Apple — famous for selling high-priced, hard-to-repair hardware — is making its parts, tools and manuals available to anybody who asks.
From “Apple announces Self Service Repair” posted Wednesday on the Apple Newsroom:
Apple today announced Self Service Repair, which will allow customers who are comfortable with completing their own repairs access to Apple genuine parts and tools. 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.
The initial phase of the program will focus on the most commonly serviced modules, such as the iPhone display, battery, and camera. The ability for additional repairs will be available later next year.
“Creating greater access to Apple genuine parts gives our customers even more choice if a repair is needed,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “In the past three years, Apple has nearly doubled the number of service locations with access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and training, and now we’re providing an option for those who wish to complete their own repairs”…
Self Service Repair is intended for individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices. For the vast majority of customers, visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair.
First thought: It’s the world turned upside down. Second thought: This will kill third-party repair shops. Third thought: Don’t try this at home. Fourth thought: This service will create more third-party repair shops. Fifth thought: Apple would be happy to be out of the repair business. Sixth thought: Service doesn’t scale.
UPDATE: iFixit’s take…
Everyone Is a Genius: Apple’s landmark DIY repair announcement is a remarkable concession to our collective competency. Apple has long claimed that letting consumers fix their own stuff would be dangerous, both to us and our stuff. Now, with renewed governmental interest in repair markets—and soon after notably bad press for parts pairing—Apple has found unexpected interest in letting people fix the things they own.
Some other thoughts (I guess really questions):
– will this be a profit center at all for Apple or run at a loss?
– how will they handle things like the pairing of parts to the Secure Enclave, will they give users a tool to do that?
– Will screw driver kits at iFixit sell out?
At the retail stores, especially over 270 US stores, is it reasonable to have and maintain an on site repair area with “skilled” repair technicians to promise some or most repairs while you wait (under 2 hours), same or next day, or sent to central depot and returned to user by delivery or return pickup? Not to mention 270 separate store parts depots from iPhone 5S to current (assuming a 7 year parts policy)? Or a hybrid of repairs based on model popularity and whether to ship out or do in-store?
And then the issue of deeper dive into more software, app, or user configuration issues or real malware / hacking problems? Who and how long to direct to?
I’m sure Ahrendts and successors continually debate and evaluate this issue of convenience vs accuracy, locality vs experience and skills, and user needs vs wants. The one option the retail Apple Store can provide (if they do) may be loaner products to tide one over until unit is repaired (or diagnosed) and returned.
More like Happy Helper Bars than Geniuses these days, which is no reflection whatsoever on the employees for whom I’ve nothing but respect, however Apple’s deliberate dumbing down of the genius bars leaves those of us who remember what they used to be like and offer, often sorely disappointed.
Having said that, I recently had my AirPod Pros replaced in-store because a known manufacturing defect over a year ago left them vulnerable to developing a problem. They took them off for testing, discovered one had indeed developed a problem with the noise cancellation and tizzing, and replaced both AirPod Pros, not just the faulty one, along with new tips. 10/10..
Seventh thought: It looks to give the stock price a bounce this morning. Right?
Follow up thought:
Apple could launch a new line of repair tools (iTools) so people can self-service their devices with both approved parts and tools.
Price: $99 for the set, or $199 for the Pro set (you have to have the Pro set to service any Pro device).
Free if you buy AppleCare.
iTools also fit snugly into an optional $199 leather pouch and are made of ceramic to minimise risk of damaging electronics, and must be handled with care or discolour. Pro case ($299) includes inbuilt AirTag.
Leather case is not impervious to marks if carried in jeans.
iTools should not be carried loose in your jeans outside of the case or may both pierce your jeans and puncture your groin. AppleCare is not a substitute for good personal care, and iTools should be kept way from, children.
Finally: attempting to carry an Apple iTools onto an aircraft may put you on the do-not-fly list.
– APPL as hardware manufacturer and in-warranty replacement only, then parts and 3rd party or purchase a refurbished device? Keeps their on-site geniuses working with latest hardware only. -RJ
“…you won’t know who may have tinkered with the insides.”
Which means it’s better to buy direct from Apple. Also, the advantage of a huge secondary market to Apple is as a way to grow installed base. This move will actually increase that.
SIDENOTE: Apple shares up over 2% right now. That’s not about right to repair. That’s about performance!
My guess is that the number of people interested in DIY repairs is really low. When I worked on a computerized product we produced an interface library so people could program it themselves. I think we got about 3 out of 2,000 customers interested.
If you already have experience fixing things and have a workbench and tools and such then fixing your iPhone may be an accessible skill. Not so much if you are starting from scratch.
I do think though that besides being a nod to the right of repair crowd this also might be a shift in design and repair philosophy overall. Expendable items and discrete components might be easier to replace if it also means easier to manufacture. Customer happiness long term is an important part of the Apple experience.
Now we can talk about manufacturer’s mark ups on replacement parts and that is usually high. Apple has to maintain spare parts for many of its products for a long time after the product has been discontinued. Why not make that a business that is more of a profit center than just a cost. And will keep regulatory issues under some control. Win win. All of this is probably unnoticeable or almost invisible to the bottom line. As Horace said.
Since 2010, I have repaired broken screens, replaced batteries, and upgraded memories of Apple devices. But finding apple genuine part on Amazon (wold west) or Ebay by avoiding bad suppliers from China is frustrating experience. In fact last month during presentation my daughter who is Math senior at UIUC broke her MacBook Air screen. And it was big scramble as timeline to get it repaired from Apple or authorized shop was too long. Next time I can repair any Apple machine with access to “parts from Apple” directly.
Tech grease-monkeys? Start your screwdrivers, but…caveat emptor.
(BTW — you’re whining has paid off handsomely. Thanks 🙂 )
Just as there’s no rationale for when it plunges after some one-off soup du jour event, I believe it too can pop on same.
Go figure.
Maybe we should put a name on this pop kind of activity and call it the “Come Around.”
Apple tends to be thrashed around about a 5 to 10 point spread for quite some time as all the news tumbles in over time about how great or lousy things are, and then finally the market comes around to the reality of what IS and then shifts forward on AAPL.
We’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again. It’s almost a reliable movement matrix at this point. Us Longs have seen this Patience&Pop theme forever.
Is this the beginning of our march towards 160?
The sad reality is that this little pop didn’t even serve to bring AAPL up to the gains of the S&P over the last year (up 30%). To “catch up” to, say, MSFT (up 87%) or GOOGL (up 58%) would require an enormous increase. And, of course, that kind of increase would undoubtedly drive up both MSFT and GOOGL….
On the bright side, Apple is getting a bargain basement deal for the AAPL shares it buys back!
They can get incremental margin selling screen repair kits. This biz is easy to scale, no labor. I see lots of broken screen among younger people (and I don’t get around much). Most likely they procrastinate the trips to a repair shop or to Apple. Self, friend, or parent does the work.
Oh yeah, better customer sat.
I can remember when gas stations sold maps, fan belts and cans of oil as part of its engine, brakes, and radiator repair service. That is until they found out they could make much more selling potato chips, beer and ice.
It’s a revenue per square feet of floor space equation. More of Apple’s Store square footage is being given over to hardware sales than existed just a few short years ago.
I also note that self repair is limited to ARM equipped products, wherein many separate structures are now integrated into the processor, thus eliminating third parties trying to use non-spec or used components.
Did Apple give up anything? Yeah, the staffing and logistics costs of maintaining very low margin (if any) factory repair revenue streams.
I’ll bet the “change” in repair philosophy occurred when Apple got its ducks in a row, and could hand over repair in the best possible way, with the transition planned in conjunction with the M-1’s timeline.
Politician’s will take credit for Apple’s “change of heart” without disclosing Apple is never bullied into doing something that doesn’t have a solid business case supporting it.
Now DIY repairers have the choice – likely more expensive but documented and (probably warranteed parts) vs seeking out used, refurbished or unknown sourced repair parts. In this area, some repair shops will be offering “aftermarket” parts and cost differential as a selling point to prospective customers, or customers may insist on Apple supplied parts. Only time will tell if Apple is successful here, and the metrics for success will vary depending on the stakeholder’s metric. Suffice it to say, if self repair keeps users in the Apple ecosystems, it’s a win for Apple.
I highly doubt Apple will warranty-back others tinkering one whiff.
Gain a right. Lose a warranty
That machine finally suffered a motherboard failure, I need to take it to a computer recycling place (it’s in pieces on a shelf.)
Its replacement, my 2014 Macbook Pro, got a new battery earlier this year. It was showing significant ‘swollen battery’ and capacity was down to about 80%. I also bought a refurb ’15 MBP about 2 years ago, that’s the machine I traded in for my new M1 Max.
I also had an Apple G5 desktop that went in for an AppleCare repair. I don’t think I ever had another that broke, all of my desktops (starting with the SE) were retired still in working condition.
That’s not counting a couple of hard drive replacements in desktops, laptops and Mini that were “do-it-yourself” repairs.