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Apple Announces Self Service Repair Program, Starting With iPhone 12 and 13
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Let’s see the pricing on the parts. That’s a potential gotcha.
Doesn’t actually solve the problem because skilled independent repair shops are still left out. This program won’t streamline the process for repair shops at all. This is a false win but will unfortunately be celebrated as unprecedented by the Twitter tech audience that haven’t put two and two together yet. Sad, we still have a long way to go.
Black cats white cats, the ones who catch rats are good cats.
I.e., moving from ideological to pragmatic.
But I thought independent repair shops were fighting for the customer and the right to repair... If it's beneficial for the customer, they should be happy about that, right?
Unlikely. Parts will probably be serialized and tied to individual devices. You’ll probably need to have an iCloud account with the device you want repaired registered to it. This is a sneaky program tailored to a practically non existent crowd of device owners wanting to repair their own devices by themselves. The larger more important group of independent repair shops are still going to be left out in the cold I think.
Indeed. Though by now Apple completely turned their devices into something that is impossible to repair so it might be a pyrrhic victory for the customers.
This is great but we haven’t seen how much the parts and tools are going to be yet.
Wouldn’t be surprised if there is a checklist of tools you have to buy before you can buy the actual part.
When I was working at an IRP, the displays weren’t much cheaper than taking it to Apple.
I would be happily proven wrong ?
Wouldn’t be surprised if there is a checklist of tools you have to buy before you can buy the actual part.
When I was working at an IRP, the displays weren’t much cheaper than taking it to Apple.
I would be happily proven wrong ?
I see what you’re trying to do but it won’t work. You’re trying to suggest Louis and the right to repair folks only care about their own bottom line. Louis Rossmann has applauded similar moves from Apple before whilst making it clear said moves are not enough. My guess is he will do the same here. If you actually listen to his content you’ll understand why his argument is fundamentally about where the power lies in the relationship between these corporations and their customers.
As a customer I am NOT impressed by this program and once we learn more details I predict many other won’t be either. I’m not asking for parts, I want repair shops to have parts. I want independent repair shops exactly like Louis’ to make repairs for me and I want the process to be as streamlined as possible without added complications such as requiring the customer order replacement parts themselves and handing them over to the repair shop (unnecessary friction). Again we need more details but I’m assuming the worst because Apple have given me 0 reason or evidence to assume the best.
I’m not celebrating anything until there are solid laws in place that engage users have the power and freedom to decide how they want to use their devices and hours they want them repaired.
Maybe, maybe not. If it means they're able to source the necessary parts and manuals that they couldn't obtain previously from Apple (shops that don't/can't qualify as Authorized Service Providers or the more recent, more lenient classification), then they'll be happier.
But if you think that a repair shop is the consumer's friend when it comes to Right to Repair, think again. From my perspective, the Right to Repair movement is all about smaller repair shops/independent repair technicians trying to get into a business they've had a hard time entering. Many are just too small to be worth (to the manufacturer) enrolling as dealers eligible for discounts on parts, or for receiving the technical support services that manufacturers provide to repair shops (yes, repair shops call the manufacturer when they can't solve a particular problem).
While skilled (and even unskilled) amateurs like to do DIY repairs, the vast majority of people in need of electronics repairs want to take them to a convenient repair shop. The real meaning of Right to Repair is that smaller shops/individuals can offer that service. To the consumer, this can mean the difference between bringing their phone to someone down the street or driving long distances to the nearest authorized repair shop/shipping their item off to a factory repair center. Wider availability of repair manuals tends to mean more business for the independent parts suppliers. Is it any coincidence that the biggest advocate of Right to Repair in the Apple realm is a large, independent parts dealer?
Right to Repair is all about business opportunity for repair shops and independent parts dealers, the DIYers who get roped in to all the emotion are just pawns in the game.
Good point. Hadn’t thought about that. I guess I could get the part and have a repair shop install it for me. Not the same, but it would get around trickier repairs.
I don't see what the big deal is. Apple already provides these repair kits to authorized service providers. They will now let customers, who think they know what they're doing, buy them and hopefully save a couple dollars on the repair.
It’s not about a business opportunity for repair shops. That’s an obvious side effect and benefit, there’s nothing wrong with that. The primary purpose of right to repair is that product owners should always have an avenue to getting their product repaired independently even once the OEM stops supporting the product. This also includes removing arbitrary software that locks down hardware components making them unreplaceable. This also means removing business practices that incentivize replacement of entire products over repairing them (very harmful eco wise).
If people spent more time listening to Louis outside of his Apple related videos they would very quickly understand the scope of this is way bigger than “repair shop wanna make money”. It is fundamentally about customer power.
How DIY works in practice:
Step 1. Research problem on Apple self repair site.
Step 2. Order parts and tools.
Step 3. Spend hours trying to fix device and fail. Realize you're missing a part/tool.
Step 4. Order additional part/tool.
Step 5. Spend hours trying to fix device and fail.
Step 6. Make an appointment with genius bar and drop the device off.
Step 7. Pick up fixed device.
Step 1. Research problem on Apple self repair site.
Step 2. Order parts and tools.
Step 3. Spend hours trying to fix device and fail. Realize you're missing a part/tool.
Step 4. Order additional part/tool.
Step 5. Spend hours trying to fix device and fail.
Step 6. Make an appointment with genius bar and drop the device off.
Step 7. Pick up fixed device.
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Except the only leg the right to repair nonsense has to stand on is the "right" for the device owner to repair their device. This is what they endlessly hang on as being their only valid claim to anything. Well, now they can, within reason.
No one cares about "independent repair shops", otherwise known as UNAUTHORIZED service providers. They can become authorized if they feel they should be repairing people's stuff. But they won't. What these shops want is access, so they can use cheap knock off or stolen parts and charge people for the repairs and pocket the difference.
It doesn't really matter to me if the tools and parts are expensive. We all know Apple's prices come with a premium. Once the prices are publicly available I will be able to weigh the options and make an informed decision. It'll either be repair or replace...
If you buy the parts from Apple and bring them to the repair shops, I guess these shops will welcome you and will be glad to repair your phone using the parts you bought from Apple, since they just want people to have more choices.
A whole bunch of losers are gonna break thier phones at home trying to self-repair and make youtube videos blaming apple for it
Well, it's a win for customers. I don't consider customers synonymous with the sycophantic right to repair crowd.
Right to repair nut jobs want to force Apple to cripple their own product design to prioritize something as stupid as self repair in the product design itself. In other words, they want to Apple to make worse products in order to meet their lobby's demands.
All Apple did here was give customers access to OEM parts and tools to perform repairs that are already possible by normal humans with a modicum of knowledge.
Apple had this very same program back in the 1990s but eventually abandoned it. I worked in service at an Apple dealer back then. I guess most aren't old enough to remember the original Apple customer self-repair program.
I wouldn't be surprised if the prices of the parts are practically the same as having it repaired by Apple.