Apple to Charge $279 to Repair or Replace a Damaged HomePod Without AppleCare+

[Bacillus]

I don't believe you understand what they are trying to do. They are trying to build a cult like following of customers, who will pay higher and higher prices, for more and more different things. This is every marketers dream. Looks to me like they are succeeding.

Indeed, from a tech cult (which I liked) it became a money-cult (that I despise)
More than the product, you buy into a Spaceship, into a network of the biggest and most luxurious shopping malls in the world, the greatest and wealthiest Board, management that makes no mistakes, and therefore some of the wealthiest people on the planet, the largest R&D budgets in the world, and a financial infrastructure bigger than some continents.
This all must be supported and maintained by some mere mortals, i.e. us, considered to be the Chosen Ones. Rather than complaining, we should consider it a privilege to participate in that circus - the biggest on the planet. And oooh, so many followers can't be wrong.
Tim, Angela and ... have become role models. Oooohhh, they're so succesfull. Print them out on a large format, so they become your virtual Father en Mother. They really care about you !
(until you stop contributing)
So if they are sooo excited to remove a headphone port, you should be excited too
They never wanted you to early upgrade as your phone became throttled (but you'd be happy to contribute anyway, so no need to reimburse...)
It's become too much of the wrong fragrance

 

[Bacillus]

Demand will be tight at the beginning. Someone will buy the HomePod you “don’t want”.

Neither plausible nor consistent, but I couldn't be happier when someone else buys it

 

[DoctorTech]

The article's chart makes it more confusing than it needs to be, but the repair cost ("incident fee" in Apple legalese) is $39 for users that also purchased AppleCare+, which is a $39 add-on. So the total is $78.

Thanks, I read the article but I didn't connect the dots because of the way the chart was worded. So in my way of looking at it, if I believe there is more than a 22% chance of the HomePod needing repairs it would make sense to buy AC but if I believe the odds are less than 22% of needing repairs, then I should skip it. Actually, that % should probably be higher since if my HomePod needs repairs 1-2 years from now, there may be a newer version on the market that I would rather upgrade to anyway. As others have pointed out, for a product that is going to sit in my living room, the odds of me damaging it is pretty low so I will pass on AC.

 

[Onexy]

It makes sense to me and I’ll be getting it with my HomePod.

Sure, have a good hopefully long time with your new device.

 

[I7guy]

Indeed, from a tech cult (which I liked) it became a money-cult (that I despise)
More than the product, you buy into a Spaceship, into a network of the biggest and most luxurious shopping malls in the world, the greatest and wealthiest Board, management that makes no mistakes, and therefore some of the wealthiest people on the planet, the largest R&D budgets in the world, and a financial infrastructure bigger than some continents.
This all must be supported and maintained by some mere mortals, i.e. us, considered to be the Chosen Ones. Rather than complaining, we should consider it a privilege to participate in that circus - the biggest on the planet. And oooh, so many followers can't be wrong.
Tim, Angela and ... have become role models. Oooohhh, they're so succesfull. Print them out on a large format, so they become your virtual Father en Mother. They really care about you !
(until you stop contributing)
So if they are sooo excited to remove a headphone port, you should be excited too
They never wanted you to early upgrade as your phone became throttled (but you'd be happy to contribute anyway, so no need to reimburse...)
It's become too much of the wrong fragrance

TLDR Get a Samsung if you want a headphone jack.

Apple was clearly a cult(tech cults count) under SJ and has become a more diverse and financially richer company under TC. Might have something to do with Peter Drucker 101. Provide a service, and produce a product people want to buy.

Tim, Angela role models? Sure, along with Steve. Does Tim and Angela care about you? Role models usually do, even if you don't buy their products.

Of course, similar to any other business, they would want you to buy their products. Unlike a cult though, there is no brain-washing involved. (Unless you consider one may like their products and be apt to purchase another). Remember, as we often get reminded, competition is great and keeps Apple on their toes.

Bottom line. Buy the products if there is value in them for you. Don't buy the products if you don't.

Neither plausible nor consistent, but I couldn't be happier when someone else buys it

It's the reality of it. Less demand, more supply. More demand, less supply. Eco 101.

 

[JimmyHook]

The engineering is so incredibly complex that a "repair" is just not feasible. The more technology progresses, the less likely a repair works. This price is likely the cost for a full replacement if there's no AppleCare Plus. I bought AppleCare Plus for mine, it's super cheap for what it does

 

[alexgowers]

IMO if you have AppleCare it should cost next to nothing to replace but instead have limited number of replacements. This is still expensive. If its no fault of your own and a manufacturing issue, with or without AppleCare, Apple should replace without charge.

 

[Glassed Silver]

To force you to buy AC+. Can’t see any other reason at that price point.

Excellent idea. Reward Apple for their greed!

Glassed Silver:win

 

[Onexy]

The engineering is so incredibly complex that a "repair" is just not feasible. The more technology progresses, the less likely a repair works. This price is likely the cost for a full replacement if there's no AppleCare Plus. I bought AppleCare Plus for mine, it's super cheap for what it does

You clearly do not work in engineering.

 

[Bacillus]

The engineering is so incredibly complex that a "repair" is just not feasible. The more technology progresses, the less likely a repair works. This price is likely the cost for a full replacement if there's no AppleCare Plus. I bought AppleCare Plus for mine, it's super cheap for what it does

You clearly do not work in engineering.

"Repair" hardly exist anymore. It has become replacement on a staggered block/unit/device scale.
Modern mounting increasingly uses glue (especially with Apple) making disassembly overcomplex or impossible. After gross inspection, either complete assemblies or motherboards get replaced or the whole device gets trashed.
From a financial perspective, turnaround has priority implying that individual repair/handling has become more expensive than the marginal cost of a single new assembly/device

 

[Onexy]

"Repair" hardly exist anymore. It is replacement of whole blocks/units.
Modern mounting increasingly uses glue (especially with Apple) making disassembly overcomplex/impossible. After gross inspection, either complete assemblies/motherboards get replaced or the whole device gets trashed.
From a financial perspective, turnaround has priority implying that individual repair/handling has become more expensive than the marginal cost of a single new assembly/device

It's still called repair. When you look at the HomePod there still are a lot of different components which could each get replaced. When Apple uses techniques to make repairing harder it's not because technology is so "complex" nowadays. It's because they want to make repairing harder.

 

[Bacillus]

I know this guy and his story.
My sympathy is with the local repair man in the shop, but we have to conclude that Apple on a high level doesn't seem to appreciate or facilitate soldering guys anymore (whatever good some of them are...)
I agree that Apple (with its incredible margins on sales) goes further and recognizes obsolescense opportunities in everything that can degrade (hence they hardly put effort in battery development) or go bust (what other rationale could be behind having glass cases in 2018...?)

However, modern economies of scale in electronics dictate "replacement instead of repair" for all global electronics companies (Sony, Avaya, Panasonics,....) which is the result of ultra-cheap production vs. cost/quality of individual repairs in the field.
Apple happily subscribes to that trend - and is smart enough to use it to the extreme

 

[Bacillus]

TLDR Get a Samsung if you want a headphone jack.

I for one, adore that lost headphone port as one of Apple's greatest accomplishments.
Following Phil and Angela, I see the struggle with a concatenation of dongles as an necessary step in Evolution.
Where rude arrogance seamlessly integrates with proclaimed courage, it can only get better.
As only Apple can do.

 

[SPUY767]

iPhone 8 and X have a huge cost of the glass back breaks. New thing in Apple. Make products disposable.

You guys keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

 

[RogerWilco]

Whatever happened to user serviceable Apple products ?

I have lost count the number of times I have open up my 2009 and 2011 iMacs to carry out upgrades without fuss on dramatics.

Of course that all changed with the 2012 Slimline iMac.

I suppose it's time for Apple to release a video showing its new, fantastically-magical HomePod Recycling Robot! Watch as this one-of-a-kind machine drains the blood, peels off the fur, guts the innards, and butchers the rest for tasty bits of meat.

 

[I7guy]

I for one, adore that lost headphone port as one of Apple's greatest accomplishments.
Following Phil and Angela, I see the struggle with a concatenation of dongles as an necessary step in Evolution.
Where rude arrogance seamlessly integrates with proclaimed courage, it can only get better.
As only Apple can do.

It’s neither a great accomplishment nor an unmitigated defeat. It just is. If the strategy was that only Apple headphone would work with iPhone 7, that would be rude arrogance. Whether it’s proclaimed courage though is up for debate.
[doublepost=1518359864][/doublepost]

iPhone 8 and X have a huge cost of the glass back breaks. New thing in Apple. Make products disposable.

Where does that leave the iPhone 4 and all other phones with glass backs?

 

[Bacillus]

It’s neither a great accomplishment nor an unmitigated defeat. It just is. If the strategy was that only Apple headphone would work with iPhone 7, that would be rude arrogance. Whether it’s proclaimed courage though is up for debate.
[doublepost=1518359864][/doublepost]
Where does that leave the iPhone 4 and all other phones with glass backs?

You seem to underestimate these executive's historic impact and grandeur. Nothing ever "is".
Everything is determined (if not destined), intended and meticulously dimensioned.
There is no courage in something that "is" or just happens.

iPhone 4 is on the edge of planned obsolescence and unplanned actuality.
Rather than a functionally innovated, durable iPhone X backside, some management system must have detected a loss of backcase repairs in between to produce a fragile reminder of the venerable iP4

 

[I7guy]

You seem to underestimate these executive's impact and grandeur. Nothing ever "is".
Everything is determined (if not destined), intended and meticulously dimensioned.

iPhone 4 is on the edge of planned obsolescence and unplanned actuality.
Some smart management system must have detected a loss of backcase repairs in between, rather than a functionally innovated iPhone X backside

Not underestimating anything. You don’t get to the top of the heap by being sloppy. And if you want to screw your customers it may not work out for you. Ask Ken lay or Bernie Madoff. They had grandeur. Tim Cook not so much but he is a master at vision and planning.

No sir, I give credit to Apple for being able to plan the execution and execute the plan. That doesn’t mean they operate in an anti-consumer, planned obsolescence mode. If that were so and proven the masses would buy other products and Apple would implode(as some hope they do and proudly proclaim they will) of course with every design decision there are those who detect p/o at every turn.

And a 7 year mobile phone being on the edge of obsolescence. How unusual.

 

[Bacillus]

No sir, I give credit to Apple for being able to plan the execution and execute the plan. That doesn’t mean they operate in an anti-consumer, planned obsolescence mode. If that were so and proven the masses would buy other products and Apple would implode(as some hope they do and proudly proclaim they will) of course with every design decision there are those who detect p/o at every turn.

Ah, masters in execution anyway.
And people trying to stack their lightning earbuds into their Macs (vice versa), people coming up podia and conferences in vain, unable to pair their devices to audio systems with the audience waiting.
Is that part of the plan, just a side-effect or a genius pro-consumer incentive to move up to Airpods ?
Or should they f*ck themselves up to Android, so to adhere to your appraisal of master strategies ?

 

[I7guy]

Ah, masters in execution anyway.
And people trying to stack their lightning earbuds into their Macs (vice versa), people coming up podia and conferences in vain, unable to pair their devices to audio systems with the audience waiting.
Is that part of the plan, just a side-effect or a genius pro-consumer incentive to move up to Airpods ?
Or should they f*ck themselves up to Android, so to adhere to your appraisal of master strategies ?

Not my strategy. Samsung would love to have you as a customer. Ask them.

As far as everything else, hyperbole. I’m sure people have pairing issues but saying this as a matter of course is the very definition of HYPERBOLE.

 

[kstotlani]

It’s neither a great accomplishment nor an unmitigated defeat. It just is. If the strategy was that only Apple headphone would work with iPhone 7, that would be rude arrogance. Whether it’s proclaimed courage though is up for debate.
[doublepost=1518359864][/doublepost]
Where does that leave the iPhone 4 and all other phones with glass backs?

iPhone 4 repair cost wasn’t 80% of the phone’s cost.
[doublepost=1518366235][/doublepost]

You guys keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

Let me break it down for you. If the cost of repairing a product is almost 80% of the cost of the product then the consumer would prefer investing their money in a brand new product because well it will be new and there will be fresh warranty. All you can do is “dispose” the old product and get a new one.

 

[I7guy]

iPhone 4 repair cost wasn’t 80% of the phone’s cost.
[doublepost=1518366235][/doublepost]

Let me break it down for you. If the cost of repairing a product is almost 80% of the cost of the product then the consumer would prefer investing their money in a brand new product because well it will be new and there will be fresh warranty. All you can do is “dispose” the old product and get a new one.

How much was the repair on damaged iPhone 4 without AppleCare?

 

[nick42983]

I predict the gnashing of the teeth will be start soon...

Guys, this thing has one year Apple warranty. It is a speaker, so anywhere in the EU and the future previous EU countries, it is covered by consumer protection laws which say it must last for a reasonable amount of time. Typically two years, but for speakers I would argue that a "reasonable amount of time" is longer than two years. So nobody in the USA is paying for the next year, nobody in the UK is paying for two years.

Solution: Be careful when you water your house plants, and don't water the HomePod as well. And I must say, I have never heard of anyone repairing speakers. I actually never had any speakers break. The first pair that I bought lasted forever, and I replaced them because I could afford better ones, which then lasted forever (forever meaning more than 25 years).

Speakers just don't break. Unless you break them. And if you think the amount that Apple charges is too much, then surely someone will repair them for less money if they ever need repairing.

This is baseless speculation. We haven't had a teardown yet so we have no clue what the repairability of the Homepod will be. We don't know what and how it's glued together and what highly proprietary parts will be necessary, and whether Apple will even provide them to 3rd party repair shops. Given the complicated voice recognition microphones and other tech beyond simply the music output, you can bet this thing is not meant to last "forever". Get real it's 21st century Apple not 20th century Maytag.

 

[Bacillus]

Fake news as well as fake opinions?

So to avoid fake opinions, I will refrain from criticizing the iPhone X's round corners as it probably will belch along the Apple IIe's round corners, TV screens of the 60's and all tragic mistakes/design anomalies since from anyone but Apple.
They are excused !
Together with the Notch, it helped them to revive the software industry ! Just another example of how hw/sw coëxist in their coherent appr....
Blahpedi Blah

 

[charlituna]

iPhone 8 and X have a huge cost of the glass back breaks. New thing in Apple. Make products disposable.

That’s because they replace the whole phone for a broken back.