This is a great example of what to expect from Samsung and Google later this year
Apple first announced its do-it-yourself repair program late last year, giving a massive victory to right-to-repair enthusiasts everywhere, and likely spurred Google and Samsung to offer similar solutions. At the time, we had lots of questions about when it would be available, how much it would cost, and when the company would eventually add support for older phones. We learn the answers to some of these questions with today’s official launch.
Apple’s Self Service Repair Store went live today and offers original spare parts and guides for anyone with the technical know-how – and mature – to repair their device independently (via The Verge). It’s only available in the US to launch, though it’s coming to Europe and other regions later this year. As originally announced, its range of parts currently supports iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models along with the 2022 iPhone SE. The company still plans to expand to M1-based Macs later this year, though there is no specific schedule yet.
All the repair manuals are available online as PDFs describing the necessary tools, parts and steps to be taken, along with warnings on what to avoid. Apple says the parts they offer to consumers are identical to those sold to partner workshops around the world for the same exact price. The site itself does not have the usual Apple luster – it is operated by a third-party company called SPOT, which means that all orders, shipments and returns are managed independently. It’s not too unlike Google and Samsung, who are partnering with iFixit to manage their respective applications when they launch later this year.
However, do not expect to save a fortune on some of these repairs. The battery packs for the iPhone 12 and 13 series cost $ 69 in advance – the same prices that Apple charges if it replaces it internally. You only save some money when you send your old parts for recycling, after which the company issues a credit. In this case, you get $ 24.15 in return, bringing the total price down to just $ 45.
Apple still recommends most of its customers to visit a professional repair service, but there is no doubt that many of these fixes can be performed by those with a certain level of expertise. On the Android side, this launch gives us a good example of what we can expect from Google and Samsung – though hopefully with even more savings in advance.
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