Apple support their version of right to repair.
You have the right to repair your Apple device on their terms, with their overpriced tools, with their overpriced parts, following their restrictive terms, and authenticate almost every repair with Apple.
If you try and get a part from another supplier, or source your own genuine parts from dead devices that’s going to cause “bugs”, like faceID or auto brightness not working if you have the audacity to repair “their” device.
They’re also going to work like hell to use any loophole that allows them to deny self repair.
Remember, it’s Apple’s device, you’re just using it.
Yes, this reads jaded as hell. But given all the things Apple have done to deny self or 3rd party repair it’s hardly lies.
Credit where it is due though… they could have remained silent and probably taken no flak… so good on them.
Their big request seems to be to make sure people are aware when a phone is fixed with off-brand parts. This also makes sense to me. Some portion of off brand parts will cause problems, which may show up as complaints back to or about Apple.
(An example: we have a system trained to map rail territory using head-end video using some visual odometery and 2010-era AI. A specific client has cameras that we can’t process well because of weird subtle artifacts. Apple is doing much more complicated stuff than we are.)
No. No credit.
This is the old embrace and extend strategy. They know they are losing the argument, so they’ll embrace it and redirect to a version they control. It’s good for them, not the consumer.
In microelectonics, there’s not really such a thing as an “off brand part”. Nearly all the parts that matter in an iPhone are custom. You’re not going to buy just any old camera module and shoehorn it in. It won’t physically fit, and it likely won’t support the right commands. If somebody makes one specific for the iPhone, well… Look at that… It meets the specification.
Even if it does become an issue because (for example) the optics aren’t exactly the same and face ID doesn’t work, would someone complain to Apple or the repair shop that didn’t do an effective repair?
Really, because of the custom nature of most components, what Apple is trying to stop is the canibilisation of iPhones to fix other iPhones. That would give old broken iPhones value. Only Apple is allowed to exploit that value.
Any pre-owned device is going to inherently be less valuable than a brand new device. Phones are sharply depreciating assets.
What apple doesn’t seem to want is to recycle components from otherwise unusable devices into damaged devices . They want repair shops to have to buy parts directly from apple, so they can maintain control of the market.
Sounds like a classic EEE scheme. There’s no way in hell apple would actually support this without ulterior motives.
I think it’s to save face since they’re going to have to in the EU anyway, what better way to get good PR than to pretend you’ve had a change of heart and make more sales in the process
Pretty sure they are turning around as a similar bill is in preparation in Europe that they won’t be able to stop it so they want to get ahead of the curve and come out as supporters.
This makes me wonder what is in that bill that would cause Apple to support it given their history
Apple’s letter also asked that the bill “focus on requiring manufacturers obligations to provide the documentation tools, and parts to enable the repairs performed by authorized repair channels, as opposed to a broader undefined scope of repairs.” Apple also wants repair providers to mention when they’re using “non-genuine or used” components.
The bill, as written, also requires non-authorized repairers to provide written notice of their lack of official vendor approval.
Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of sustainability at iFixit, told Ars Technica that while disclosing the use of third-party parts is reasonable, she’s concerned that it “supports unnecessary fear-mongering around used and third-party parts.”
“I also worry that lumping used and third-party parts together will contribute to further confusion. Apple’s ‘unable to verify’ warnings already blur the line between those categories,” she added.
In short, this bill allows Apple to encourage people to repair their devices at Apple-certified repair shops by marketing them as better than non-certified ones.
Louis Rossmann is skeptical but he read the bill draft and could not pinpoint any poison pills or potential loopholes.
It’s most likely mostly that they’ll have to sway that way no matter if they like it or not in Europe and they aren’t going to make different phones for the different markets, so they flip the PR machine towards pretending THEM coming up with supporting right to repair, instead of being forced to by the EU.
