When it comes to the topic of repairing your own electronics and the customer right to fix what they paid for Apple hasn’t been very helpful in the past but that seems to change with the introduction of Self Service Repair.
Self Service Repair will start with a focus on iPhone components which are most commonly broken and need to be repaired: the screen, camera and battery. This is just the beginning, however, with more supported devices and parts set to come in the future.
“Available first for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, and soon to be followed by Mac computers featuring M1 chips, Self Service Repair will be available early next year in the US and expand to additional countries throughout 2022. Customers join more than 5,000 Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) and 2,800 Independent Repair Providers who have access to these parts, tools, and manuals,” Apple writes in an announcement.
Apple used to have a firm grasp on the AASPs and Independent Repair Providers, so what oversight will there be for the average consumer? Firstly, in the aforementioned announcement, it’s pointed out that this programme isn’t really intended for the average consumer but for “technicians with the knowledge and experience” with similar repairs.
Those who don’t fall into this category – what Apple calls “the vast majority of customers- they are suggested to follow the existing repair protocols in which trained professionals do it instead.
But for the minority who do want to attempt a repair, the process seems to be as follows:
- Review the repair manual
- Place an order for the genuine Apple parts and tools required through the Apple Self Service Repair Online Store
- Complete the repair
- Return used parts to Apple for a credit towards their purchase
Step three there is obviously carrying a lot of the burden here so hopefully the documentation required will help with this.
“In the past three years, Apple has nearly doubled the number of service locations with access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and training, including more than 2,800 Independent Repair Providers. The rapidly expanding Independent Repair Provider program originally launched in the US in 2019 and has since grown to more than 200 countries, enabling independent repair shops to access the same training, parts, and tools as other Apple Authorized Service Providers,” Apple adds.
While that’s nice to here, in conjunction with a quoted 5 000 AASPs around the world, there’s a lot of details that will make or break this project.
How will customers fix items like back glass panels on phones that require specialised machines? Most phones are glued together, so is Apple going to sell a heat gun to open iPhones? How will warranties and AppleCare function in the future?
To show some of the problems with Apple and its past with repairs we’re going to link to the channel of Louis Rossmann, a long time advocate for the right to repair who has tussled with Apple many times in the past.
We’re also going to embed this video from LinusTechTips who experianced a nightmare trying to fix an iMac Pro. Parts two and three of the saga can be found by clicking on those links with Rossmann appearing in the latter to lend a helping hand.
