Top Stories: Apple Self Service Repair, iOS 15.1.1 Released, and More

[MacRumors]

The biggest news item this week was Apple's announcement of an upcoming Self Service Repair program that will allow users to obtain parts, tools, and manuals directly from Apple in a win for the Right to Repair movement.

That certainly wasn't the only news this week, with Apple also releasing iOS 15.1.1 for iPhone 12 and 13 users while continuing work on iOS 15.2 and other upcoming updates, and fresh rumors about the Apple's car and AR headset projects. Black Friday is also right around the corner, so read on for all of the details on our biggest stories of the week!

Apple Announces Self Service Repair Program, Starting With iPhone 12 and 13

Apple this week announced a new "Self Service Repair" program, allowing users to complete their own repairs via a new online store dedicated to parts and tools.

The Self Service Repair program will give customers who are comfortable with the idea of completing their own repairs access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and manuals, starting with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups in the U.S. in early 2022. The scheme will be introduced in phases, adding more repairs and supported devices over time.

The announcement is a win for the Right to Repair movement, and advocates like repair firm iFixit have lauded Apple for introducing the program, although some remain wary pending more details on costs and policies.

Apple Releases iOS 15.1.1 With Call Improvements for iPhone 12 and 13 Models

Apple this week released iOS 15.1.1, which improves call drop performance on iPhone 12 and 13 models. It appears to only be available for devices in the ‌iPhone 12‌ and iPhone 13 families, including Pro models, so users with other devices won't see the update.

Developers and public beta testers have also received a third round of betas for Apple's next major set of updates, including iOS 15.2. There are a number of new tweaks in the latest beta, such as the ability to search within Apple Music playlists and improvements for the new Macro camera mode settings introduced in the previous beta.

Apple Black Friday: Best Deals on iPhones, iPads, and Macs for 2021

We're less than a week away from Black Friday, and some retailers will be kicking off their major holiday sales even sooner, so keep a close eye on our Black Friday roundup where we're collecting the best deals we've seen so far.

We also have some spotlight coverage of major retailers like Walmart and Target, and we'll be sharing many more deals as we get closer to the big day.

Apple Working Toward Fully Autonomous Car With No Steering Wheel or Pedals, Aiming to Launch in 2025

Apple is picking up its work on an Apple-designed car and is aiming to create a fully autonomous vehicle, reports Bloomberg.

Apple is "refocusing" the project around full self-driving vehicles, a goal that other car manufacturers have not been able to achieve. The company is hoping to launch its first car in 2025, although even some insiders think that goal may be optimistic.

The report gave a boost to investors as Apple's stock popped immediately upon its publication, driving Apple shares to their first all-time high in over two months.

Apple AR Headset 'Approaching Liftoff' as Development Mirrors Period Before Apple Watch Launch

The long-rumored Apple augmented reality (AR) headset may be "approaching liftoff", with Morgan Stanley analysts noting that development appears to be mirroring what was seen just prior to the launch of the Apple Watch.

Apple has been applying for a number of patents across a variety of topics related to AR, and many expect Apple's entry to be a "game changer" for normalizing the technology.

Both Apple's AR headset and the iPhone 14 are expected to adopt Wi-Fi 6E, according to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The technology offers the fast speeds and low latency of Wi-Fi 6 but extended into the 6 GHz band for even better performance with less interference.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

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Article Link: Top Stories: Apple Self Service Repair, iOS 15.1.1 Released, and More

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Wow! Good news week for Apple.

 

[Cosmosent]

Just my $0.02, but I think they should make their Car look like a mini Cable Car !

Would be great for campuses !

 

[Mirachan_007]

I’m very disappointed for the iOS15.1.1 update because Apple never fixed the battery drain issue.
iOS/iPadOS 15.2 should be fixed the battery drain issue in some older device.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

And one more thing…

AAPL closed the week three pennies from the all time high (in after hours trading)

I’ve had Apple stock in my IRA for a while and continue to buy on the dips- definitely holding it for the long term especially considering this weeks news of the Apple Car

 

[realeric]

We need a law like Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act in electronics. "All companies must allow 3rd party parts or they must provide customers it for free"

 

[0112862]

And one more thing…

AAPL closed the week three pennies from the all time high (in after hours trading)

I’ve had Apple stock in my IRA for a while and continue to buy on the dips- definitely holding it for the long term especially considering this weeks news of the Apple Car

@ a P/E ratio of 28 AAPL seem like a steal but I recommend not buying the stock right now. I would even sell a week before Q1 2022 then buy the dip following the disastrous earning calls.
-Supply/chain constrain will deeply affect Christmas sales (which we are seeing with macbook 14/16 delay)
-Iphone 13 not bringing much.
-Impact of inflation on cost/pricing
-Upcoming stores closures in Europe.

I'm planning of buying the dips right after Q1 2022, i'm expecting Q2/Q3 2022 to be extremely strong.

 

[smirking]

Who wants to make a wager on the over under for number of posts before someone shares the Onion piece about the MacBook Wheel laptop?

 

[ZipZilla]

Wake me up when 15.2 comes out. No iOS 15 on my phone until battery drain issue fixed

 

[cmcbhi]

Will opening the case to "Repair" it void the warranty?
It should, and I suspect it would.
You damage it, you pay for it.
Cost? Just like cars. You want OEM parts/tools? You PAY for OEM parts/tool at the price Apple sets.

 

[mhornback2]

Best Biuy is also offering a $15 gift card when you buy $100 Apple Gift Card.

 

[ElectricPotato]

...sell a week before Q1 2022 then buy the dip

Buying on a dip, sure. Attempting to time a dip by selling before is gambling.

 

[seek3r]

I wonder how much the apple pencil charger component of a ipad air/mini/pro will be once they get there, I really want to see if the part can be used to make a standalone charger, but not enough to pay the prices even broken current enough devices fetch on ebay/fb marketplace right now just to dissect for the part

 

[BuddyTronic]

Buying on a dip, sure. Attempting to time a dip by selling before is gambling.

Only if you are already “all in”. If you have capital waiting, and the shares drop for what you know is a baloney reason, (like the recent lawsuit nonsense), you can certainly buy the dip.

I did - because I thought I got robbed of some massive percentage gains on $120 AAPL Oct call options - so I exercised some of the call contracts, knowing that aapl didn’t deserve a $7 drop over the lawsuit news. It wasn’t cash on hand, it was margin loan that financed it - but I knew that AAPL deserved to be higher.

Buy the dips when the shares drop and you know it ain’t right.

Can’t buy the dips? Buy calls on the dips then, for even more revenge on the market. Less capital required, but adds more risk. But when you know the company stock deserves to be higher, it’s not so much risk. It’s riskier to do nothing sometimes.

 

[BuddyTronic]

@ a P/E ratio of 28 AAPL seem like a steal but I recommend not buying the stock right now. I would even sell a week before Q1 2022 then buy the dip following the disastrous earning calls.
-Supply/chain constrain will deeply affect Christmas sales (which we are seeing with macbook 14/16 delay)
-Iphone 13 not bringing much.
-Impact of inflation on cost/pricing
-Upcoming stores closures in Europe.

I'm planning of buying the dips right after Q1 2022, i'm expecting Q2/Q3 2022 to be extremely strong.

Buy the dips, yes, but your prognostication is something I disagree with totally.

This Christmas Q1 is looking to beat YOY (year over year). Just look at the most recent Q results - revenues were huge! Yah sure “supply chain” issues have been mentioned - but that’s for older hardware. Q1 has all products selling on day 1 unlike previous year, plus a refresh super cycle, new MBP is certainly selling well. Wearables and Services growth and dare I say everything is double digit growth. $100B or $110B Quarter! No drop.

Inflation is nothing. It’s bottleneck related. How much you pay for a bunch of bananas these days? $1.99 right? Gasoline and housing and so forth went up - but the fed is right - inflation is transitory.

Store closures in Europe? I didn’t hear about that - temporary closures you mean? Who cares. That saves money. People go to Apple stores to take seminars but they can still buy directly online. Permanent store closure would be a different story but that’s not happening I don’t think. The story remains unchanged.

All the doubters hope for those dips after earnings - But I wouldn’t count on it even though it’s happened quite a lot of times for mysterious unjustified reasons all this year. Buy the dips when you know it’s absolutely crazy that the stock drops, but don’t be looking for dips based on fantastic earnings . Apple had world record quarters and did indeed drop after earnings, but I think you are better off buying other dips when they occur instead of looking forward for a dip next quarterly earnings report because this quarter is going to be another monster.

It truly is amazing that Apple could possibly beat Q1 year over year - Tim Cook pretty well telegraphed a YOY beat - even while acknowledging supply chain headwind

 

[djgamble]

Anybody else having this issue with iOS 15's Safari where you start typing a URL, it pre-populates based on history and then when you hit 'enter' you are sent to 'ww' or do a web search for something random?

It's really annoying. Didn't happen before iOS 15...

 

[ElectricPotato]

If you have capital waiting, and the shares drop for what you know is a baloney reason, (like the recent lawsuit nonsense), you can certainly buy the dip.

I think you misinterpreted my post. I agreed with buying on the dip. I disagreed with selling shares on speculation of a drop then repurchasing them. That's timing the market and it is essentially gambling.

 

[BuddyTronic]

I think you misinterpreted my post. I agreed with buying on the dip. I disagreed with selling shares on speculation of a drop then repurchasing them. That's timing the market and it is essentially gambling.

Indeed. Had a friend who actually opened up a spreadsheet and tried to show me over a period of like six months how to sell when it’s up and buy when it’s down. For a while he was showing me “how to do it” and we would get together for a beer every now and then and then he kind of forgot about it - because Apple took a huge jump up and he missed the boat. He wasn’t playing with real shares either - I wish he had bought some Apple shares and just held them - would have done well