# Apple announces Self Service Repair



## hardworkingnewbie (Nov 17, 2021)

Hell has just frozen over: 

*CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA *Apple today announced Self Service Repair, which will allow customers who are comfortable with completing their own repairs access to Apple genuine parts and tools. Available first for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, and soon to be followed by Mac computers featuring M1 chips, Self Service Repair will be available early next year in the US and expand to additional countries throughout 2022. Customers join more than 5,000 Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) and 2,800 Independent Repair Providers who have access to these parts, tools, and manuals.

The initial phase of the program will focus on the most commonly serviced modules, such as the iPhone display, battery, and camera. The ability for additional repairs will be available later next year.

“Creating greater access to Apple genuine parts gives our customers even more choice if a repair is needed,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “In the past three years, Apple has nearly doubled the number of service locations with access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and training, and now we’re providing an option for those who wish to complete their own repairs.”

Apple builds durable products designed to endure the rigors of everyday use. When an Apple product requires repair, it can be serviced by trained technicians using Apple genuine parts at thousands of locations, including Apple (in-store or by mail), AASPs, Independent Repair Providers, and now product owners who are capable of performing repairs themselves.









						Apple announces Self Service Repair
					

Apple parts, tools, and manuals — starting with iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 — available to individual consumers.



					www.apple.com


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## mer (Nov 17, 2021)

Just in time for supply chain issues to say "We're sorry, that part is on back order.  Please check again in 8 months.  In the meantime, have you seen our new iPhone 14+?"


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## hardworkingnewbie (Nov 17, 2021)

Well what makes me more wonder is this: Apple isn't exactly building most of their products with repairability by the end user in mind. In fact the opposite, they are gluing stuff in, putting traps in by which the device can detect it has been repaired "unauthorised" and they do wall even their hardware so much, that when buying two iPhones for example with the exactly the same configuration, and you are exchanging cameras between these two iOS will already complain and shut down features.





_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s7NmMl_-yg_


So even when making that stuff accessible the question for me is: will they start to stop this practice, and also build their stuff more repairable again? Because even with having access to that stuff repairing will be complicated.


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## Alain De Vos (Nov 17, 2021)

Apple vs Right to Repair


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## astyle (Nov 17, 2021)

You kind of need the tools, skill, motivation, and time to crack open an iPhone and try to repair it. For those who don't have any of that (VAST majority of iphone owners), the Apple Store is frankly their only option. Break a $600 iphone7, go to an Apple Store, walk out with a $1500 iphone13. And the Apple Store tech will also fish out all the porn on your iphone, to boot.  Even the pandemic and supply chain issues are powerless to change THAT.


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## Sevendogsbsd (Nov 17, 2021)

Not defending Apple but Android phones are the same. Try opening and repairing a new Samsung or LG phone...I have owned and used Apple hardware since around 2007 and have had zero issues. I also do not drop phones so that helps...


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## astyle (Nov 17, 2021)

Sevendogsbsd said:


> Not defending Apple but Android phones are the same. Try opening and pairing a new Samsung or LG phone...I have owned and used Apple hardware since around 2007 and have had zero issues. I also do not drop phones so that helps...


Yeah, the newer Androids are harder to open and repair. I still have an older Galaxy S4 Active - that one was easy to open and tinker with, and the battery was actually OK - but Bluetooth was a big drain on the battery, and the whole device was unreliable in actually receiving phone calls.  My current phone is not something I can easily open, but I have zero issues with it - MUCH better battery, BT is not as big a drain as it used to be, it takes a phone call reliably, and it still works fine after I fell off a dock into water in Hawaii - with my phone in my pocket!


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## Sevendogsbsd (Nov 17, 2021)

Fortunately the past couple of phones I've had are "water resistant", in that they will last 30 minutes or so in a meter or 2 of water. I am not testing that however...


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## msplsh (Nov 17, 2021)

Not an altruistic move.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1461039796554551305_View: https://twitter.com/russellbrandom/status/1461039796554551305_


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## drhowarddrfine (Nov 17, 2021)

My question would be, how much do these tools cost? Sure, you can replace your own glass on an iPhone but what if the tool by itself is a hundred dollars? And that might be the one and only time you'll ever use it.


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## _martin (Nov 17, 2021)

I think Louis deserves to be mentioned here: Louis Rosssman: Apple makes parts and manuals available to all.


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## Crivens (Nov 17, 2021)

I guess this will end in more iThings being sold when people try to open their gadgets and utterly break them.


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## msplsh (Nov 17, 2021)

Crivens said:


> I guess this will end in more iThings being sold when people try to open their gadgets and utterly break them.


Honestly, this is what I expect.  I have repaired many of them and they are absurdly complicated and delicate.  When iFixit says "difficult" they mean "you stand a good chance of not actually repairing the product."


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## astyle (Nov 18, 2021)

There's a flip side to how Green Century connected the dots. Yes, you can look at 'repair and maintenance' as 'less new iphones shipped' --> 'less trucks with new iphones driven around'. But, those same trucks will be filled with spare parts for the older iphones, so no, there won't be less trucks on the road, and therefore, absolutely no impact to climate change.


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## Alain De Vos (Nov 18, 2021)

Imho it are high tech expensive throw away products (which must create revenue for the shareholders)


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## _martin (Nov 18, 2021)

You can buy those tools even now (such as aforementioned iFixt kits). With some digging around you can get to the diagrams too. This is about right to repair, i.e. availability of spare parts for 3rd party repair shops. We had few threads about this here too.


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## ralphbsz (Nov 18, 2021)

Let me tell you a little anecdote. Our pickup truck used to be a 1977 Ford F-250, with a 5.8L eight cylinder engine, and a big carburetor on top. The engine made only 160HP (meaning top speed on flat ground was ~70mph, and in the hills I often had to drop to 20mph uphill, which makes the people driving behind me very unhappy), and fuel consumption was about 8-9 mpg (meaning the truck cost me a fortune in gasoline). Running it in idle for longer than 10 minutes caused it to overheat (mechanical cooling fan). We did most of the maintenance ourselves, because it was easy: The engine was uncomplicated (there was I think exactly one transistor in it, in the ignition), there was lots of room in the engine compartment (matter-of-fact, sitting on the fenders you could dangle you legs between the engine and the wheels), and generic parts were available everywhere. If the engine didn't run well, or something was broken, I could adjust or replace things myself. I often spent an hour on the weekend inside the engine compartment. Also, the trucks electrical system was trivial: There was a battery and an alternator, and a lot of manual switches in the dashboard, with wires that lead to things. Upgrading or repairing the electrical system was tedious but easy, and parts could be found at any store.

We have since replaced it with two new trucks. One is a 2007 Dodge 2500, which has a 5.7L eight cylinder engine, fuel injected and computer controlled. It can make 365HP, which means I can actually drive on a freeway at speeds that don't annoy other people, and I can responsibly bring 5 tons of gravel home without becoming a road hazard. And on flat ground, it uses only 18mpg, so it is hugely more efficient. The second is a 2005 International diesel, with an electronically injected 7.4L engine. It makes a near-infinite amount of torque (which is needed, the truck weighs 25,000 pounds), and you can run it all day long at low RPM to operate hydraulic systems. But: Maintenance on these trucks is nearly impossible for an amateur. The electrical systems are mostly computerized; matter-of-fact, to add extra functionality (like new safety lights) you need to get a Windows laptop and a $800/year software package, but you don't need to add switches or wires, because the dashboard is already full of electronically connected switches, and there are remote power controllers in all the right places. The manufacturer actually gives away the manual for adding functionality to the electrical system, except that the manual is about 450 pages long. Doing engine maintenance would be nearly impossible for an amateur, since the engines are computer controlled and exceedingly complex. All I do is filter cleaning and oil changes, the rest is left to very skilled and highly paid people.

See a pattern here? Both new trucks are MUCH MUCH better than the old one. They have much more power, they are much more reliable (the Dodge has never had an engine problem, and that's after 14 years of heavy use), they are much more efficient, and they do the job much better. If you can get help from skilled people (for example the dealer that has the laptop with the software package), they are easy and efficient to adapt to new tasks. The way the manufacturers (both Chrysler-Dodge and Navistar-International) achieved this is to add complexity, miniaturization, and computer control. The price that is paid is that repairs and upgrades by unskilled amateurs are no longer sensible, and in some cases de-facto impossible. It's not that the manufacturers make maintenance/modification impossible. On the contrary, I've spent an hour on the phone with Navistar-International tech support, and they explained exactly how remote power distribution works, how to program the system (if only I had the laptop, wire harness and software), and where to get the $300 specialized connector and harness to plug in.



hardworkingnewbie said:


> Well what makes me more wonder is this: Apple isn't exactly building most of their products with repairability by the end user in mind.


Correct. They build products that are feature rich, efficient, compact, reliable, and good to use. Products that delight the user. Repairability is designed around a workflow that involves highly trained repair people, replacement of large integrated units (like whole boards), and expensive tools and jigs. Have you ever wondered why modern computers are no longer screwed together but glued, and why all chips are soldered to the board instead of in sockets? That's because screws and sockets are larger, heavier, less reliable, and generally the opposite of what you want in a small/powerful/reliable product.



> In fact the opposite, they are gluing stuff in, putting traps in by which the device can detect it has been repaired "unauthorised" and they do wall even their hardware so much, that when buying two iPhones for example with the exactly the same configuration, and you are exchanging cameras between these two iOS will already complain and shut down features.


False. Worse than false, paranoid delusional. You seem to think that Apple (and by extension much of industry) is out to get you, they're trying to hurt your interests, trying to cheat you, part of a giant conspiracy. No, cell phone manufacturers are nothing like that. There are good and logical reasons for each of the things you complain about.

Glue? Lighter, smaller, stronger, and more reliable than screws.

Unauthorized opening? Look, a device like a cell phone or laptop is "trusted" (study the technology for TCB sometimes). When I plug my 2FA device into the phones USB socket, the software can detect that the path from the CPU to the 2FA is trusted, because nobody can have modified the hardware (since opening would have been detected), and a MiM attack outside would be detected in the protocol. Once sealed and secured, opening (or more accurately reclosing) can only be performed by authenticated and trusted partners.

Have you ever talked to people who build high-performance audio and optics? Cell phone cameras (and microphones these days) are calibrated, and the calibration is stored in the phone. If you switch the camera hardware between two phones, it will not work as well as one should expect, since now there is a miscalibration. And that calibration is not easy to perform at home; I know that for audio, they use anechoic chambers with sound generators (cameras must be similar). A friend of mine (a real musician, with an  electrical engineering degree) works for a cell phone manufacturer (hint: Apple headquarters is 15 miles from my house, Google not much further), and when Covid started and he had to work from home, he took several $100K worth of testing and calibration equipment from his lab home, because that's what needed to work on cell phones (he doesn't repair customer shipped once, he tests and modified pre-production prototypes, but that's the same concept). Are you goin go buy $100K worth of logic and spectrum analyzers, just so you can replace parts of your phone?



> will they ... build their stuff more repairable again?


If they did, 99.9% of customers would refuse to buy it. It would be bulky, weak, and fail all the time. For the same reason as: If Ford still offered the 1977 model of pickup truck, nobody would want it, because it is super underpowered, unreliable, and inefficient. If you want an antique that's easy to work on, there are suppliers that cater to it. For example, one of my neighbors drives and repairs a 1958 Thunderbird convertible. But not every day on the way to work, that would be insane.


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## astyle (Nov 18, 2021)

Yes, professor ralphbsz . It takes actual reading of the essay to get the point. And I have to admit, I kinda missed it too - until it was pointed out.


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## hardworkingnewbie (Nov 19, 2021)

What an incredible wall of text full of sugarcoating bullshit to hide the fact that computer manufacturers mostly glue stuff in their computers nowadays instead of using other ways for one fact only: increasing profit!

And for example reg. your "unauthorized opening" stuff: again, bullshit. Louis Rossman explained in utter detail that for example all he has to do with an iPhone if he wanted to attack yours he has to replace the chips in the iPhone which drive the replaced hardware with the original one which came with the hardware. Around a 15 minute soldering job for him. 

Trusted notebooks, really? A notebook with TPM can be breached in around 10 minutes without the need to solder anything and infected with malware without anybody noticing it. So, again - bullshit. Aside that use case of TCB only matters for few, but not many.









						From Stolen Laptop to Inside the Company Network — Dolos Group
					

What can you do with a stolen laptop? Can you get access to our internal network? That was the question a client wanted answered recently. Spoiler alert: Yes, yes you can. This post will walk you through how we took a “stolen” corporate laptop and chained several exploits together to get inside the




					dolosgroup.io
				



Also customers and refusal: over the last decades tractors became more and more technified. Farmers were always good in maintaining their stuff for a long time. This is now for the new generations in many areas almost impossible. 

That's the reason why there's in America now a really big second hand market for tractors around, which are still modern enough to be usable but don't have these heaps of technology builtin. And the prices for these old tractors are quite high despite their age.


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## Crivens (Nov 19, 2021)

It is complicaed. The calibration argument I had not known, that glue manufactures better I did. On the other hand, I was in meetings where such "accidental" incompatabilities were planned for the express reason to secure aftermarket repairs. Everybody is a bit right and wrong here.


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## msplsh (Nov 19, 2021)

Glue is fine if you can undo and replace it.  Apple switched from straight-up glue to what amounts to 3M command strips for batteries, and that makes things way easier, not only for them to fix but also third parties.

The exploits they used on Windows & the TPM are a joke compared to how Apple's stuff works.  That hack you posted is stopped at three different places

PIN on the BIOS would have stopped them, and Apple has theirs designed so that it can boot and still keep your data encrypted until you put in your passcode.
Apple's version of secure boot doesn't let you modify stuff on disk to change configurations without the passcode
Third party should have put the VPN keys in whatever Microsoft's version of Keychain is, which is stupid easy to program on iOS/Mac, so it must be too complicated on Windows
Not really comparable.  I would like to see the video where Rossman can boot a locked iPhone and access the data.  Actually the FBI would like to see that.  Sure, you can replace _some_ stuff like that, but not the important bits.


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## kpedersen (Nov 19, 2021)

ralphbsz said:


> Correct. They build products that are feature rich, efficient, compact, reliable, and good to use. Products that delight the user.


How can they delight the user when they are so locked down and crippled?

They are basically like perfectly calibrated pickup trucks that you can only drive around supermarkets with. What if you actually need to drive on a road?


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## jbo (Nov 19, 2021)

ralphbsz Thank you for sharing that anecdote. I agree with most of what you said. The only problem I see with your anecdote is that the US is not using the metric system.


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## a6h (Nov 19, 2021)

jbodenmann said:


> The only problem I see with this is that the US is still not using the metric system.



I used to think using the metric system is the right thing to do. Rationalization? SI (International System of Units), 10 fingers, metric prefixes, etc. But the main reason was that I grew up using metric system. Recently I've realised that using imperial units, and also some exotic systems of measurement is more intuitive. Therefore I've completely changed my mind.


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## ralphbsz (Nov 19, 2021)

jbodenmann said:


> ralphbsz Thank you for sharing that anecdote. I agree with most of what you said. The only problem I see with your anecdote is that the US is not using the metric system.


Both the Chrysler-Dodge and the Navistar-International truck use metric bolts throughout.


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## astyle (Nov 19, 2021)

kpedersen said:


> How can they delight the user when they are so locked down and crippled?


Eye candy.
--
And if somebody brings up 'security issues', the ads will just boast of 'Solid Security'. Translation from Moronic into English: We make it so awkwardly complicated that unless you're determined, you're more likely to give up trying to be able to do what you want. Just a reminder, security is a tradeoff with convenient access. Trying to find a balance between security and access is a fine art, and Apple is profiting from bending that art their way.

And that includes telling you to drive a golf cart instead of a truck. 'We will calibrate your vehicle just perfect for you! We will save you from all those horrendous accidents!' 

Just makes me want to do a loud, angry wheelie on a Hayabusa, and ride off into sunset at 150 mph.


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## msplsh (Nov 19, 2021)

I don't like a thing, so other people must like it for shallow reasons, otherwise I might be wrong or reality is nuanced and we can't have that


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## covacat (Nov 19, 2021)

```
%fortune -o
If God had wanted us to use the metric system, Jesus would have had 10
apostles.
```


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## grahamperrin@ (Nov 20, 2021)

msplsh said:


> Not an altruistic move.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1461039796554551305_View: https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1461039796554551305_



Thanks, and for those of us who dislike The Verge's approach to tracking, here's a Wayback Machine capture:

The shareholder fight that forced Apple’s hand on repair rights - The Verge

– and from there, an earlier capture: Apple's iPhone 12 Is Not Green | Debugger (2020-10-23).



_martin said:


> Louis Rosssman: Apple makes parts and manuals available to all.



<https://old.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/qw6jfl/-/>


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## grahamperrin@ (Nov 20, 2021)

ralphbsz said:


> … anecdote. Our pickup truck used to be a 1977 …
> 
> … We have since replaced it with two new trucks. One is a 2007 … The second is a 2005 … All I do is filter cleaning and oil changes, the rest is left to very skilled and highly paid people. … Both new trucks are MUCH MUCH better than the old …



My first car in 1994 was a 1965 Hillman Super Minx saloon, inexpensive and almost as old as me. Later purchases included a slightly more modern Hillman Super Minx estate with (wow!) overdrive from a Humber Sceptre; and Mercedes-Benz S124 – one early, one late with (wow!) cruise control. My last car was a 2000 S210 purchased in 2014. Nowadays a roadworthy Hillman would be way beyond my budget …

… more realistically, I never stopped yearning for another S124 so after scrapping the S210: last weekend, I got another S124. It's a dirt-cheap thirty-year-old lemon, I could taste it before I handed over the money (failed rear shock absorbers were immediately noticeable) – and the subsequent free check at my local dealership revealed more of a lemon than I had suspected – but still, I think twice before getting rid, because it's so close to being what I _need_ from this type of old car.

Now I'm torn. Three options:

brake discs and pads, shock absorbers and other basics on the lemon (I'll get ballpark figures today)
maybe £3,000 for an _apparently_ well-maintained slightly later S124 with cruise control etc.
£3,900 for an S212 BlueEFFICIENCY.
BlueEFFICIENCY should be a no-brainer, after twenty-six years of gas-guzzlers –


> MUCH MUCH better than the old


– still, I lean towards a 1990s alternative. It's not just nostalgia. Weird, huh?

*Weirder*, IMHO: I was cautioned against getting a Diesel BlueEFFICIENCY, because I'll most often make short journeys – DPF concerns, more than anything. Weird, because the advice was *as if unexpected filter problems will occur* … but hey, there's a warning system for the driver to take action _before_ things become problematic. So, what's the problem? (Do people ignore the warning system, or something?)


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## ralphbsz (Nov 20, 2021)

Diesels have always worried me, because they were traditionally much more complex that gas engines. Gas engines have a carburetor, which needs to be finely tuned, but once it works, it works pretty good (inefficient, low power, but simple). Diesels have heinously complex mechanical injection pumps.

Now fast forward to today. Both types have computer-controlled fuel injection. Diesel injection is still more complicated than gasoline, because of the pressures you need (the "high pressure common rail" systems). Also, diesels need really good fuel filters, because a little water in the fuel will outright kill them, and a little air in the fuel means you'll spend a while bleeding things. And then come the complex exhaust particulate filter systems with what you call "blue efficiency", which have their own interestingly complex control systems. If you think taking short trips is bad, consider our use case: Our diesel truck (7.4L engine) spends most of its time stationary and parked, with the engine running at low speed to provide hydraulic pressure (it's actually a crane truck). This would definitely cause DPF trouble; fortunately, modern engines have manual buttons for overriding the filter regeneration (because having the engine suddenly spin up and spew out massive amounts of nasty hot smoke, while you are 15m above the engine in a bucket at the top of the crane would not be fun). Fortunately, our diesel truck is old enough to not require a particulate filter.

And indeed, to get back to the topic: repairability of diesel engines worries me. This monster is big and complex enough, we probably can't do major repairs ourselves. And since our truck can't be driven to a repair shop (it is not licensed for use on public roads), major repairs will require either putting it on a flatbed truck and carrying it to a shop, or having a mobile mechanic come to our house. Either option is expensive. But, just like with Apple phones, there are no realistic alternatives. Gasoline engines that can provide the kind of torque you need for a 25,000 lbs truck just don't exist, and getting a diesel truck that can be licensed for on-road use would quadruple the cost. From an overall long-term TCO (total cost of ownership) viewpoint, both a non-repairable Apple iPhone and our non-repairable truck are the correct choice.

Now, for a hobbyist that wants to tinker with their equipment ... that's a different story.


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## BSD-Kitsune (Dec 6, 2021)

Hell has indeed frozen, but considering the M1 and other stuff is going to be freaking tiny circuit-wise compared to older Intel stuff. M1s are insanely powerful though.


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