Apple Increasing the Price of Out-of Warranty iPhone, Mac, and iPad Battery Replacements Starting in March

[DesertNomad]

Do you care if they used genuine replacement parts for the airplane that you are flying on? The point is who get's the blame, with genuine parts the manufacturer guarantees the quality control.

I own a (small) airplane. Yes we have to use genuine parts or parts that have a FAA STC/PMA approval for third party parts. It is really not the same as phones/computers as aircraft are absolutely regulated. Not being an FAA A&P I am not even allowed to do any work on my plane except a few minor things like changing the oil.

 

[Blackstick]

I used to budget to upgrade my phone every few years but stopped when iPhones hit over $1k. I’m still on an 6S+. I just keep a small Anker battery and top off when I need to. I put the money I saved from buying a new phone in stocks and made enough to buy a new phone. Ironic.

You must be very patient if you’re still on a 6S. My mom’s 7 was unusable. Bought her a refurb’d 11 and she’s been thrilled. Also, good job making any money on stocks in 2022. It was the worst year on Wall Street since 2008.

 

[Octavius8]

What is the reason?. Salary increases in China?.
I have not got a salary rise, should O move?

 

[surfzen21]

Apple Watch battery replacement price is already too expensive.

 

[darngooddesign]

I find it odd that the MacBook Pro battery replacement is so much more expensive than the MacBook Air’s. Isn‘t it pretty much the same battery? Does it require a special “pro” to replace it?

The 13" MBP and the 16" MBP have the same service cost so I doubt battery size has anything to do with it.

Back with the final Intel-Books the Air used adhesive pull tabs while the Pros still had the batteries glued in so it made sense for the Pro's battery service to be more expensive. But all of the M# laptops use pull tabs so it's almost like the Pro battery replacement costs are still based on Intel service costs.

 

[webkit]

Even with the price increase, it's still less than it was in the early years of the iPhone when the replacement cost in the U.S. was $85.95 ($79 plus $6.95 shipping). Adjusting for inflation, $85.95 in 2008 is equal to around $122 today.

 

[Razorpit]

Remember when Apple was all about great customer experience? It is more and more about "how can we milk our customers even more". Sad. I hope people start reacting with closed wallets soon. I did! Still rocking my "old" 12 Pro Max

This will just push people to those inauthentic "phone repair" stores again ...

In a world where companies are now forced to pay the “fry guy” $15/hour, what do you think that does to the salary of the person working on a $1k delicate electronics kit?

People were begging to pay more for everything. Now that it’s a reality people are complaining companies are greedy. 🙄

 

[sbojevets]

is it me or are some of you guys over estimating your ability to change the battery yourself? i consider myself quite good with swapping out parts of a car but using suction cups to split the screen while sliding a pick to detach the waterproofing appears to be rather complex for the average joe who may at best have a screwdriver set for spectacles.

 

[jjudson]

Most battery replacements are after the warranty anyway.

So it's kinda like a Genius Bar rep saying: "Well, you could spend $2000 and buy another phone. What else you gonna do sucker?"

 

[Razorpit]

So, let's be fair and say the replacement battery costs $10-$15 including shipping and handling to the store. I would say a generous estimate that it takes an hour MAX to replace the battery in the iPhone and test and a few dollars for disposal/recycling. Then add in a bit of overhead for additional damage that may occur during replacement e.g. cracked glass/back panels damaged cables etc then the hourly rate for the job. Sure, Apple could do it cheaper but $89 is probably a reasonable cost to have it done. Plus, how many times are you likely to have the battery replaced? My iPhone 6S had its battery replaced after 4 years of use. Its currently kept as a space phone and still has 97% battery health.

You get it.

Thanks I was looking for that report but could not find it. That’s just insane! Probably a few cents more for Apple converts to 20$ more for customers!!!

And what about the price of iPhone 5s or 6 batteries that should be near to nothing nowadays… Apple never decreased it, and now they are even increasing it?! Come on!

That company is disgusting me every day a little bit more…

And for fanboys out there: no that’s not an industry standard, for instance Samsung said they will keep the same price for their next phone, and thus decrease their margin (same for Microsoft that seems to have kept it’s price points for Surface products). On the other side, there is Apple, increasing its margin over the repair program… And they dare say they care about the environnement? Disgusting…

What method of economics magic would remove the cost of something to “near nothing”? We all know Apple isn’t in to losing money.

Batteries cost money to manufacture, cost money to inventory, and have a finite lifecycle so you can’t mass produce them and let them sit around. Production runs are smaller, yet setup time is the same, lowering your efficiency. Raw materials are purchased in smaller lot sizes, increasing their costs. Older “specialized” items such as batteries are expensive.

 

[Spock]

I’ve had 10 iPhones and I’ve never replaced a single battery. Get Apple Care at purchase, problem solved.

 

[BlueGhost]

Maaaan those batteries dont even cost a dollar to apple, this is bs!

It would cost more than a dollar to ship the battery. A lot of the cost is shipping of materials, and likely replacement of the waterproof seals that are broken. Then there is labor and benefits, utilities and upkeep on the properties to store and replace battery and seals. Time to examine the device before and afterwards. They need to be sure the phone is actually working other than a low battery before starting the repair, otherwise, you'd be charged at time and materials.

It's getting to the point where a single D cell battery costs more than a dollar. Four years ago (mid-2019), I had a 12 volt battery replaced in a car, it was $215 including labor. (That included a credit for the lead acid battery core.)

It looks like Android battery replacement may run $100 or so:
"Prices on Android battery repairs can vary, but usually are around or below $100, but you might need to call in to get an estimate."

How to Get a Battery Replacement For Your Aging Smartphone

Most manufacturers want you to believe you can't replace your battery, but that's not true. Doing so can add years of life to your device.

www.wired.com

A non-Apple iPhone 8+ battery itself on Amazon is about $24. Includes an integrated circuit chip.
**** The chip is a safety mechanism to control charging and discharging. ****

Abtter [7000mAh] Battery for iPhone 8 Plus, (2023 New Upgrade) High Capacity 0 Cycle Battery for iPhone 8 Plus A1864, A1897, A1898 Battery with Professional Replacement Tool Kits.

iphone battery

www.amazon.com

 

[scrapesleon]

I thought the experts said inflation is decreasing oh well

 

[SAIRUS]

Get the warranty in case it breaks. Put crash detection in case you are in a car crash.

Fear is a tool. - Apple Marketing (stolen from The Batman)

 

[DownUnderDan]

What is the reason?. Salary increases in China?.
I have not got a salary rise, should O move?

Actually yes. China had one of the highest rates of salary growth in 2022 in the world. You are also correct that the US didn't and wages growth in the US is failing to keep up with the cost of living.

 

[JCCL]

That’s only 4 fewer Starbucks a year.

Ah so that makes it OK. Thanks for the insight, pricing looks good.

 

[webkit]

Most battery replacements are after the warranty anyway.

So it's kinda like a Genius Bar rep saying: "Well, you could spend $2000 and buy another phone. What else you gonna do sucker?"

$2,000 for a phone? Even the top of the line iPhone 14 Pro Max with 1T of storage is less than $2,000 and that's before factoring in a potential trade. The average iPhone isn't going to cost someone anything close to $2,000.

 

[cicalinarrot]

This will make less people change their batteries and push more people towards buying new phones.

Great for Apple, bad for the environment. So much for their “we care about the planet” bs.

I'm as convinced as you are that Apple's green-washing is mostly PR but... what makes you believe the new price is unjustified? All prices are rising, why do you think the old price was the reasonable one?
When you make a similar accusation, you have to support it properly, IMHO, or it's just some feeling you have and I'm sorry but I don't really care about it, even if I agree with what makes you feel that.

 

[webkit]

I thought the experts said inflation is decreasing oh well

It is but decreasing inflation doesn't mean negative inflation (or deflation). Inflation is still around 7.1% in the U.S., for example. Also, as I noted in a previous post, the new increased price is still going to be less than the cost was in the past after adjusting for inflation.

 

[Zakn]

I'm as convinced as you are that Apple's green-washing is mostly PR but... what makes you believe the new price is unjustified? All prices are rising, why do you think the old price was the reasonable one?
When you make a similar accusation, you have to support it properly, IMHO, or it's just some feeling you have and I'm sorry but I don't really care about it, even if I agree with what makes you feel that.

Maybe both the old & new price are not reasonable since a battery only cost them between 5 and 7$ (Already provided the source in another comment) ? If they cared about the environment, they could have either :

- Replace the battery at a reasonable price,
- Allow people to buy the battery directly from Apple and change it theirselves.

The comment was about Apple green-washing. Apple strategy, by making battery replacement & repair expensive, clearly aims to push people to just upgrade often and this is anything but good for the environment.

 

[Octavius8]

Different applications come with various purposes and expectations. Phones are basically the EV equivalent of cars and you’re not changing the the battery for those.

Before the turndown in the economy very little folks cared about replacing a battery but the expectation for a battery lasting the life of the phone grew. Manufacturers provided longer battery life so the masses stopped complaining. Do I dislike the price raise, yup, but I remember what phones were like that allowed you to replace the battery and it wasn’t quality.

Before was bad, but that is no excuse for 15 years later still doing bad for us. A little improvement, yes. A crazy price difference from that time, absolutely.
That is the price of a de facto monopoly.

 

[fatTribble]

That would mean every country in the EU having to deal with a very large amount of toxic waste at tax payer's expense and it would be impossible not to make waste and recycling systems more toxic.

People throw batteries in the general garbage. No matter how many times we tell the public to send to a recycling center they don't do it. They throw every kind of item in the same garbage.

It's much cleaner to just give your device to Apple (or whoever made your phone) and tell them to handle battery swap and recycling. Then they send all the old batteries to one place, instead of old batteries strewn all over the EU in desperate places mixed with food and other refuse.

You must think of the scale of a problem when talking about these things.

Really excellent points!

 

[greenmeanie]

Their Stock took a Dump they are going to get the money from somewhere else now.

 

[fatTribble]

Not a problem here. Every supermarket is required to take back empty batteries. There is usually a box to throw them in near the check out

---

Also I swear Apple is cheating when it comes to the reported battery health. I have an iPad Air 4 and AppleWatch Series 6 with AppleCare+ and the battery level is sitting at 82 % FOREVEEEEEEEEER. I just want to get it replaced already

I saw that in Sweden years ago. The shops all had boxes for batteries. Still nothing like that in the US. Places like Best Buy accept rechargeable but no one where I live in the US will take normal batteries.

 

[fatTribble]

I thought the experts said inflation is decreasing oh well

The rate of inflation is decreasing but we still have inflation.