Mike Peterson
The repair and teardown experts at iFixit say they are "excited" about Apple's new Self Service Repair program, and called it a "remarkable concession."
Apple announced the program on Wednesday. Starting in 2022, it will allow consumers to purchase parts and tools — including batteries, displays, and cameras — so that they can repair their own devices.
Soon after, iFixit called the announcement a win for consumers.
"We're thrilled to see Apple admit what we've always known: Everyone's enough of a genius to fix an iPhone," wrote the team at iFixit.
Kyle Wiens, the founder and CEO of iFixit, also said that the new program represents a major shift in perspective for the Cupertino tech giant.
Apple's announcement may seem like a small thing: they're going to publish free manuals and sell parts to their customers. But it's a total shift in perspective. It's an agreement that this is a partnership. We're on Starship Earth together cruising through the universe together.
— Kyle Wiens (@kwiens) November 17, 2021
The repair and teardown site said that it's hopeful Apple will provide the same level of information that it offers Apple Authorized Service Providers.
For years, Apple has fought against right to repair legislation in various U.S. states, arguing that opening up repairs could lead to security and safety risks for consumers. iFixit called Apple out on its reversal, stating that the move "invalidates many of the arguments Apple and other manufacturers have used against the right to repair."
The repair program will launch in early 2022 with parts for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups. Eventually, Apple says that the repair program could apply to its M1 and Mac products.
William Gallagher
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
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Andrew O'Hara
20 Comments
This is a game changer. Hats off to Apple.
Get ready for all the horror stories about shady repairs.
I'll be hearing from my 'friends' a lot more...
It's been kinda quiet since the iPod battery days.
Here's what I think will happen: Apple will sell OEM parts that are more expensive* than the 3rd-party knock off parts that iFixit and others usually sell. They will offer manuals for repairs, but repairing your own device will also void the warranty. These parts will also be marked as OEM but after market so they can keep a good record. Once you fuck up your own repair Apple will then know when you try to pass it off to them to fix.
* They are OEM parts so of course they should be more pricey.
Gotta love iFixit. Most folks just know them from their teardown videos but they also provide repair services and amazing tool kits for those that want to do their own work. I use the repair kit tools for tons of things other than computers (just used some spudgers to get an odometer out of an old Porsche). Kudo's to Apple for promoting self repairs, but there were always many of us that did this work once our devices were out of warranty.