At launch,
in early 2022 in the US, it will cover replacing the batteries, screens, and
cameras of recent iPhones.
But Apple's
new repair store will sell more than 200 parts and tools.
It comes
after months of increasing pressure on Apple from the grassroots
right-to-repair movement, which wants individuals and independent repair shops
to be able to fix electronics.
"Self
Service Repair is intended for individual technicians with the knowledge and
experience to repair electronic devices," Apple said.
But
"for the vast majority of customers" visiting a certified
professional repair shop would be a better option.
"Creating
greater access to Apple genuine parts gives our customers even more choice if a
repair is needed," Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams said many business listings.
"By
designing products for durability, longevity, and increased repairability,
customers enjoy a long-lasting product that holds its value for years,"
the company said.
'Massive
win'
Apple has
often been held up as one of the fiercest opponents of the right to repair,
claiming safety issues.
Independent
repair-instructions website iFixit, which recently took Apple to task for
making it much harder to repair iPhone screens, tweeted: "We never thought
we'd see the day."
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original tweet on Twitter
"Apple
has long claimed that letting consumers fix their own stuff would be
dangerous," iFixit said in a statement to media.
"Now,
with renewed governmental interest in repair markets - and soon after notably
bad press... Apple has found unexpected interest in letting people fix the
things they own."
And Canadian
computer hardware reviewers Hardware Canucks wrote: "It may be a
small step overall - but for Apple to do it, this is a massive win for the
right-to-repair movement."
Apple said
the Self Service Repair program would allow individual customers to "join
more than 5,000 Apple authorized service providers and 2,800 independent repair
providers who have access to these parts, tools, and manuals" business listings.
It had been
expanding its authorized repair network, so access to official parts "has
nearly doubled" in the past three years, it said.
But Apple's
authorized repair schemes have long been criticized for having extensive terms
and restrictions such as where the replacement parts come from - making it
unlikely a random component from a broken phone could easily be harvested and
"transplanted" for repair.
And the
company maintains tight controls on the pricing of those components.
The
right-to-repair movement has attracted much attention in recent years, with
several US states considering "fair repair" legislation free business listings.
·
Right-to-repair
movement gains ground
·
Apple
co-founder backs right-to-repair movement
And earlier
this year, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak - who built the first Apple computers
in a garage with Steve Jobs in the 1970s - came out in favor of the movement.
"We
wouldn't have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology
world," he said, in July.
More on this
story
·
Apple
co-founder backs right-to-repair movement
·
Right-to-repair
movement gains ground
Related
Topics
·
Apple
·
iPhones
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