Apple’s Independent Repair Provider program expands globally

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/03/apples-independent-repair-provider-program-expands-globally/

by todsacerdoti • 5 years ago

59 61 5 years ago

genmud5• 5 years ago

I wish apple would stop using/forcing IC manufacturers to restrict supply of components on their board.

The IRP provides parts, but when it comes to apple, the only parts available are the entire assemblies, which is a bummer. Instead of replacing a $4 IC that got blown because of liquid damage, you have to replace the entire PCB, which for a MBP might be like $800-1200.

I feel like there is so much ewaste that wouldn't head to the landfill if this wasn't the case.

lostgame• 5 years ago

That's the dream, isn't it? :P

Repairable, or, especially, upgradeable Macs are absolutely a fever dream of mine.

google234123• 5 years ago

How many hours of specialist work would it be to find and replace a single tiny faulty IC on a large PCB? I can't imagine it's actually cost effective.

paxys3• 5 years ago

While that would be great, it's a pointless wish considering Apple has been steadily moving in the exact opposite direction for years. And now other manufacturers are doing the same following their lead. Forget ICs, now you can't even upgrade storage or RAM in your own computer.

xnyan• 5 years ago

Forget ICs, now you can't even upgrade storage or RAM in your own computer

Why forget? We're talking about Apple, and it's a choice Apple could make at any time. It took me a few years, but I am now pretty damn good with my hot air reflow station and can reliably work with pretty much any SMD.

If someone (who of of course has given informed consent that I am not Apple and they have no responsibility for this repair) wants me to try and fix their device, what's the good reason for Apple not selling me a component?

Because it makes no sense if your goal is to make as much money as possible. You'd rather sell them something new or capture as much profit as possible by selling your repairs.

I'm an apple customer only because I consider them the least worst option for me at this time. Nobody is king forever, and the second there's a viable option for me, I'm out.

cptskippy4• 5 years ago

I imagine one day iFixit is going to pop open a MacBook and it's just going to be a black epoxy blob.

908B64B1974• 5 years ago

can't even upgrade storage or RAM in your own computer.

I wonder if they have any data on how often folks used to do that.

anonymousiam• 5 years ago

I think HP was actually the pioneer of this. Years ago I attempted to replace a failed (IDE) hard drive in an HP desktop. The (HP OEM) Windows installation failed because the drive (although comparable and perfectly suitable) was not an HP part. I dealt with their tech support for days, and even obtained a replacement (HP OEM) Windows disc. The troubleshooting folks were off their chart and could not help. (I went with a non-HP drive because I could get it more quickly, and it cost half as much as the HP part, and had a better warranty.)

I tried a non-HP Windows installation disc and everything worked just fine. So I was not allowed to install the Licensed and paid-for Windows OS because the hard disk was not recognized as an HP part.

I wasted so much time troubleshooting that it would have been cheaper to just buy the overpriced HP disk. Since that day I have never purchased any HP products, and I have recommended other brands to my clients.

birdyrooster• 5 years ago

For most manufacturers I agree, but Apple has the capability to disassemble and refurbish their devices in an automated fashion and incentivizes users to trade in their old equipment with discounts on new products. There is a lot less that gets sent to landfill as a result.

genmud5• 5 years ago

I would love to hear sources on that, I doubt that apple refurbs their 2-3 year old laptops and sells them to customers. Maybe they are doing this for iPhone lines, but I doubt they are doing it for their MBP/iPad stuff.

TBH, refurb stuff in my mind is basically remanufactured. When most devices go through that process at a manufacturer, many times they will get the guts pulled out and have replacement cosmetics redone.

I have never seen anything but the current gen stuff or N-1 laptops for sale on their refurb store, so call that into question.

reaperducer3• 5 years ago

the only parts available are the entire assemblies, which is a bummer. Instead of replacing a $4 IC that got blown

If it can't be bought, how do you know it costs $4?

More to the point — I don't think Apple is focused on repair shops as competition. I think they're focused on the likes of Samsung and Huawei as competition, and lock up the parts to keep them out of the hands of their real competitors. The indy repair facilities are just collateral damage.

kevincox• 5 years ago

I doubt that is true. There is lots of evidence that shows Apple is quite actively trying to cycle phones through consumers faster.

Preventing other manufacturers from buying them may be another benefit, but fighting repairs is more than a happy accident.

reader_mode• 5 years ago

think they're focused on the likes of Samsung and Huawei as competition, and lock up the parts to keep them out of the hands of their real competitors

How does that even make sense - the parts are shipping with the devices. And reverse engineering stuff from the device to the point of being able to repair (ie. reverse engineering to the point of a repair manual) should be fairly trivial for invested parties.

genmud5• 5 years ago

Because parts of similar make/capabilities by the exact same manufacturer are sold at that price. What Apple is doing is working with the supplier to roll a specific IC that is for use exclusively by them. The issue is that many of these components don't have any secret sauce (or if they do, its minimal) and are black boxes which can't be bought.

I'm even giving them a huge price hike, since on many of the things, for example a common DC-DC converter with multiple rails in a WLCSP or BGA package is more like $.20-$.35 at the volumes they buy.

They are definitely not doing this as a competitive thing against Samsung/Huawei, since Samsung/Huawei aren't competitors on laptops. This is specifically around their laptops/desktops.

These practices are definitely targeted at removing the capabilities to do component level repair. If they were not, you could allow your suppliers to sell those ICs to component level repair shops.

The problem is that Apple has a pattern and well established history of this type of anti-repair behavior. They have also been actively engaged in lobbying against these types of rights. They definitely don't get to have the benefit of the doubt on this topic.

PurpleFoxy2• 5 years ago

It’s an improvement but it’s not quite good enough IMO. Apple has a few weird and insane requirements that extend to independent repair stores.

If you want to get your battery replaced. The settings app must show that the battery health is at 80% or lower. If it doesn’t for some reason, the repair store is not allowed by apple to swap the battery regardless of what you have experienced or what you are willing to pay.

chrisseaton• 5 years ago

I guess that's to stop repairers telling you 'probably worth changing the battery while we're at it' when that's not true - similar to many disreputable car mechanics.

easton• 5 years ago

That's especially weird as in the Apple Store, they will not do it under warranty but will replace your battery even if it's 80%+ for the usual rate. They heavily discourage it though (since if your battery isn't that degraded the system won't start downclocking).

tmchu• 5 years ago

There's nothing weird about it. Apple don't really want retail repair shop to be functional. The whole IRP is just a political move to avoid right to repair legal battles.

dralley• 5 years ago

That doesn't even register in terms of the "insane" requirements of this program.

The primary benefit of going to an independent repair store is that they're local and can provide faster turnaround than mailing it off somewhere. But Apple serializes the batteries, so you can't stockpile them. The battery won't work unless it's programmed with the phone's serial, and independent repair shops can't do that.

So the customer has to go to the independent repair shop, have them open up the phone, write down the serial number, order the battery from Apple, wait for it to be shipped, and then call the customer back in a week so that the phone can be opened and actually fixed.

And if the customer at any point says "fuck it" and buys a new phone or sends it direct to Apple, then the repair shop is stuck with an worthless battery that only works for that specific phone.

And on top of that, the batteries are un-competitively priced.

It's a completely worthless program designed to provide them some political cover and nothing else.

reaperducer3• 5 years ago

Apple serializes the batteries, so you can't stockpile them.

My experience has been the opposite.

When I had my battery replaced at an independent Apple authorized service center (one that Apple actually referred me to), they replaced the battery the same day with one they had in stock.

paxys3• 5 years ago

This is a welcome development, but still NOT a substitute for right to repair laws and fully independent vendors.

devwastaken2• 5 years ago

Apple independent repair is a PR stunt that is not at all about repair. It's apart of their fight to not provide repair while looking like they do so various governments won't regulate them.

If we always had to buy OEM dealer parts and only dealer 'certified techs' could repair, then only the rich can afford vehicles.

https://youtu.be/0rCUF-V1esM skip to 6:13.

CivBase• 5 years ago

If we always had to buy OEM dealer parts and only dealer 'certified techs' could repair, then only the rich can afford vehicles.

Assuming Apple even sells their "authorized independent repair providers" the parts or authorizes them to perform the repairs. From the sound of things, they can't do hardly anything more than replace screens and batteries. Rossmann has said he's not AAIRP-certified specifically because the program wouldn't allow him to offer many of the repair services he current provides.

nickfromseattle• 5 years ago

The city I grew up in had 3 Apple stores within 10 miles, I took having access to in-person Apple support for granted.

Have a problem? Drive down to the Apple store.

Then I moved to a European country without a single Apple store.

Did you know that Apple will only replace iPhones under warranty that were purchased in the same country (EU is a single market)? [0]

Meaning, if I buy an iPhone in Europe, Apple won't service it under warranty in the US and visa versa. I have to mail it to the country of purchase.

There are a lot of locations in the world without an Apple store, and I help this makes it easier to get support locally.

I recently switched to the M1 from Lenovo's X1 Carbon line and one of the things I appreciated about Lenovo was having a global 3rd party support network with a massive footprint to service warranty issues.

If I have problems with my M1 I need to mail it somewhere.

[0] https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250826854

4ad• 5 years ago

Meaning, if I buy an iPhone in Europe, Apple won't service it under warranty in the US and visa versa. I have to mail it to the country of purchase.

Anecdotal, but I had my EU-bought hardware serviced multiple time by Apple in the US. In fact, Apple replaced my battery of my EU-bought laptop for free, even though my laptop was long out of warranty.

Additionally Apple US has fixed my hardware when Apple EU has refused to do so claiming it had no problem.

I Have Apple Care, if that matters.

People like to complain about Apple support all the time, but in my experience, Apple has been the only company where I've had a good warranty experience, though that was in the US. In the EU, it's a disaster.

Nullabillity2• 5 years ago

I Have Apple Care, if that matters.

That's the hilarious thing about Apple. You overpay on the hardware so that you can get gouged on the software, while overpaying for a subscription to be able to overpay for repairs.

vimy• 5 years ago

Did you know that Apple will only replace iPhones under warranty that were purchased in the same country (EU is a single market)? [0]

When did this change? I remember global warranty for all Apple products with a battery.

leecb• 5 years ago

I've personally had an iPhone 8 purchased in Thailand replaced under warranty in Sydney. I've had US-purchased Macbook Pros serviced in many other countries, including batteries (Canada, Thailand), mainboards (Germany, Singapore), top cases (butterfly keyboard in Thailand and Germany) and screens (Texas, Thailand). Certainly seems global to me, though countries without Apple stores are most definitely second class participants in Apple's repair network.

speeder• 5 years ago

I am from Brazil... this is just normal to us.

Our taxes are stupidly insane, and often things at outright not available here, so we buy in other countries... need warranty? You are screwed.

I bought some RAM for example from US... It had an error in its ROM configuration, I told the manufacturer, they attempted to fix (and failed, the replacement had same error) and sent to me the replacement, government changed me import taxes on the product replacement, and seemly just to make a point made the taxes higher than the original price I paid in first place.

908B64B1974• 5 years ago

Why not simply get rid of these taxes?

Sounds counter-productive. Are they seriously hopping manufacturers are going to go setup manufacturing facilities there?

All it does is hurt the local Tech Sector.

pibefision2• 5 years ago

What part is serviceable on an M1 SoC? I returned my M1 MBA because I don't want to think on how to replace the SSD after two or three years of norm usage.

It's a great machine, but will buy it only after an official statement of Apple confirming what's the TBW of their ssd. It's 150? 300 or 600. Nobody knows.

bilbo0s3• 5 years ago

I'm not sure people are wanting an SoC to be "serviceable".

I think most people understand you have to "replace" at that point.

pibefision2• 5 years ago

What if your SSD fails because the usage? I'am happy to replace it with a new one. But in a M1 SoC, you can't. The whole motherboard is useless.

moistbar• 5 years ago

I don't want to have to spend another grand because a $200 SSD failed. In other laptops, I don't have to do that.

rasz3• 5 years ago

Whole motherboard, and no data recovery possible.

Apple’s Independent Repair Provider program expands globally

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