Apple will let iPhone users repair their own devices
Apple plans to give customers the ability to repair their own devices amid growing pressure from regulators and consumers around the world for manufacturers to ease restrictions on fixing products.
The company on Wednesday announced a new program that will make spare parts for Apple products available to purchase starting early next year. The program, known as Self Service Repair, will let users fix broken devices using repair manuals that Apple will post on its website.
Apple (AAPL) plans to start with some components that tend to require replacement such as displays, batteries and camera modules. The company says it will have more than 200 parts and tools available at launch and plans for more to be added later next year. The repair program will initially be available only for iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 users, but will later expand to Mac computers that use Apple's new in-house M1 chip.
The company will only reveal the prices of its spare parts when the program formally launches next year, but Apple said it will charge individual users the same prices it currently charges independent repair providers.
Apple's move comes as electronics manufacturers — as well as the makers of everything from tractors to hospital equipment — face increasing pressure to ease restrictions on independent device repair shops or DIY repairs, a push known as the "right to repair" movement. Companies have been criticized for using tactics that make it harder for independent repair businesses to access devices, such as using non-removable memory or batteries, or sealing devices with special glue. Critics argue these tactics can lead to more costs for consumers, hurt independent repair shops and be bad for the environment.
President Joe Biden passed an executive order in July that directed the Federal Trade Commission to issue rules requiring companies to allow DIY repairs. Days later, the FTC unanimously voted to condemn existing repair restrictions by manufacturers, with the agency's chair, Lina Khan, vowing to "root out" illegal repair restrictions that may flout US antitrust and consumer protection laws.
Regulators in the United Kingdom and Europe have also either already passed or are considering legislation to force device manufacturers to provide their customers with spare parts.
It's not just regulators. One of the noteworthy advocates for the "right to repair" movement has been Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who said earlier this year that he was "totally supportive" of the cause. "We wouldn't have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world," he said in a video on the celebrity shout-out website Cameo.
iFixit, a popular online repair website for consumer electronics that has criticized Apple and other companies for not allowing self repairs, welcomed Wednesday's announcement.
"We're thrilled to see Apple admit what we've always known: Everyone's enough of a Genius to fix an iPhone," iFixit said on Twitter.
Companies like Apple have previously argued their repair policies were in place to ensure the products are properly repaired. "We believe the safest and most reliable repair is one handled by a trained technician using genuine parts that have been properly engineered and rigorously tested," Apple COO Jeff Williams said in a 2019 release announcing Apple's independent repair shop partner program.
On Wednesday, Williams touted Apple's announcement as giving "customers even more choice if a repair is needed." He also said the company "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."
Apple said there are more than 2,800 independent repair providers across 200 countries that have access to its parts and repair knowledge.
For now, the Self Service Repair program will only be available in the United States at launch, but Apple said it plans to expand the program to other countries over the course of 2022.
苹果将允许 iPhone 用户修理自己的设备
在全球监管机构和消费者要求制造商放宽对维修产品的限制的压力越来越大的情况下，Apple 计划让客户能够维修自己的设备。
该公司周三宣布了一项新计划，该计划将从明年初开始为 Apple 产品提供备件。该计划称为自助服务维修，将让用户使用 Apple 将在其网站上发布的维修手册修复损坏的设备。
Apple (AAPL) 计划从一些需要更换的组件开始，例如显示器、电池和相机模块。该公司表示，推出时将提供 200 多种零件和工具，并计划在明年晚些时候添加更多零件和工具。该维修计划最初仅适用于 iPhone 12 和 iPhone 13 用户，但随后将扩展到使用 Apple 全新内部 M1 芯片的 Mac 电脑。
该公司只会在明年该计划正式启动时公布其备件的价格，但苹果表示，它将向个人用户收取目前向独立维修提供商收取的相同价格。
苹果此举之际，电子制造商——以及从拖拉机到医院设备的一切制造商——面临越来越大的压力，要求放宽对独立设备维修店或 DIY 维修的限制，这一推动力被称为“维修权”运动。公司因使用使独立维修企业更难访问设备的策略而受到批评，例如使用不可拆卸的内存或电池，或用特殊胶水密封设备。批评人士认为，这些策略可能会导致消费者增加成本，损害独立维修店，并对环境有害。
乔拜登总统于 7 月通过了一项行政命令，指示联邦贸易委员会发布规则，要求公司允许 DIY 维修。几天后，FTC 一致投票谴责制造商现有的维修限制，该机构主席 Lina Khan 发誓要“根除”可能违反美国反垄断和消费者保护法的非法维修限制。
英国和欧洲的监管机构也已经通过或正在考虑立法，迫使设备制造商向其客户提供备件。
不仅仅是监管机构。苹果联合创始人史蒂夫·沃兹尼亚克（Steve Wozniak）是“维修权”运动的著名倡导者之一，他在今年早些时候表示，他“完全支持”这项事业。 “如果我不是在一个非常开放的科技世界长大，我们就不会拥有苹果，”他在名人喊话网站 Cameo 的一段视频中说道。
iFixit 是一个流行的消费电子产品在线维修网站，该网站曾批评苹果和其他公司不允许自行维修，它对周三的声明表示欢迎。
iFixit 在推特上说：“我们很高兴看到 Apple 承认我们一直都知道的事情：每个人都足以成为修理 iPhone 的天才。”
苹果等公司此前曾辩称，他们的维修政策已到位，以确保产品得到妥善维修。苹果首席运营官杰夫威廉姆斯在 2019 年宣布苹果独立维修店合作伙伴计划的新闻稿中表示：“我们相信，最安全、最可靠的维修是由训练有素的技术人员使用经过适当设计和严格测试的正品部件进行维修。”
周三，威廉姆斯吹捧苹果公司的声明为“客户在需要维修时提供了更多选择”。他还表示，该公司“可以使用 Apple 正品零件、工具和培训的服务点数量几乎翻了一番，现在我们为那些希望自己完成维修的人提供了一个选择。”
苹果公司表示，在 200 个国家/地区有 2,800 多家独立维修供应商可以获得其零件和维修知识。
目前，自助服务维修计划仅在美国推出时提供，但苹果表示计划在 2022 年期间将该计划扩展到其他国家/地区。
