In what can be called a huge move towards consumer self-repair goals, Apple has announced the Self Service Repair program that will let users fix their iPhones (and eventually, Macs, too) on their own using genuine parts purchased from Apple’s online store. This is a huge move, considering Apple has cultivated a bad reputation for making repairs difficult over the years, especially for third-party services.
Aside from making the internal hardware more complex to discourage self-repair, Apple has also been accused of choking the supply of replacement parts available to outlets that are not part of its certified repair program. In fact, an alleged training video that surfaced online showed how Apple discourages third-party repairs. Needless to say, right-to-repair activists haven’t been kind on Apple’s repair and replacement policies.
The company today announced the Self Service Repair, a new self-repair initiative that will allow users to repair their gadgets at home by purchasing original parts from the company’s official online outlet. The program kicks off with two product families under its aegis — the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups. Apple says that the self-repair service will start early next year with the US as the first test market. Thankfully, the company plans expansion in other countries over the course of the next year. In the early stages, the Self Service Repair initiative will cover core repair areas related to iPhone display, battery, and camera hardware. But over time, the company says it will be providing the necessary resources for more parts.
Huge Win For Self-Repair With A Cool Reward
Before going on a self-repair mission, Apple advises users to first read the official Repair Manual carefully. This is, of course, of utmost importance because unlike a service outlet that will compensate for any damages during the repair, self-service offers no such assurance in case something goes wrong. Once users are confident after going through the repair guidance documents, they can order parts and other tools from the Apple Self Service Repair Online Store. And as an added incentive, customers who send back their damaged device parts will get a credit in their wallet that can be used towards the purchase of other gadgets in the future. This is just another way of Apple saying that it cares about environment-friendly schemes such as sustainable usage, recycling parts, and safe e-waste disposal. After all, Apple used similar rhetoric to banish the charging brick from iPhone retail packages.
Interestingly, Apple says that the self-repair program will also be expanded to Mac computers with the M1 chip inside. This is going to be a huge relief for Mac users, who have been historically burdened with extremely expensive repair and replacement for Apple’s computing hardware. With the availability of replacement parts, Mac users will no longer have to take their damaged computers to stores for fixing issues like broken display, corrupted security chips after an update, and liquid damage to name a few. However, Apple still gives the standard warning — “Self Service Repair is intended for individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices.” And to send home the idea in a clear fashion, the company notes that for a vast majority of customers, taking help from a professional repair provider with certified technicians is still the best way to go.
Source: Apple