Somehow I doubt there were that many folks at the meeting so this "active employee" might not be for long.
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which currently attaches to individual devices, requiring customers to buy a new AppleCare plan for each computer and iOS device they purchase -- into a subscription service that will attach to a particular customer instead of a product.
Something tells me that it's not exactly as it sounds. Cause doing it by person not device could run afoul of various state laws. Maybe if they split out the phone support side of it. That could easily be by user since many phone questions are likely more usage questions than actual hardware. Seems like in most cases of actual hardware they are calling to find out if the warranty covers having dropped it in the toliet or AC runs a diagnostic scan, gets back that something is off with the battery or the wifi and sets up an appointment in the store.
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Apple... Ever heard the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? (No pun intended.)
You have a great system in place. Don't change it.
That's exactly what they are doing. IF you battery is broken by your wifi, hard drive, speakers etc ain't, why are they 'fixing them' via giving you a whole replacement phone. Save that for someone that really needs it, like my boss who dropped his in a bucket of water.
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It might not even affect people in the way that they think.
This repair isn't new. I've had several of them done already. joys of being the tech person for the office. Three battery replacements (all consumed so I had to pay but it was like $80 a piece so no biggie), two speaker replacements, one camera and a home button.
in and out in 30-45 minutes. in fact only one of them was even close to 45 minutes cause the tech was in the middle of another repair.
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No, they repair and then they become refurbished phones. So where does this $1bn saving come from exactly? Increased profit from new price structure?
After taking them apart, testing every piece, logging results etc. That analysis time costs money. Now they will just be testing the single part that was sent back. not everything.
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You can't however give someone's scratched device as a replacement for someone else.
THey don't. Several states and countries have laws that anything that touches human flesh can't be reused, so every phone etc gets a new enclosure. And a new battery.
That's whether it was a return to be QA tested a whole unit and sold as a refurb or a return that is tested at the part level and passing parts go to the line to be reconditioned into service parts.
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Maybe this means that product design will evolve away from heavy, heavy (don't open it yourself) lockdown and toward more serviceable tech (maybe even more self-servicable tech)?
Don't count on it.
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They have a great system in place to YOU. How do you know the current system is not creating problems within the company in terms of available stock?
I suspect that part of the change, as well as new procedures adopted from what they require in China to spot fake phones, are also in part due to resellers.
One trick resellers could be trying is bringing in trade in phones to be swapped, maybe even doing trade ins claiming to be authorized to do 'warranty service'. They might be going in and cutting antenna cables or speaker cables etc to try to force a swap. now if the speaker doesn't work, you only get the speaker replaced. Shuts that stunt of getting a swap down so the swaps go to folks that really need one.
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Genius Bars are already busy beyond capacity in many many many locations. Adding one more thing for them to do in repairing your device while you wait will definitely not help things in that regard.
having been through this several times, no it doesn't. Cause the person who talk to is rarely to never the person that actually does the repair. most stores it seems have at least one Mac level person in the back doing 'while you wait' mac and iphone repairs. probably also doing those data transfers as well. The person you speak to does the testing, paperwork, takes it to the back and moves on to the next person. Nurse before the doctor if you will. or at least that is how it has been at the 3 stores I've been at over the past several weeks.
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Phones take minutes to assemble. None of these parts needs much to pop them into place once the phone is open. But, aren't they glued together or otherwise not meant to be opened up?
ipads and ipods but not phones. they are screwed in place. On a 4 or 4s you unscrew and the back slides off. the iphone 5 like the 3g and 3gs, the front comes off but you need a suction tool to pop it.
