If you’re feeling brave with your newer MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, you’re going to like this.
Four months after launching its Self Service Repair program to iPhone owners in the U.S., Apple has expanded the program to include certain MacBook Notebooks. As of today, Apple will include the 2020 M1 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 14- and 16-inch 2021 M1 Pros.
Apple will continue to add more models and repair tips, including the M2 MacBooks and new systems such as the Apple Silicon iMac and the Mac Studio display.
There’s already a fairly wide range of repairs available, including the display, battery, top and bottom case, TrackPad, Touch ID module, speakers, audio board and Logic Board, among others. Prices, predictably, range fairly dramatically, from $5 for five screws, $12 for an audio board and $29 for speakers to ~$580 for the logic board. The company says prices are the same as what it charges for the 5,000 or so Apple Authorized Service Providers around the country.
The pricing trades after the old model, which encourages recycling and keeps component prices down for Apple when refurbished components cycle back through the Apple ecosystem.
Parts that need to be replaced will be offered at a discount. In cases such as replacing a logic board, the price will be almost tripe what it would be if the old logic board weren’t sent back to be worked on. The program also works to address potential incompatibility, and there’s no word on whether such an issue could potentially break the system’s warranty.
In cases where a logic board or expensive component is ordered, the discount will only be offered for a part with the same SKU. If an end user wants to send in a component such as a logic board to buy a logic board with larger on board storage, they’ll wind up paying full price for the component.
Like the iPhone before it, Apple is providing its own pro tools for repairs. As always, please look over the instructions before attempting a repair, as wandering into it without knowing what you’re doing is a great way to violate your Mac’s warranty.
The repair kit is available for a $49 rental and the Mac’s kit is actually smaller than that the iPhones, due to the fact that it doesn’t require a glue-melting machine.
If you have a chance to try the program on your end, please let us know about your experience in the comments.
Via TechCrunch and support.apple.com