In a move that surprised nearly everyone in the tech industry, Apple has announced a Self Service Repair program that will enable individuals to repair their Apple devices without needing to the service center. The program will provide for genuine Apple parts, tools, and manuals, and will first open with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.
The program will first provide individuals with a Repair Manual, and upon reading them, if the individual feels confident, they can place an order for Apple genuine parts and tools using the Apple Self Service Repair Online Store. After repairing, they can even send back the defective part for recycling and receive store credit in return.
The initial phase of the program will first focus on enabling repairs of the display, battery, and camera of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. Individuals will have access to more than 200 individual parts and tools via the store. Apple will expand the program later to support more devices, such as the M1 Macs.
Based on the timing of the announcement, Apple clearly wants to get ahead of any major ‘Right to repair’ legislation that may be enforced soon. There are still a lot of details that are yet to be shared, including the cost of the parts and tools.
The Self Service Repair program will be available early next year in the US and expand to additional countries throughout 2022.
Commenting on the announcement, Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, said:
Creating greater access to Apple genuine parts gives our customers even more choice if a repair is needed. 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.