Written by: Colin Ward

While Apple is famous for its innovation in technology, popular phones and computers, and sweeping innovation within the technology industry, it’s also notorious for its flawed repair policy. Historically, they have been extremely opposed to the idea of user-performed repairs, going even so far as to design their phones to make it more difficult for someone lacking the specific tools, equipment, and experience to perform a repair. Starting next year, this is all supposed to change.

The Old

Prior to their unanticipated decision, Apple had restricted who could perform repairs, allowing only approved businesses and Apple locations to do so. On one hand, this may not have served as much of an inconvenience for the consumer, seeing as these businesses are not exactly uncommon, with names like Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon being among the list of over 2800 independent service providers. But on the other hand, these repairs did tend to be rather expensive. 

The New

With the implementation of their new policy, Apple will begin selling parts and tools for the two most recent iPhones, allowing consumers to perform their own repairs, provided they can read and understand the manual. All parts and tools will be available on Apple’s Self Service Repair Online Store. Here, more than 200 parts and tools can be purchased, allowing customers to repair some of the most common issues with the iPhone 12 and 13. While Apple recommends that only consumers with experience in electronics repair take advantage of this initiative, they are permitting devices with started, or even botched repairs to be brought in to authorized repair shops to be fixed, meaning just about anyone can give it a shot, but not all should. The icing on the proverbial cake is the fact that self-service repairs will not void the warranty on an Apple product, even further reducing the risk involved in performing a self-repair.

Figure 1

An Image Used by Apple in Their Online Press Release Dated November 17, 2021

Source: Apple

Why?

The odds are, Apple has committed to this policy to avoid being mandated into adopting something similar by legislation. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report discussing the ethics of companies refusing to permit consumers to repair their products. The US Copyright Office also acted to allow certain exemptions to the DMCA, meaning consumers can do whatever they want with a device as long as it doesn’t violate the copyright of the manufacturer. Just months after the release of the FTC report, and the actions of the Copyright Office, Apple revealed this policy, likely not by coincidence.

Apple will now be competing with websites like iFixit, which have been selling aftermarket Apple parts and manuals for years. Apple will be essentially providing the exact same service, but with the Apple logo and the trust placed therein. Given the prices for Apple replacement parts and services for these at approved Apple repair locations, it is likely that the parts being sold online will be significantly cheaper, potentially even as reasonable as some of the current third-party sites selling certain parts at an over 25% decrease in price. It is undoubtedly true that Apple was making a significant sum of money off of their old policy, which would force users to go to an Apple store, thereby supplying the said store with business, or the user would have to purchase a new device entirely. 

Apple’s recent change in stance is certainly surprising. The complete turnaround on an idea that they were famous in the industry for potentially shows a new, more lenient side of Apple, one that we all can look forward to seeing more of. While this policy might not be optimal for all Apple consumers, it is still something to keep an eye on.

References and Sources

Apple announces Self Service Repair. Apple Newsroom. (2021, November 17). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/.

Jewiss, C. (2021, November 18). Apple Launches Self Service Repairs: What We Know So Far. MUO. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://www.makeuseof.com/apple-launches-self-service-repairs/.

Jorem, J. (2021, November 17). Apple Announces Self Service Repair Program. ExtremeTech. Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://www.extremetech.com/computing/329127-apple-announces-self-service-repair-program.

Quality Electronics Parts. iFixit. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://www.ifixit.com/Quality.

Sherr, I. (2021, November 17). Apple to begin do-it-yourself repair program for iPhones, MACS Next year. CNET. Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-to-begin-do-it-yourself-repair-program-for-iphones-macs-next-year/.