After the United States, France welcomes Apple’s Self Service Repair, which allows iPhone and Mac users to repair their devices themselves by purchasing official spare parts. But the manipulations are not within everyone’s reach…
Apple seems to be taking a step towards the repairability of its devices! Since December 6, 2022, the company offers its Self Service Repair in Europe, and more precisely in Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland, United Kingdom, Sweden and, of course, in France. In this offer, which has already been available in the United States since April 2022, it provides individuals with all the elements allowing them to repair their iPhone themselves – the 12 and 13 mainly – and recent Macs equipped with the in-house M1 chip (MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Pro M1). A great step forward for the American company – and even in the high-tech industry in general – which has often been singled out for the lack of repairability of its products.
Apple Self Service Repair: repair open to users
Until now, the repair of Apple devices was reserved, except for the appointments made at the “genius bar” of the Apple Store, at the 5,000 Apple Authorized Service Centers, as well as with the 10,000 members of the program. brand-approved independent repairers around the world – counting the Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASP) and IRPs (Independent Repair Provider). They alone were authorized to supply themselves with official spare parts. Individuals and other Sunday repairers who took it into their heads to repair their devices on their own were reduced to having to obtain components – sometimes of more than random quality – supplied by other manufacturers, and to follow tutorials on specialized sites like iFixit or on YouTube. However, this great improvement, which should be welcomed, will not be enough to solve all the problems: because if the spare parts are now easy to find, it is advisable to use specific tools and, above all, the manipulations to be carried out for repairs are often extremely complex. This should limit the scope of the service to experienced and very DIY users…
Apple Self Service Repair: for iPhone 12 and 13 and Mac M1
iPhone or Mac M1 users will be able to buy directly from an official site, the aptly named Apple Self Service Repair Store, more than 200 spare parts (screen, battery, digital camera sensors, etc.) and tools ( screwdrivers, dismantling spatulas, repair trays, cut-resistant gloves, etc.) to solve their little – and bigger – everyday hassles. For those who already own the tools, spare parts will suffice. It is also possible to rent them for a week for 59.95 €. The tools and parts ordered will then arrive by courier. With a view to sustainable development and recycling, individuals have the option of returning used parts to Apple, so that they can be reconditioned or recycled, in return for a goodwill gesture. To Please note that the hardware warranty of the device is still valid even if Self Service Repair is used. Thus, even once the repair has been carried out, the guarantee normally applies in the event of a breakdown or accident – provided that there is no link between the intervention of the user and the breakdown.
Be careful, however, because the operation is quite complex, and Apple takes care to specify that technical expertise is always required for this type of manipulation. The “large majority [des utilisateurs] having no experience in repairing electronic devices, the use of a professional preparation service […] remains the safest and most reliable way to obtain a remedy”, warns the Cupertino company. Afterwards, the most daring can always try to learn by watching tutorials and consulting detailed documentation, the same as that communicated today to the brand’s authorized repairers. Moreover, to be sure that the user has indeed consulted the guide before launching and that he is sure of his abilities, the service requests a unique code which corresponds to each guide when ordering the parts. . To note that, in the event of a problem during the intervention, the user does not have access to any dedicated hotline.
Apple Self Service Repair: pay attention to the bill
For several months, if not for several years, Apple has been under pressure on the issue of the repairability of its devices, whether by its customers, by environmentalists and even by some of its shareholders. The firm is regularly accused of doing nothing – or too little – to facilitate the repair of its devices and, above all, of promoting a very lucrative ecosystem operating in a closed circuit – between the brand on the one hand and its authorized repairers on the other. In November 2021, the specialized site iFixit denounced Apple’s practices and claimed that when you changed the screen of an iPhone 13, you lost facial recognition, Face ID, a function allowing the user to unlock their smartphone by presenting their face for authentication. A problem coincidentally solved by Apple a few days later.
From a more general point of view – but equally worrying, whether for the image of the American company or for the consumer – it is clear that Apple does not shine so far for all that affects the repairability of its range. Thus, in France, where a repairability index, graduated from 1 to 10, has been mandatory since the beginning of 2021, the scores collected by the American company go, as the newspaper Le Monde noted last spring, from 4.5 to 6.10 depending on the references – and again, the brand is saved by the accessibility of its documentation, which drives up the ratings. A situation which however tends to improve a little with the new models, in particular the iPhone 14, of which eleven elements can be changed – against only one for the first iPhone.
With Self Service Repair, Apple’s approach is supposed to help combat obsolescence and the amount of electronic waste it generates – remember that a device that pollutes less is a device that lasts longer, the majority of its carbon footprint being produced during its manufacture. But, due to the complexity of the operations of changing a defective part, one can rightly wonder if the program has been successful across the Atlantic – the Cupertino giant has not yet communicated any figures. In addition, it is not necessarily very advantageous financially. For example, for the replacement of the battery of an iPhone 13 Pro, the pricing of Apple’s after-sales service is 75 €. On the Self Service Repair Store, the kit costs €77. If the defective battery is returned, the price increases to €50 after the credit has been issued. And that’s only for the battery, the tools are not taken into account! In fact, if we can only welcome the initiative of Apple – which has been making great efforts for some time to produce eco-responsible products -, we can wonder, in view of the financial and practical aspects, if the Self Service Repair will really make users want to repair their devices themselves… Let’s wait for feedback to see if the formula works in France by really helping to extend the life of these expensive products or if it is, as some evoke, of a beautiful operation of greenwashing.