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Here's the Massive Kit Apple Will Send to Your House So You Can Fix Your iPhone
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Thumbs down if you've never taken anything apart because you're too scared, and you live a life full of fear, and only half lived. Thumbs down if you need to call a plumber to fix a leaky tap. Thumbs down if you've never changed the oil in a car. Thumbs down if you've never built a skateboard ramp, and have no idea what a router does. Thumbs down if your mum still changes your nappies.
It is. There has been an "independent repair programme" (or something to that effect) for a year or two now.
A 40lb box the size of a suitcase? That's one way to deter people from self repair. I wonder if Apple will be losing money shipping this thing out, given it covers shipping both ways. But then again people will be so intimidated, they'll just forego self repair!
Can confirm that those are apple grade heated display removal tools and the display press. I wonder how many adhesives they give you. Each time we had to teach a new person iPhone repair (best buy AASP) they used minimum 3 on their first repair.
The tools pictured are the same that AASP use. They are legitimately that heavy as they are solid metal with batteries and heating elements inside. The press itself is probably 8lbs (needed for all phone repair) and the heated removal ( only for 12/13) is about 10
There has been for much longer than a few years. We all used GSX at best buy and it's fairly easy to set everything up after you paid them the 2000$ for MacBooks and parts initial costs.
iMac/MacBook repair kits are going to be 400+, so they won't ever make them public available if they can prevent it.
None taken -- it was the best shop in a tiny town that was a 3h drive to the nearest Apple Store. I didn't have much of a choice unless I wanted to go without a phone for a week then spend my entire weekend going to the Apple Store for repairs.
That said, I've known multiple people who have had issues with unofficial, 3rd party repair shops, especially for screen and battery replacements. They often use non-OEM parts that are sub-par. People still go to them because most people aren't well informed and those who are still think it's worth saving a hundred dollars or more and getting lower quality parts that may not have the same battery life or display quality. I think this is one of those examples where the opinion/preference of a MR member will be vastly different from the general public; most people don't care that much about their gadgets.
I can’t believe they’re shipping a 40+ pound suitcase and covering shipping both ways. What an utterly ridiculous loss-leading concept for a business. But I guess when you have “FU” money like Apple does, it doesn’t really matter how ridiculous your rollouts are. 40 pounds! ?
Thumbs down if you think servicing one of the most sophisticated pieces of tech on the planet is like doing an oil change.
You're only proving my point. Most people would much rather pay 30% of the cost for a repair that is 90% as good, especially with a rapidly depreciating asset. And the idea that a repair person fixing phones all day can't tell "by-feel" that they aren't radically over/under tightening a screw...
Apple is the American auto industry of 1970, coasting on past success and consumer momentum, about to have it's lunch eaten by foreign (Android) competitors.
I'm not so sure if you use new Apple parts. The two most common issues are probably battery and screen, and a DIY repair cost, after parts and tool rental, is on par with getting it done at Apple. That leaves no room for any markup, unless you are located far enough away from an Apple Authorized Repir shop or Apple Store and thus can charge a premium for convenience. Other repairs do have a significant savings, but are they frequent enough to make decent money vs a now and then thing?
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There is this thing called economics, and below that, scarcity and resource allocation to marginal utility. The "alternative" to a $500 car repair is a $30,000 new car. The alternative to a $250 repair bill is a $1,000 new phone with better utility than the one being repaired. A life-cycle for a car is ~15 years while a phone is ~4 years.
I would not be surprised if the $49 covers shipping costs, given the volume they move through their shippers on an annual basis. When you're filling planes with Macs and iPones, a few heavy boxes is rounding error in cost to ship.
The point, however was valid - the tools needed to repair current technology can be very specialized to ensure it can be done right by someone with some basic mechanical skills. Apple is not asking for someone who has he skill to do board level repairs, nut is able to follow directions so the tools must incorporate the needed capabilities to allow succesful repair.
There is anothe driver of defense spare part costs - Mil Spec and pedigree. We had bolts that easily cost $100 but looked, on the surface, like a $.99 one from a hardware store. Why the cost? You could trace back the metal to the mine, so any problems if it failed certification could be identified as to the cause, and we knew the bolt would hold to certain torque and then sheer off, as required by the specification. If it didn't a lot of expensive equipment and lives could be lost.
I know. It transmits your WiFi signal and manages access for devices.
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There are a lot of people that don't live near an Apple store. For example, I have family in Iowa. For the longest time there was not an Apple store in the whole state. Now there is one in Des Moines, but that is well over an hour away.
Being able to get authentic parts at a price point that is near Apple is great!
Certainly for a DIY repair. I just don't see this program as being a way for someone to start their own profitable repair business.