Apple seems to have finally figured it out – repairability is no longer an obscene word in Apple’s verse. But is this good news for your business?
What Apple has planned
In short, Apple is finally listening to consumers and governments and will begin to give people the right (and tools) to repair their own equipment.
The self-service plan starts with small steps – the company will begin selling genuine Apple spare parts for iPhone 12 and 13 devices next year, and will supply components for its Silicon Macs. Apple then.
The company will expand the program – which also includes the delivery of service manuals and approved tools – to 200 components and other countries starting in 2022.
Pricing details are yet to be shown, and if you own an older iPhone or Mac, nothing has changed. And Apple didn’t say anything about the iPad.
What is not possible?
This program will not allow you to collect components from damaged iPhones to use to repair other iPhones. Existing Apple model does not allow Independent repair shop (IRP) to replace the defective part with the part obtained from another device. Instead, the company requires serial number approval of both the Apple-purchased component and the phone itself, according to iFixit.
The feel of the announcement tells us this could continue. Aside from price, that restriction might not matter much to individual users who just want to replace their battery or screen, but it will be important to businesses and others trying to maintain – and Manage technical support budgets – across larger teams.
SMB do there is an option.
Apple Business Basics Will provide AppleCare support across multiple device groups next year. It’s important to note that the coverage you get from AppleCare through that plan may apply on any device you manage. So if you pay for that coverage on 50 employees, that will provide plenty of coverage for many cases.
Larger businesses may have existing arrangements with approved repair engineers.
Also consider iFixIt’s claim that IRP members get a new iPhone 12 screen for about $235 if they return the damaged screen. That’s a very small discount on the $280 that Apple charges to repair an iPhone 12 screen that’s out of warranty.
For many businesses, it will be a matter of researching fees for both AppleCare and part replacement when they are revealed in 2022. I think most small business users will see Apple Business Essentials (and a few). hard case) offers the best deal, while larger businesses will stick with existing support arrangements.
It’s not a complete commitment
Apple’s approach to repair rights is also limited by what it doesn’t offer.
It does not discuss older devices. It just announced iPhone 12 and 13 and M1 Macs. Apple also didn’t announce any amnesty for annoying warnings about “genuine parts” that iPhones are repaired with. components not approved by Apple sometimes displayed.
Overall, this means that while you may be able to repair your iPhone, you may not be able to use harvested parts and may not be able to search for replacement parts that are not approved by Apple (that is, manufacture).
While I understand why Apple only wants approved components inside people’s iPhones, as they don’t want to be sued in the event that a faulty non-approved part causes problems, but maybe activating the approved third party parts market could be a good next step. I won’t hold my breath, but I can consider this an emerging battleground.
It’s not about fixing
What may be most important is what people don’t discuss a lot.
We know Apple is investing in building carbon neutral supply chain and the company seems more seriously committed to this than most. Apple has often statement regarding its approach:
- It wants to sell devices working for many years.
- It wants to build devices as far as possible no pollution.
- It wants to make improvements throughout the product’s lifecycle to go carbon-free.
- It is trying to build a circular production chain in which new components are created from recycling what is old.
It even has that section at the bottom of each product announcement (where too much of the tech press seems off) where it talks about the environmental design of each of its products.
So far, the elephant in the room has been repaired.
Now, we know Apple wasn’t in a hurry to do this. Some think it took a rebellious shareholders and a management change at FTC to force it to accept some form of right to repair. That can’t be easy for Apple’s environmental teams. With all his good work, the elephant was still hard to hide, as elephants are often. But I’m really reassured after wrapping up Apple’s press release regarding this plan, where it says (my italics):
“By designing products for durability, longevity and increased repairability, customers enjoy a product for a long time and retain its value over the years. Apple also provides software updates over the years to introduce new features and functionality.”
Designing products with greater repairability can make a big difference in the years to come.
There’s a little more background information to consider. A few years ago, Apple surprised everyone by expanding the number of devices supported by software updates to devices that are up to 5 years old. Few, if any, smartphone vendors match this.
Now, by acknowledging the need to “increase repairability” – even if this is slightly impacted by the need to use Apple-approved components – the built-in recycling incentive for The company’s emerging look.
Now that Apple has been pushed to accept repairability, your business should be the next step.
Apple shows where the wind blows
If you are a business that makes and sells products, you must realize things are changing. We know the governments greatly reduced at COP26, but the pressure to act on climate change will only increase. This has happened. The energy supply cuts affecting Chinese manufacturing are not a blip, but a sign.
While we’ve experienced 20 years of increasingly rapid transformation across every business, there’s little sign that this will slow, meaning every company – small or large – must adopt. thinking about repair, recycling, renewal and reuse.
Those environmental concepts will quickly become as important as TCO and price in the way consumer and business customers view any product purchase, including the products your company manufactures.
Apple could – and probably should – have come up with self-repair plans like these years ago. That’s not to say that when it comes to repair rights, Apple is the weather-beater, blown away by the winds of shareholder rebellion and government demands.
That may be true, but it also seems as inevitable as the black rock in Space adventure The fact that Apple made these changes shows us how strong all the winds of these changes are now. We will all feel the heat. So what is the plan to repair the product yourself at your company?
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