It turns out that Apple's biggest announcement this year wasn't the iPhone 13, or even the new line of supercharged MacBook Pros. It is that in the not too distant future, Apple deigns to let you repair your own iPhone - if you dare.
That's right, instead of having to take a phone with a cracked screen or a dead battery to an expensive "Apple Authorized Service Provider" or shady market kiosk, if you have the technical chops, Apple will give you the tools. Same parts, tools, and instruction manuals as the pros, so you can do it yourself.
So what does this all mean? And why did Apple do it? Continue reading to find out.
What about self-service repair?
The "Self-Service Repair" program will initially start with support for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series, allowing us to purchase the same tools and parts Apple uses to solve some of the most common problems consumers face. iPhones, such as broken screens, batteries and cameras.
Apparently, the new store will feature more than 200 of the most common tools and parts used to repair iPhones.
Apple also says the plan is to further expand the program "later next year" to cover other common repairs, and expand it to cover other Apple products, such as M1-powered MacBooks.
That doesn't mean that repairing your phone is easy. You will still need to have technical skills, and Apple still recommends using the traditional repair service for non-expert users.
And finally, the self-service program will initially only be available in the United States; Apple has announced plans to expand it even further. It is in 2022 that we will start to see it appear in other regions.
Why is self-service such a surprising advertisement?
The announcement of the self-service repair program is so surprising because it seems to go against everything Apple has done thus far.
For years, the company has received criticism from people who love to play with their devices that Apple devices are locked and difficult to repair. These criticisms are not without merit.
Successive generations of devices have become more difficult to repair, as Apple has chosen to build more of its devices as fully integrated pieces of silicon, metal, and plastic, rather than optimizing them to allow for the removal of individual components.
By the way, the newer MacBook Pros are a bit more useful, but we still think they're lagging.
And it is not just a question of design. Apple has also lobbied governments around the world not to pass laws that could require them to facilitate device repair. According to a Bloomberg report earlier this year, Apple has made its way into about 20 US states, urging lawmakers not to pass laws favorable to repairs.
Instead, the company insisted that repairs be done by authorized resellers, who pay Apple money for official parts and how-to guides for repair professionals. Apple's argument was that unauthorized repairs can lead to broken or unsafe devices, but these restrictions also mean that it is harder and more expensive to repair an Apple device.
A particularly egregious example of Apple's control freak is the infamous "Error 53" bug that plagued iPhones with fingerprint sensors. If you break the screen and have it replaced by an unauthorized Apple Service Provider, your TouchID will stop working.
So why change your mind?
Essentially, it looks like Apple freaked out and jumped before being pushed.
The company has been under pressure on its practices for some time. It's a PR headache to begin with, as making devices difficult to repair appears to thwart all of the company's sustainability efforts, which aim to have a fully developed, carbon-neutral supply chain by 2030. .
Another factor that may have caused Apple to take it seriously is that even shareholders are rebelling about it. One shareholder, the Green Century Index Fund, even submitted a shareholder proposal, with the aim of forcing Tim Cook to improve the redress ability.
But Apple also faces worrying headwinds across the board, as regulators on both sides of the Atlantic increasingly advocate for a right to redress.
In the United States, for example, President Biden appointed Lina Khan to oversee the Federal Trade Commission. She is a known skeptic of the power of big tech and has formally committed the agency to handling "right to repair" cases "vigorously."
And in Europe, the EU has also been active in seeking the right to reparation. Earlier this year, a new law went into effect across Europe (including Britain, as it hadn't left the EU when it was passed) that requires manufacturers to do things like make spare parts and service manuals. instructions are available.
In its current form, the EU legislation only applies to household appliances such as washing machines and boilers, but is expected to spread to other devices over time, such as mobile phones and computers.
Therefore, the wind is clearly beginning to change the repairs. And in addition to this problem, regulators in the United States, Europe and around the world have a long list of other concerns about Apple's behavior.
For example, the fact that Apple takes 30% of the cap on each transaction in the App Store, which is much more critical to the bottom line of the business than repairs. So at the end of the day, this may be a case where Apple tries to choose its battles wisely.
Will I notice something different? How will this affect me?
For most of us, the new repair program probably won't change much. If your phone no longer works, the easiest way will still be to make an appointment with the Genius Bar.
But what if an appointment is not available for a week or two and you really need a working phone? So maybe if you're feeling brave enough, you may have a new option.