Apple surrenders on right to repair
 

Realises there is too much work fixing borked Apple gear

Apple will begin selling parts, tools and repair guides to independent shops to fix broken iPhones, a major change after years of lobbying against laws in some US states that would have compelled it to do just that.

Apple claims the programme will ease heavy demand on Apple and its authorised partners to fix millions of cracked screens and fried charging ports, and everything else that goes wrong with the overpriced toys.

Under the scheme, independent repair shops will be offered official parts for out-of-warranty repairs at the same price offered to authorised service providers, such as Best Buy which perform warranty work.

Apple’s iPhone sales have declined in the past two fiscal quarters, but sales of accessories such as its AirPods wireless headphones and the Apple Watch, along with paid services like Apple Music, have helped make up for some of the revenue falls. Independent shops have long complained that the high purchase volumes required by Apple to become an authorised service provider priced them out of the repair market.

The tech giant had previously lobbied against “right-to-repair” bills to supply independent businesses in several US states, including New York and California, citing concerns about maintaining a high service standard. It earlier this year allowed all US Best Buy stores to handle warranty work.

The change only applies to iPhones, leaving out Mac laptops, whose troubled keyboards have required extensive repairs and prompted Apple to launch a special service program. And shops cannot resell parts to customers who want to do their work.

Kyle Wiens, chief executive of repair guide company iFixit and a longtime advocate for right-to-repair laws, said: “those are all reasons that right-to-repair legislation is still really necessary.”

This is Apple realising that the market for borked Apple gear is too large for it to handle itself and providing independent technicians with genuine parts is a great step, Wiens said. It also shows that if right-to-repair legislation passed tomorrow, Apple could instantly comply.
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