Snippet: Apple to Offer Genuine Parts and Resources to Independent Repair Shops ☇

Apple PR:

Apple today announced a new repair program, offering customers additional options for the most common out-of-warranty iPhone repairs. Apple will provide more independent repair businesses — large or small — with the same genuine parts, tools, training, repair manuals and diagnostics as its Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs). The program is launching in the US with plans to expand to other countries.

“To better meet our customers’ needs, we’re making it easier for independent providers across the US to tap into the same resources as our Apple Authorized Service Provider network,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “When a repair is needed, a customer should have confidence the repair is done right. We believe the safest and most reliable repair is one handled by a trained technician using genuine parts that have been properly engineered and rigorously tested.”

I’ve been watching the “right to repair” debate and have always had mixed feelings: while I am perfectly capable of following directions and understanding the risks for out-of-warranty repairs with a generally good rate of success, there’s a lot of people that think they’d be good and end up destroying their iPhones. While that wouldn’t affect me personally and they may learn a hard lesson, what if someone was to use some sort of faulty aftermarket battery? The repair would be considered “successful” but I think the concern of an iPhone catching on fire (airplane, crowded public place, etc.) does have some some merit. I also see the security aspect of keeping the various parts of one device intact as a whole to prevent tampering or the potential of unauthorized data access.

Getting official parts replacements for screens and batteries has always been fairly reasonable through Apple, but I think this is a great additional option, especially as it may be closer and less busy than an Apple Store. I think Apple requiring an Apple-certified technician do the work is much like many mechanics getting ASE certification.