In late 2021, Apple surprised us by announcing plans to launch an iPhone self-service repair program, and I was ecstatic.
I switched from Android to iPhone about a decade ago because it seemed like iOS was the place to be if you wanted to access the largest and most interesting mobile app walled garden. But as much as I appreciate the iPhones I’ve worn ever since, I’ve never felt good about buying Apple products. The Cupertino-based company has earned a reputation for designing expensive and notoriously difficult-to-repair hardware, so the promise of being able to buy replacement parts directly from Apple and follow the official guides to repairing your iPhone on your own sounded too good to. be true.
Come on Apple, you can do better. “
And in a way it is. Apple finally launched its iPhone self-service repair kits for iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and iPhone SE 2022 in the US earlier this month, with a promise to expand the program to more countries and more products in the future. It’s a decent start – Apple’s self-service repair website is simple and easy to navigate, with well-illustrated repair manuals that make the prospect of renting the official Apple repair equipment and opening the phone for repair seem almost reasonable. something.
And while it can get expensive to accept Apple with its offer to buy official tools and replacement parts to fix your iPhone yourself, I appreciate that you have the option to rent tools and return old parts for a discount. I also like the fact that Apple has committed to making replacement parts available for at least seven years after a particular product’s debut, or up to 10 years for the replacement MacBook batteries that Apple plans to offer through this program. future, when it will expand to include M1-Mac equipped.
Heck, the fact that you can rent a toolkit (opens in a new tab) from Apple that has everything you need to fix a certain iPhone model for a flat rate of $ 49 is, frankly, mind blowing. It’s a long overdue and very welcome step in the right direction, for which the Cupertino-based company deserves to be commended.
But come on Apple, you can do better.
How Apple’s DIY Repair Program Could Be Better
Because as welcome as Apple’s DIY repair program is, it still has some glaring flaws. The people of iFixit (opens in a new tab) are do-it-yourself repair experts who have been supporters of the Right to Repair movement and when Apple’s DIY program was launched they quickly highlighted some key weaknesses (opens in a new tab). Notably, Apple currently requires that you provide a valid serial number for the appropriate device you wish to repair before we can purchase parts for it.
Also, replacing parts like the battery, camera, or display requires you (or the repair shop) to run Apple-proprietary software called a system setup tool to complete the repair process.
Together, these two requirements give Apple a lot of control over how customers can repair the devices they have purchased that the company can only reasonably exercise to thwart attempts to repair the phone. As nice as it is that the company has committed to making replacement parts for a particular iPhone available for seven years (which, as iFixit points out, is also required by law in Apple’s home state of California), the fact that the company isn’t willing to trust customers enough to allow us to purchase parts without tying them to a valid serial number really kills my enthusiasm for this program.
And given that Apple has such a high price tag for its tools and replacement parts that, according to iFixit, it’s actually slightly cheaper to go to an Apple store and have someone else replace the screen instead of doing it yourself, it’s hard to feel. like Apple’s do-it-yourself repair program is a truly customer-friendly initiative. Instead, it looks more like Apple is trying to throw a bone at the defenders of the right to repair and comply with the letter of the California Right to Repair Act without making its devices much easier to repair.
This is a real disappointment because remember, the goal of encouraging companies to sell devices that are truly easy to repair is ultimately to make the world a better place by cutting down on electronic waste. It would also be a more customer-friendly world because third-party repair shops would be in a better position to compete with Apple for the repair bill, which means lower prices when you drop your phone for the umpteenth time and need it. of an expert to replace the newly shattered screen.
And if you’re worried about entrusting everything on your phone to a third-party repair shop, well that’s a fair concern, but we’ve seen Apple’s iPhone repair technicians can’t even trust your sensitive data. , so it’s best to back up your iPhone and restore it to factory standard before handing it over to a repairman.
Of course, Apple still has plenty of time to refine and improve its DIY repair program. The company has promised to expand the program later this year to include replacement parts for the MacBook M1, which would be a wonderful turnaround for a company that stopped selling laptops with easily replaceable internals well over a decade. does.
I was pretty excited to finally be able to buy a MacBook with the certainty of knowing that I don’t have to replace the entire device if the battery runs out or the screen breaks, but Apple’s disappointing demonstration so far has undermined that enthusiasm. If I have to register my spare parts with Apple and pay so much for the tools to do the repair that it would be cheaper to just pay Apple to do it, I’m much less excited about investing in a new MacBook.
You know what I’m excited about though, even a year after its debut, it’s the Framework laptop. Launched in 2021, the Framework is designed from the ground up to be easily repairable. Everything from the display to the webcam to the keyboard is replaceable, with clear labels and QR codes that take you directly to a page with repair guides and links to order parts for the part you’re looking at.
Plus, it’s an excellent ultraportable that’s about as thin and light as Apple’s MacBook Air with M1. The fact that the Framework team was able to design a competitive laptop with one of Apple’s best MacBooks while being almost completely user serviceable (not to mention the extraordinarily customizable, thanks to its unique port expansion card system hot-swap) is a huge accomplishment, one I’d like Apple to copy as it works to get their own DIY laptop repair program off the ground.
Of course, it’s a lot to ask Apple to redesign its laptops from the ground up to be as easy to repair as a Framework laptop. But just a few steps in the direction of Framework would make life easier for millions of MacBook owners around the world.
Apple could start by ditching the foolish requirement that customers enter a valid serial number to purchase parts, for example, which would cut red tape and make life easier for everyone. Framework simply allows you to purchase any part you want; you can even buy a replacement motherboard and build your own DIY PC around it, no framework needed.
It may also partner with third-party repair samples like iFixit to sell replacement iPhone and MacBook parts for something closer to a reasonable price. It appears Valve has already done exactly that, partnering with iFixit to sell replacement parts for its popular new Steam Deck laptop.
But in reality, what I’d like to see Apple do is lean on this new passion for more repairable products with a vengeance.
The company has a well-deserved reputation for designing beautiful, high-performance laptops that are a real bear for shelter. But now that the right to repair movement is catching on, we’re seeing Apple take some promising steps in the right direction, redesigning the 2021 MacBook Pro with more easily repairable internals (god bless those battery tabs) and launching this promising (if faulty) DIY repair initiative. Apple just needs to keep going in the right direction. Fortunately, companies like Framework have already shown us the way.