It seems that Apple followed through with its plans to release repair services manuals for some of its products publicly on Wednesday, alongside the online sale of replacement components and tools. The goal of this company is to offer iPhone owners another way to fix their devices and this is what the company is offering.
A new program by the tech giant, called Self Service Repair, has begun offering its services to US customers with the iPhone 13 line of smartphones, the iPhone 12, and the new iPhone SE. The company said it designed the program to let people who are adventurous and capable take advantage of the same tools, parts, and instructions it allows its certified technicians and partner repair shops to use, hopefully making it simpler for people to repair devices instead of buying a new one.
We believe we have a responsibility to customers and to the environment to make it convenient for them to obtain the most out of their devices, which is why we are providing safe, reliable, and secure repairs,” the company stated in a document published on Wednesday outlining its plans.
The arrival of Apple’s do-it-yourself program comes at a time when the tech industry as a whole is under pressure to allow users the option of repairing their devices at home for a cheaper price. This idea is sometimes referred to as the right to repair.
Over the past couple of years, there has been a growing movement in the right to repair movement. The trend has become quite popular among social media sites, including videos that show people how to fix various devices, including one where a tech influencer explains how to do so.
It is becoming increasingly common for lawmakers and voters in states across the United States to consider and pass laws that force companies to entirely change their approach as well. For example, they are considering publishing repair manuals and allowing customers access to diagnostic tools for their products.
Apple Repair Services
The state of Massachusetts passed a law in 2020 that will require automakers to allow third parties access to vehicle data that had previously been locked up. In early 2021, after less than a year of the Right to Repair Act becoming law, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requesting that the Federal Trade Commission consider rules that would make it harder for companies to restrict how people can repair their devices.
Among the biggest players in the tech industry, there has been a flurry of initiatives to offer repair programs of their own in the past year. There are several companies including Google, Samsung, HTC, and Microsoft that have announced partnerships with the popular online repair portal iFixit to sell parts and tools for some of their devices.
As for Apple, it will not be offering all parts to replace its devices, and instead will focus on common problems like cracked screens and malfunctioning batteries and cameras. The company is also integrating diagnostic tools into its purchasing program to assist in calibrating and authenticating new parts if they are needed. According to Apple, those diagnostic tools will not be made available to the public unless customers purchase parts from them.
In the beginning, Apple will offer parts for the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE as part of the program. By the end of the year, the company plans to extend its program to Europe, offering Mac parts for repair that are based on M1 chip technology. In the future, Apple plans not to offer do-it-yourself (DIY) repair services for products made before the iPhone 12, which was launched in 202
The process of fixing your device
Apple has been emphasizing the fact that most people would probably be better served by an experienced technician since it announced its at-home repair program. Apple’s self-service repair site will have a copy of the repair manual that the company asks you to read before ordering any parts or tools from the site for those who feel they can do the job themselves.
There is a code that Apple will include in the reading to ensure that the people have read the correct part of the manual before they can confirm that their parts order has been placed. The idea is to ensure people are reading the manual and not only the manual for the specific device they are ordering parts for, but that it is the correct manual for the device they are ordering parts for.
As part of this agreement, Apple is now offering its customers the opportunity to purchase “Genuine Apple Parts,” which it says can be purchased at the same prices as those charged to service technicians, which may be more expensive than a repair at a mall kiosk. It is claimed that Apple’s parts are designed to meet the same high safety standards as those used in its new products.
For instance, some iPhone 12 displays and screw replacement bundles cost as much as $269.95, which included the display, screws, as well as adhesives, etc.
There will also be Apple tools that will be sold to high-volume repair shops to soften adhesives on displays, separate phones, or press new displays together, all using the same technology as the ones used by high-volume repair shops. Apple said that some of the tools will cost hundreds of dollars, so it has decided to offer a rental service for these tools as well. Taking into account the cost of shipping and handling, a tool rental kit for the iPhone 12 would cost $49, including tax.
According to Apple, if the customer returns the broken parts to the company they will receive a credit on the final cost of the product. As part of the company’s ongoing effort to create a closed-loop manufacturing process, Apple will then either refurbish or recycle that particular part.