The White House on Tuesday stated that Apple is set to widen its support for hardware repair.
The news comes courtesy of the US National Economic Council Director, Lael Brainard, in prepared remarks for a White House event on Tuesday night. Citing previous legislation in California and other states, the director said that “whether you are in California, Maine or Michigan, Apple will make the parts, tools, and documentation needed to repair your Apple products available to you at reasonable prices, as outlined in the California law.”
It’s currently unknown what all of this implies, and while Apple’s current self-repair program already covers a significant slice of the existing product line, it’s not clear how far the expansion will go.
At present, Apple’s current program features two aspects, with the first being geared towards independent repair shops and the second being towards self-repair.
Apple first announced the Self Service Repair program in November 2021, surprising regular consumers, repair advocates, and the broader tech industry alike. The program actually launched on April 27, 2022.
Through Apple’s repair portal, users can order parts for a number of iPhone models to carry out repairs such as battery swaps, speaker replacements, and display fixes. The portal also offers access to tool kits that can be rented or purchased for a specific period of time. Apple has also offered access to assorted repair manuals and technical documentation for use at home.
Apple expanded parts and manual access to third-party repair shops in 2019. There were and are notable limitations on that expansion, however.
Given the current restrictions, home-based businesses are not approved, and Apple can reject applications for any reason. Apple also requires that business documentation be provided upon application and reserves the right to inspect those documents at any time.
Both programs are limited to full assembly swaps, like replacing an entire motherboard versus component-level repair. At present, it isn’t clear what Apple will charge for parts or the larger and more expensive equipment that Apple says is needed for repairs.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and Yahoo Finance