Apple did this exact same self-repair program back in the 1990s but eventually abandoned it.
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Apple Announces Self Service Repair Program, Starting With iPhone 12 and 13
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Nope. This looks like Apple leaning heavily into profits for parts now that right to repair is going to be a legal requirement in many places. If they were going to be forced to do it anyways, they probably wanted to make it available on their own terms. This will shut up the people asking for it all the time (and probably sourcing their own parts from ifixit etc. anyways) and give Apple a share of the profit.
I’m sure some of them will be happy. However I hope the majority of them are not happy and demand better because I’m certainly not seeing this as a win (and I don’t own a repair shop either!). There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to have spare parts sitting there in their shop to make repairs quicker.
Going to a car mechanic and having them diagnose and repair a common problem with in hand parts is a better experience for the customer than having the problem diagnosed, requesting the customer order the part themselves (maybe the OEM only decides to sell the thing you need bundled together with parts you don’t need), and then waiting a week before going back to the mechanic. That’s assuming the OEM were kind enough to allow that component to be purchased in the first place. One is objectively a better more streamlined experience, no amount of sarcastic posturing changes that.
The bottom line is that accessible repair of your device should be possible without relying on the mercy of the OEM.
Sounds like you just have some sort of animus again repair shops and right to repair for some reason. Sad. Right to repair is fighting for your rights. Hope you can join the rest of us someday as we need as many people as possible asking for these laws.
It's got absolutely nothing to do with 'Customer Power' but yet customer power is what's being used as the spearhead for Right to Repair. Every manufacturer involved in the electronics industry knows full well what is going to happen with Right to Repair, it will go EXACTLY the same was as the car industry went, thousands upon thousands of people who thought they could do car repairs tried to go into business with the sole purpose of undercutting the costs of the car manufacturers in repairs and replacements of parts. Even still today their are thousands upon thousands of car repair/spare parts scammers out their who cannot do car repairs and who sell dodgy spare parts, the result being car owners having to take their vehicle to a reputable car repair garage.
Humans are lazy and that plays into the hands of independent repair shops because they know a consumer is not going to spend time fixing their own item, they are going to find somebody else to do it. Right to Repair is being pushed by Independent repair shops because they know they stand to financially benefit from it but they are using 'customer power' as a smoke screen to get the bill pushed through.
Louis Rossmann has specifically stated he doesn’t believe in preventing technological progress for the sake of making devices easier to repair LOL you haven’t even bothered to watch anything he’s said ???
They are eventually going to be forced to do it anyways through right to repair laws so they might as well get ahead of that and get some of that parts profit. I’m guessing that the parts/tools will be priced high enough that it wouldn’t really change their hardware bottom line in any case from the slight decrease of new unit sales.
The corollary to this is: break your phone, throw it away.
I really don’t see this changing ewaste in any meaningful way. Given the cost of a new phone, I don’t think many people are disposing of them for easily repairable damage, I think easy self repair is likely to cause as many people to damage their phone during an attempted repair as might have otherwise thrown it away, I think Apple is more likely to properly dispose of the replaced part than the person who just did a repair on their dining room table, and I think the overall proportion of people taking advantage of this will be minuscule among the billion iPhones out there.
That’s the point of this program. Apple is going after the profits that would be going to independent repair shops or parts shops like ifixit. It’s not supposed to be a win for repair shops.
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Cool! Looks like you have the choice of going to a “trusted” OEM garage OR going to a super scary scammy independent garage. I wish I had that choice for all of the stuff I own such as electronic devices.
Meanwhile there are many independent garages in my area that are thriving specifically because they service vehicles the OEM no longer support. If you and everyone else still get the option to go to Apple what’s the big deal?
This is not good!
Apple today announced the "Self Service Repair" program, allowing users to complete their own repairs via a new online store dedicated to parts and tools.
The Self Service Repair program will give customers who are comfortable with the idea of completing their own repairs access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and manuals, starting with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups. The scheme will be introduced in phases, adding more repairs and supported devices over time. Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams said:
The first phase of the program will focus on the iPhone's most commonly serviced parts, such as the display, battery, and camera, but more kinds of repairs will become available later next year. Apple silicon Macs with the M1 chip, including the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and 24-inch iMac, will be next to join the scheme.
The Self Service Repair program will be facilitated by a new Apple Self Service Repair Online Store, offering more than 200 individual parts and tools to complete iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 repairs at launch.
Customers who want to perform a repair will first be encouraged to consult the Repair Manual before placing an order for parts and tools using the Apple Self Service Repair Online Store. After the repair has been completed, customers who return their used or broken part to Apple for recycling will receive credit toward their purchase.
Apple cautioned that Self Service Repair is intended for "individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices," and encouraged "the vast majority of customers" to visit a professional repair provider with certified technicians for "the safest and most reliable way to get a repair."
The company also highlighted the significant global expansion of service locations with access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and training, as well as the growing number of Independent Repair Providers that sit alongside Apple Authorized Service Providers.
The Self Service Repair program will be available to users starting early next year in the U.S. and expand to additional countries throughout 2022.
Article Link: Apple Announces Self Service Repair Program, Starting With iPhone 12 and 13
So the point of the program is go after other company’s profits all for the sake of making the customers life harder? Uhh ok, got it.
How does it make customers’ lives harder? For those who are comfortable with repairing, this seems like a win for the consumer now that first party parts are available.
So you're OK with e-waste being dumped in your backyard? It has to go somewhere and since it doesn't damage the planet, I'll let everyone know you'll accept it.
I’m curious to see if any of the tools Apple sells are anymore sophisticated than what is already available from iFixit and other vendors.
Because the vast majority of customers that break their device aren’t capable of repairing on their own (nor do they want to). They want to get their device fixed as cheaply as reasonably possible (with parts up to the OEM standard) and as quickly as possible even if the device is no longer officially supported by the OEM.
This is a win for an infinitesimal subset of people: Apple customers that want to repair on their own with a compatible device that Apple chooses to provide parts for. Everyone else (which includes customers of other companies) are still outta luck. This is what Right to Repair seeks to address, it’s not just people whining at Apple specifically.
We get it. You don't believe people can affect the planet they live upon. Your "35,000 scientists" number is actually 31,487 and it's a complete hoax that you need to bolster your arguments that there are no consequences unless they affect you.
No, 30,000 scientists have not said climate change is a hoax
Climate change doubters have no patience for claims that the overwhelming number of climate researchers believe that hum
www.politifact.com
I don't see the need for them to use that pentalobe screw anymore, they should just switch to something common. But, they won't so they can sell more screwdrivers.
I'm just tired of the hypocrisy of all these people pretending to be fighting for the customer's right to repair when all they want in reality is being able to repair with cheap parts and pretend it's original.
They're just angry that they can't sell you garbage without you noticing it because phones nowadays can send you a notification if the part is not original.
So I found it funny that Apple came with something that directly benefits the customer's right to repair, while still p*ssing them off.
Now, aside from screen and battery, give me the chance of buying the full body enclosure replacement, that way, if I drop my iPhone and the back glass breaks, I won’t have to pay $500+ for a replacement. Just purchasing a new body, dismantling the whole iPhone on the inside, and building it inside the new body, that should do the job. And this body replacement shouldn’t cost more than 90 bucks.
Essentially every climate denying scientist in the current period can be linked to direct payments from the oil lobby. It’s an entire industry of “science for hire” completely devoid of any academic honesty. It’s also why the whole “believe the science” thing should be taken with a heavy grain of salt considering the extent to which capital has invaded a supposedly neutral field. That’s not to say we shouldn’t believe any science but we have to be cautious and check who’s funding what research.
All you need to know is most of these oil companies (the same ones paying academics to lie about “it’s totally not man made bro, oil is awesome and the climate is fine!”) conducted their own research decades ago and concluded they’re harming the planet. They all covered up this research because it threatened their business.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
All I can say about this is:
IT'S ABOUT FRAKKING TIME.
But I ain't fixing a damn thing. I'll take it to the store.
IT'S ABOUT FRAKKING TIME.
But I ain't fixing a damn thing. I'll take it to the store.
So are these going to be kits that were going to authorized service providers or just more kits overall which is just more money for Apple? I doubt they’d be doing this unless there was a financial benefit to them.