Originally published at: Apple launches self-repair service | Boing Boing
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Thanks Apple…
[sent from my iPhone]
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So, notably not providing anything for older items. They’ll let you fix something, but not if it helps you put off a new purchase by keeping that iPhone 7 going a few more years.
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Or the iPhone 11 I bought in December of 2020, FFS.
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Pentalobe screws, only $25 each!
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I bet this is only true because it is new. They will do this for every new model going forward. So they will eventually have these kits for all devices. The question on my mind is how long they will continue to offer these tools after the devices are no longer current. My WAG is they will do this for as long as the devices are supported by iOS/MacOS, which I believe still represents the longest support period in the industry currently by a hardware vendor for at least mobile devices.
My other thought here is: is there another major phone vendor outside of the boutique open-source phone vendors out there that offer a program like this currently?
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No, two of them are $0.17. (part # Part 923-02007)
All the small stuff is just cents or at most a couple of dollars.
However, an iPhone SE (3) battery is $50, and you can rent a toolkit with all the fancy (but probably really useful) tools shown in the repair manuals for an additional $49.
On the other hand, I had my battery replaced in my iPad Air 2 last week for € 50 in a small shop, and that price did include the battery. They did a fine job, and the battery life is great.
Soon:
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My other thought on this was thank god Apple didn’t just buy iFixit and somehow ruin it. Because if I were them that’s totally what I would have done (well, except for the ruining part).
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I think that ship sailed when Apple removed the iFixit App from their store. Buying them would have looked like they admitted an error in judgement. Also I doubt that iFixit was keen on being bought by Apple, that is not a culture where they would thrive.
I’m glad both Samsung and Google now work with iFixit, IMHO they deserve a lot business (iFixit, not the other two).
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Interesting that Samsung is only doing this for older phones, not current ones. And Google is still currently hand-wavey around what will be covered.
I’m really happy about this development - it looks like Apple making this announcement last year forced the hands of all the major manufacturers to come up with a solution. This trajectory is a win for repairability and sustainability for everyone. 
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I’m glad they are doing this but I’d be even happier if some parts like the battery and storage could more easily be swapped out. I am still using a 2013 MacBook Pro and I’ve done that with that. At that point there’s just a few screws on the backside and if you have the right screwdriver the replacement was super easy. But in the years since the more compact devices look like they are getting a bit tougher to home service. I destroyed my iPhone 4 several years ago when I thought I had the skill to replace the cracked screen myself with parts I bought online. It was just slightly beyond my patience and skill level…
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It would be cool if you could get a hardened but uncrippled old phone build out of it to do DAW or recording service, or opt for the house memo service buildout with a fresh charging port…not hustling developers to support old point releases so much as having a web portal to parts that have a future until they’re actually broken.
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Apple must fix its self-service repair program, say critics
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Yet Apple’s nod to what looks like political inevitability has already been dismissed by two repair advocacy groups as a marketing ploy.
“I’ll give their marketing team an A+ for retaining their repair monopoly while offering the pretense of cooperation without actually delivering on right to repair,” said Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of The Repair Association, in a blog post published on Wednesday.
Gordon-Byrne suggests Apple’s efforts are intended to stall legislation and she expects company intransigence could provide an incentive for lawmakers to pass statues that require full access to repair materials on reasonable terms.
The problem, she argues, is that Apple has been using parts pairing technology – where parts are required to have certain serial numbers to be activated and functional.
Other repair-oriented organizations cite the same issue. Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of sustainability for iFixit, welcomed Apple’s step in the right direction but condemned the company for tying parts to serial numbers.
“Apple is doubling down on their parts pairing strategy, enabling only very limited, serial number-authorized repairs,” explained Chamberlain in a blog post.
“You cannot purchase key parts without a serial number or IMEI. If you use an aftermarket part, there’s an 'unable to verify’ warning waiting for you. This strategy hamstrings third-party repair with feature loss and scare tactics and could dramatically limit options for recyclers and refurbishers, short-circuiting the circular economy.”
[…]
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You had a look at the Fairphones, I guess?
I was an early adopter of the first one, but they now have seriously matured. Great work, great people.
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