Illustration via Apple
Say goodbye to pointless trips to the Apple Store! Apple has finally announced that they’ll start selling “parts, tools, and manuals” to consumers so they can repair their own devices. Apple will start with common items for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, including modules for the display, battery, and camera. These are the most serviceable items on an iPhone, and also the most frequently damaged. While Apple is looking at the iPhone now, the repair program will eventually spread to the rest of Apple’s products. People will be able to buy replacements and everything they need to fix their iPhone from Apple, then do it themselves.
This is the dream of right to repair, right? To make the iPhone as serviceable as something like your car.
Well, kind of.
You’re more likely to be able to do routine maintenance on your car than your iPhone, right? Apple’s probably counting on that. This seems like a great thing to those of us who would rather open our iPhones than worry about how much Apple will charge to fix it after Apple Care runs out, but for most people, they’re just going to wish they had a third party repair option that’s less expensive than Apple’s and doesn’t include a sales pitch for the latest iPhone.
Apple’s new plan has the potential to either greatly benefit or potentially hurt consumers, depending on what Apple does next.
In This Article:
Get Under the Hood
I’m the kind of girl who likes to get under the hood of her car. When one of my keyboards broke, I learned how to solder (and de-solder) to fix it. I like to tinker. When I heard about this, I was ecstatic. Apple may not release an iPhone 14 mini, and, if that’s the case, I don’t want another iPhone. Maybe I’ll switch to Android if any Android manufacturer ever makes a smaller device. Maybe I’ll just keep my iPhone 13 mini forever. With Apple’s new program, that last option is easier than ever. Once Apple Care runs out, it’ll be easy to just order the new battery I’ll want to swap out in a few years. Break the screen? It’s an easy fix. I’ll be able to keep my iPhone 13 mini running like new for years to come. It’ll be like a classic car I restored in my garage, if I had any of those things.
Fortunately I don’t need something expensive or unobtainable as a house with a garage to fix an iPhone, I just need my desk.
Parts, Software, Guides, and Tools
Apple’s offering everything you need to repair your devices. According to Apple, upon release, “The new store will offer more than 200 individual parts and tools.” These will be specific for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, but the rest of their lineup is coming. Apple also clarified that they’ll also make any diagnostic software consumers need to complete repairs available. Often third party repairs run into issues with security features like Face ID and Touch ID, which means replacing the screen can lock your iPhone. However, iOS 15.2 apparently fixes this, and Apple will make software for completing repairs available to consumers alongside the store.
Mostly Warranty Safe
Performing the repairs yourself won’t void your warranty. However, that doesn’t mean repairing your iPhone or MacBook won’t come with a few potential problems. If, for example, you mess something up, like leave a screw where it shouldn’t be, or expose the electronics to static electricity, then Apple may void your warranty. That would fall under accidental damage, and most warranties wouldn’t cover this anyway. You’ll also have to use Apple’s approved parts, otherwise you won’t be able to get Apple to repair your device later without shelling out a lot of money, potentially to buy a new device.
As always, you take on risks any time you open up your electronics.
Repair for Everyone Else
Apple also claims they want to increase the number of service locations. Apple has reportedly been hostile towards third party repairs in the past. Often expanded access means more Apple Stores, not more third party repair shops. Those third party repair shops often operate at a loss on iPhone repairs due to Apple’s high price on parts. It’s not certain yet if Apple will make third party repair more lucrative. These shops know they have to undercut Apple on repair costs, but Apple sells them the parts they have to use, which means many repairs cost more to perform than they can charge. Unless that changes, there could be a sinister side to Apple’s new program: killing third party repair shops.
Why Now?
Apple has always been against third party repair and people doing their own repairs. The fact of the matter is, forcing customers to come to Apple is far more profitable than selling them the parts for repairs. It allows them to potentially upsell customers. “Oh, you broke your iPhone 7? Well, right now you could trade it in for a new iPhone 13 Pro Max tablet!” “Need a new screen? Great! And would you like to buy Apple Care or a $60 case today? Just the $200 repair? You got it!” It’s wasteful, as consumers are pushed into buying new smartphones when they could just repair them, creating e-waste, even if Apple can recycle a few parts from the old iPhone. Just last month Apple fought their own shareholders over right to repair, stating their own repair experts were the best people to fix Apple products. What happened to suddenly change Apple’s mind?
An Executive Order
We may have a single person to thank for our newfound right to repair: Joe Biden. An executive order Biden issued in July intended to protect consumers from monopolistic action and encourage a free market. This, specifically, included a section made to prevent “unfair anticompetitive restrictions on third-party repair or self-repair of items.” The order empowered the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to pursue companies that impede customers’ right to repair, along with other anticompetitive behavior.
This may have been the final nail in the coffin. Apple could choose to fight the FTC, but that wouldn’t look good for Apple. Apple already faces criticism for anticompetitive behavior, whether it comes to the App Store or Apple’s many bundled services in their “ecosystem.” Fighting over customers doing their own repairs could bring unwanted attention to Apple’s other monopolistic practices. Besides, it could turn out to be the more profitable option after all.
Techies and the Third Party Dilemma
Techies are hard to upsell. They’ve already done their research on products and, when going to an Apple Store for a repair, are usually just there for a repair. Any other purchases would require the same amount of research, like reading reviews and comparing spec sheets, so it wouldn’t happen on a whim anyway. These are also the people Apple will sell their parts and tools for repairs to. Apple’s best way to guarantee a sale to these customers is to sell them the tools, parts, and software to do repairs themselves.
Then there’s the third party repair shops. These have the ability to see far more customers and can undermine Apple’s ability to sell more products to less technical people. Furthermore, they may use non-genuine parts, undercutting Apple on price. If Apple can flood the market with genuine parts, however, they can more easily control the costs of third party repairs. This could push consumers back to the Apple Store due to increasing repair costs.
In a sense, offering official parts and tooling could hurt third party repairs, while aiding hobbyists. It silences the critics of Apple’s anticompetitive behavior, while potentially making competing with Apple more difficult. However, this still comes down to the pricing. Apple has an opportunity here to bolster third party repair shops with bulk pricing and fair genuine part prices. Either way, the only real losses for Apple are the opportunity costs of upselling customers on other products in an Apple Store, a loss Apple’s willing to take to comply with the law and prevent further intrusion in their other anticompetitive practices.
A Right to Repair Future
Apple has always claimed to support green tech, but by fighting right to repair, they created unnecessary e-waste from consumers upgrading their broken phones, rather than repairing them. However, with Apple’s newfound support for right to repair, that could change. Apple’s iPhones already get five to six years of software support. The iPhone 6s, released in 2016, runs iOS 15, just like the iPhone 13.
Android manufacturers give out anywhere between 1 and 4 years of support, with the latter usually only being security updates. Many—if not most—Android phones will see only one OS update and a few security patches through their lifetime. These manufacturers also rely heavily on third party repair shops. A way Apple can differentiate itself to compete with Android is that their devices are now easier to repair and will have software support for many years. As a result, an iPhone becomes an even better investment.
Apple has the ability to influence the market. Android manufacturers have started increasing the number of updates they’ll guarantee for their smartphones, even if they don’t always follow through on that in a timely manner. This change could lead to the entire industry adopting a more repair-friendly attitude. That can only be good for consumers and the environment.
If Apple properly supports third party repair shops, this is a win for everyone. Those looking for inexpensive repairs will have third party shops to go to. Those who want to perform repairs at home can find the parts, tools, and software to do so, though we don’t know how much this will cost yet. And finally, those who simply want to think as little as possible about the repair process will be able to buy Apple Care, bring their devices to an Apple Store, and know they’re in good hands. Everyone wins… as long as Apple allows it.
Sources:
- Apple Newsroom
- Mikey Campbell, AppleInsider
- Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge
- Eleanor Olcott and Patrick McGee, Financial Times