In November 2021, Apple’s approach to hardware repair took a somewhat surprising turn when the company introduced it New initiative “Self-Service Reform”. There, spare parts and tools are sold directly to consumers who want to make minor repairs themselves. Now the first pilot phase of the project has been sharply launched in the USA, with Selling spare parts to individuals Those wishing to repair iPhone 12, 13 series and the third generation iPhone SE.
What’s available in the hardware path are the camera, battery, screen, vibration motor, and speakers. This also includes various accessories such as screws and fasteners of various kinds, as well as a set of tools. Repair manuals are openly available for anyone to familiarize themselves with, but in order to order products, users must first enter the IMEI number of the device.
All repair guides begin with sections where the interior of the phone is detailed, followed by hazards, warning texts, and lists of accessories and tools required to perform the repair. Products sold by Apple are marked with article numbers, but more general things like gloves, cleaning fluids, and sand are also found on the menus.
Smaller accessories such as screws, straps, and the like cost in most cases less than $1. For the Iphone 13, the full battery replacement package comes to just over $70, while the screen replacement costs around $270, which is roughly 3,300 kroner including VAT.
However, the prices do not include the purchase of any required tools. Apple provides a lot of chisels and special tools, among other things, to press the screens into place, which is also required according to the manual to install them correctly. More advanced variants cost between $200 and $300, which means that those who don’t have access to the corresponding tools or can rent them get nearly double the cost of many repairs.
Some repairs require a system restore to check for new parts, this is done using Apple Support. The broken parts can then be sent to Apple for recycling, something a bit like a deposit with a chance to earn points to shop for.
Currently, the service is only available in the US and for iPhones. However, Apple plans to expand into Europe as well as M1-powered Macs by the end of 2022.
Where do you buy your repair sand?
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