Only a 'Small Fraction' of iPhone Users Will Use Self Service Repair Program, Study Suggests

[robfoll]

There is going to be a huge number of ****ed-up iPhones!

 

[duanepatrick]

For sure this is not for free right?

 

[Wanted797]

THIS!
Thank you for reminding me of this oft-overlooked aspect! It's not at all uncommon that the consideration set stops at the cost/convenience relationship (I do it myself, allllllll of the time) - which is too bad. It potentially robs us of an important human experience we are, to a large degree, losing. The experience of embarking on a journey whose outcome is unknown. Where, along the way, solutions are pondered, tried, failed and learned. No guts, no glory.

To be clear: replacing the battery in an iPhone is intriguing for some, not even a potential consideration for others. Neither is more right than the other. To each their own. Cheers.

People often hesitate to try something like this but both times it was a case of 'it's already broken I may as well give it a try' and it worked out.

 

[Wanted797]

Hell yeah! My 2009 MacBookPro trackpad button wasn't working any more. Was looking at a replacement for $50 on eBay... but then saw videos showing that the "clicker" wears out the contact. But, if you peel the clicker off, and offset it slightly, it will be making contact again, and work. I figured I had not much to lose, so opened it up, followed the online instructions, and - voila! Fixed.

Very satisfying result.

Now have 3 x SSDs to instal - 2012 Mac Mini, 2009 MBP, and 2009 iMac 24". The last one scares me a bit, but it's a machine that's worth about $100 on eBay, so again like the MBP button, not a huge loss if I do **** it up.

At least however none of those "repairs" involved glued parts. (Well - ok - the trackpad repair involved a strongly held down sticker...)

Yep, I've fixed the same thing on my 2011 MacBook Pro.

A lot of things I've fixed have been the same. May as well give it a try. Glue is annoying but not the worst thing.

I only just updated my 2013 iMac to a m1 mini, I knew I couldn't really have done much to an iMac that would be worth the effort (not that the mini is upgradable).

 

[cosmichobo]

It’s one thing to supply screens and batteries tho what use are they when the item is designed not to be repaired.

Apple needs to allow repairs and supply actual part like ICs and for manuals they also need to supply schematics so actual repairs can be done not just replacing parts that’s not very green when only a small component is required yet they give you the whole logic board what a wast.

Whilst I appreciate the sentiment... component-level repair is reasonable... IE swap out the screen, the taptic engine etc etc, but actually repairing components? Who is realistically going to be able to do this in the home? An even smaller subsection of people...

 

[svish]

Cost of repairing should be less than giving it to Apple to repair. Only a very few would repair by themselves if repair prices quoted are costly. Or even an enthusiast might try.

 

[SpotOnT]

Let’s be real who plans on fixing their iPhone by themselves? This all sounds very scary.

I don't know, swapping out the battery myself sounds a lot less scary than handing my phone over to the seasonal help at the Apple Store, Best Buy, etc. Stripped screws, poorly applied adhesive that is no longer waterproof....

Doing it myself, such that I know everything is correct and to specification, is much much much less scary.

 

[boss.king]

There is going to be a huge number of ****ed-up iPhones!

There already are. Have you not seen how many people walk around with shattered iPhone screens and back glass because of the cost and inconvenience of getting their phone to an Apple Store?

 

[Overture_1622]

John Gruber made a point of how niche a group this would appeal to yesterday, but he updated his blog today to reflect another point of view that some folks shared with him: This will be great for small-scale, non-AASP repair shops, who have the skills, but have not had access to manuals and authorized parts, and have not been able to do in-warranty repairs before now. From that perspective, even though it might not be a numerically large group who do these repairs, they may actually serve a much wider number of people now that this is open to them. It's a good point, I think.

That would be great! Though, I doubt that's how it will work.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if you need to download an app that scan the hardware of your device, and then Apple decide what parts you can order for that specific device. If so, you probably won't be able to order say 5 batteries in one go. I assume they'll check the battery health and if it's below 80% you can order exactly 1 piece, if it's above 80% that option will be greyed out.

Of course I'm guessing here, but I really don't think we will be able to order whatever parts we want. It would be great if we could but I just don't see that happening...

 

[44267547]

Older cars yes, but not much on the new ones. Even small shops won't be able to do much soon. The amount of special tools and diagnostic test equipment is far beyond the DIY'er

Look at uBreakiFix, they’re slowly starting to diminish with what they’re able to actually even repair. Only older devices now, because they don’t have the training, they don’t have the necessary tools and quite frankly, even if they try to attempt to make repairs on newer iPhones, they’re will be paying out-of-pocket if they make the situation worse with repairs they aren’t qualified to make. That’s a company that will probably be by the wayside in about five years from now, because electronics are becoming so advanced with architecture, they don’t have the proper training as a third-party company to be disassembling phones and making legitimate repairs with how smartphones are becoming far more intricate.

 

[Le0M]

I'm gonna be one of those who will repair everything repairable till the product dies, and I couldn't be happier to hear this DIY repair program from Apple side.
It remains to be seen the prices of spare parts, though. Hope not to get disappointed.

 

[KindJamz]

Yarp. I replaced a crack screen on my wife's iPhone--out of warranty of course. My wife doesn't trust my redneck engineering for in warranty stuff.? I regret not replacing the battery at the same time.?‍♂️ It's gonna need to be replaced sooner or later. I'll have to open up the phone again to do that. Next time, I'll replace the battery when I have to replace the screen. BTW, the cheap knock off screen looks every bit as good as the genuine Apple screen.

My old 6s had the battery replaced by apple with the $29 battery. Upgraded almost immediately afterword.

Screen replaced by myself with a nice aftermarket screen. Took about 30 min to replace the screen and $45

It’s my backup and still runs great.

 

[KindJamz]

Doing your own repairs is so dam rewarding as well.

I’ve fixed both vacuums in my house. One was the Dyson motor head my wife was going to just replace for $200!. It just need dismantling and hair romoved from the motor (poor design). The other was a simple on switch.

Dyson sells all the spares as well. They’re expensive but still cheaper than buying a new one. It’s great.

Hell ya. Nothing feels better than fixing something and saving cash.

First time I did brakes I fell over how simple it was. People pay $350+ to dealers for brake pads?

Same with alternators, thermostats, etc.

 

[Chorx]

This is going to be a boon for low income neighborhoods. I spent a lot of time in Chicago Heights, I was personally known as "the computer guy" around the block and I was always thrown money for fixing peoples cracked iPhones, or modding peoples iPhone 3g/3Gs with colored shells. I made a ton of money doing this locally and I met somebody that put me in contact with somebody that ended up propelling my career to where its at now. I went from fixing phones/screens out of my house to general SMB IT Support, automation and scripting to full on DevOps now. It all started with just being that local phone dude and the big break came in a really small package, making 11/hr answering support calls for small businesses.

The only point I'm trying to make is that giving people the right to repair devices at a reasonable cost, it helps people build the foundation for what might be their big break. It's entry level work for hands on types and its tragic to see this entry level work be outsourced to robots at Apple. Breakfix work is good work for a ton of youngins that want to get into IT and haven't spent thousands on a CompSci BIS.

 

[npmacuser5]

But that's not the point. If a person can do the repairs without having it look like someone has visibly repaired it, fine because i'm all for that. However that group is rather small because they don't have the equipment Apple uses to properly break apart an iPhone. If I trade in a device back to Apple they ask you if the device has a cracked screen and looks good. If not they have the right to give you less on the trade in. Some people are willing to take that chance, others not so.

This user repairability is just the first step. It only will only benefit most end users when Apple decides to design and engineer their devices for much easier service.

Asking to keep one’s cake and eat it too. Things we want, like waterproofing (seals), drop resistance (solder connections), all require precision fittings. Thus, simple screws, easy off loose fittings, will degrade many of the benefits we all want. No free lunch. Doubt Apple will change the design to easier access. For the reason of our wants. If we will accept less, than possible. Me, like all those tight fitting, hard to impossible to get off features.

 

[ouimetnick]

The real question is what these parts will cost. Right now an iPhone 11 Pro Max, 12 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max screen repair through Apple costs $329. If the genuine part through Apple is $299, I'd spend $30 more to let the store do it knowing full well that if they mess up, they will give me a replacement phone. Likewise, the resale value of a 1 year old 12 Pro Max is greater than a 3 year old XS Max. Would I spend $329 to replace the screen on a 3 year old XS Max, or gamble with say a genuine $299 Apple replacement and do it myself?

It really comes down to the actual savings, age of the device and resale value of the device. I spent $150 on a 512GB SSD for my 2014 MBP 13". I've worked on those machines before, and swapping out the SSD is a walk in the park.

 

[Mr.PT]

If your $1k+ iPhone is 3 years old and you are comfortable doing your own repairs, why not?

I recently repaired an iPhone 11 Pro Max with a cracked back, by swapping over the battery, logic board, camera, Face ID, and display into a new back housing. Took about 3 hours and definitely not for a newbie, but it worked out just fine.

Was it worth financially? I’ve a Xs with cracked back. My authorized repair shop guy told me there’s no back available as solo kit so to repair it he’d have to replace almost all, so not worth it.

 

[Runequester]

This is a case where I have absolutely no intention of using this because I don't have any skill set for it, but it's still a good thing it exists.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Appreciate it, thanks!

You're welcome

 

[jdsingle]

This is not surprising. We've become such a disposable (and lazy) society. Ice maker in the fridge no longer working? Get a new one. Still, I firmly sit in the camp that would gladly tackle - and have - some of these more frequent repairs. I'm all for easing the repair process and remain interested to learn more about pricing and other program details.

I’d love to repair my ice maker in my fridge. Once my manufacturer posts the instruction guide and parts I’ll jump all over it. It’s a bit premature to default that people are lazy versus manufacturer’s have not made it easy to make repairs.

 

[Abazigal]

I’d love to repair my ice maker in my fridge. Once my manufacturer posts the instruction guide and parts I’ll jump all over it. It’s a bit premature to default that people are lazy versus manufacturer’s have not made it easy to make repairs.

I wonder how much of it is also because there's always something newer and better around the corner. If my iMac breaks down and I pay to have it repaired, I am still stuck with a 5-year old iMac. May as well use the "opportunity" to get the newest iMac, with all the latest features. I held on to my 8+ for 4 years, but if the screen broke, I probably wouldn't pay to have it repaired; I would just use this as an excuse to get the latest iPhone.

 

[MowgliWolf]

Questions!

Does it void the warranty?

Is SIRI going to be available if you get stuck fixing the iPhone?

Let’s be real who plans on fixing their iPhone by themselves? This all sounds very scary.

Apple: How about lowering the Applecare prices? How about lowering the prices what technician will charge you. This will be more beneficial for the consumer. I don’t think this self-repair thing will work.

I will for one

 

[metapunk2077fail]

I wish they make the next iPad Pro/Air easy to open to change the battery easily.

People don't understand how dangerous laptop and phones batteries are too handle and extremely toxic to dispose of.

I once threw a malfunctioning wireless Magic Keyboard in the trash.

In the trash the keyboard bent and the battery developed a whole. It reacted with oxygen in the air and the reaction filled the apartment with potentially lethal white smoke.

I was just going to sleep at the time when I heard the hissing noise from the trash. If I had already been asleep when it happened I would have 100% died from inhaling the smoke.

The iPhone and iPad batteries are even more dangerous to handle than that one.

 

[400]

I could be tempted, fully appreciate the batteries are a danger badly handled but if Apple are saving the planet and recycling, then cheap Apple shop repairs the way to go? They can also safely dispose of recovered components.

 

[nickdalzell1]

I personally miss the era when schematics were included in the box that your radio, television set, or such came in. People used to teach basic skills like self-repair to their children, and no one would buy junk from a company producing things that fell apart after the warranty ran out. A company would EOL pulling stunts like that, and many folks bought Zenith or Curtis-Mathes based on the fact they literally lasted forever. Companies that produced long-lived goods stuck around, while 'made in China' was rare.

I don't understand what happened. I was taught basic repair from my great grandfather and it has served me well, but folks look at me working on my own car as if I have two heads "Why do you care so much about a freaking Saturn?!" They say. Well, I don't have tons of $$$ nor do I want to help ruin the planet any more than we already have. The disposable society is unsustainable. We can't live our lives tossing things and buying new over and over anymore.

I mean, there was a time when folks didn't buy a new PC until theirs literally let the magic smoke out! People were once interested in learning, and reading that thick manual served many people well. We actually got what we paid for. It's really quite a shame that folks such as myself, and YouTubers such as RadioTVPhonoNut and Shango066 are a dying species.

I hope you all look forward to living on Mars or the Moon soon, because that's where you'll have to, or your children have to, in order to keep living after we ruin Earth with e-waste. No one needs a brand new shiny phone anymore. Stop updating your apps and OS and nothing slows down. A smartphone can last over 10 years if taken care of! I mean the way we use phones has not changed since 2010. It's all Facebook, music, texting, browsing, and email. Maybe some mobile games. You don't need Quantum level computing for that!