that it “reserves the right to reject any application without comment,” and it asks applicants to include “Previous experience or history with Apple as a Service Provider or Reseller.” We would presume that last part is not mandatory, but it could give some shops priority if there’s a long queue, or quotas.
And while it goes much of the way toward an open repair market, high prices could still weaken the incentive for all reputable repair firms, and individuals, to have a shot at keeping iPhones working longer. By offering this program, Apple is in some ways admitting that much of the lobbying it has done against Right to Repair, on loose warnings about “safety” and “hacking,” has been inherently false. The access Apple is offering independent repair shops is the same access they said would turn Nebraska into a “mecca for hackers.” And there is a danger in allowing companies to set the terms of their own repair programs, rather than making such access to parts and tools mandatory for all firms that offer repair.
Obviously, today’s news shows that regular people are capable of fixing Apple’s phones. We’re hoping this means that soon enough, everybody will be able to.
25 Yorum
And how about Mac/Macbook parts?
Jak Ob - Yanıt
Well, that is not very like because how they design their mac computer. Louis Rossmann mentioned that the solid state drive is now soldered into the system board. Let say if solid state drive became defective, you can't just pop out the solid state drive and replace it with a new one. Ditto for memory, replacing the whole system board is almost as expensive as buying a new computer. Apple had been making their product almost impossible/too expensive to be repaired by a 3rd party.
S Lam -
Louis Rossman seem to influence many in wrong way. If someone called themselves as expert should not easily make the comment like that. Why not possible? It is man made so it is possible as long as the schematic and board view is supplied without wrong information. Apple intentionally make some small twists in the schematics. If someone thought the component is missing or different and replace the component, it will cause damage or may even make the board dead with unnecessary power.
I will make the repair video and explain detail when I am done with what I have to do. Just pray for me to keep up without disappearing. I cannot take what I have when I die. Better pass on what I know so the time I spent will not be wasted.
Here is one instruction I made. I never set up for making video and that was first time I made video for YT, Took me about two days to figure out how to set up. Not clear but at least helpful for some.
https://youtu.be/aytG-V1SOZk
Truth Seeker -
The level of skills is the route issue here.
Having sub-assembly level repair is by far the simplest and for most of the personal computer industry and for most this was and still the expected method of repair.
Today Apple’s direction is fewer sub-assemblies, while I understand the desire to lessen points fo failure by removing connections, Apple has on the most part gone to far! Soldered RAM & Storage creates limitations and should be expandable beyond what is soldered. Having a base amount of RAM as well as storage is not a bad idea! But, having the ability to add shouldn’t be stopped in a high end-laptop or desktop system. A phone or low-end laptop which is size constrained makes sense.
While there are people with the skills to repair or alter a system at the component level this is brain surgery! And most people don’t have the skills or tools to do this. Which is why the dial needs to be moved back a bit otherwise all we are doing is adding more e-waste!
Dan -
Unless they’re denying access to articles on GSX related to AST 1 and AST 2, then Independent Repair Providers should be able to access the tools provided by Apple for Macs, but wouldn’t be able to order parts. I’m pretty sure the same rules that apply to Apple Authorized Service Providers would apply to Independent Repair Provider. They wouldn’t be able to service vintage and obsolete iPhone, iPad, or iPod products and they would only be allowed to use parts from Apple, which means they can’t fix individual components.
Mac -