After reactive moves from Samsung and Google, Apple has finally launched its Self Service Repair store, which will enable iPhone owners to fix their own devices.
However, the repair bundle is priced in a way that really makes no sense to spend the time and hassle doing it yourself.
The store, which is now live for US customers, offers an iPhone 12 display repair bundle for $269. Getting Apple to do it on an out of warranty handset is just $10 more at $279.
It’s only really worthwhile if you don’t want to be without your iPhone during the repair by sending it off for Apple to fix or dropping it off at your local store. It might be handy for tech-savvy folks in remote areas, for instance.
The store itself is stocked with genuine Apple parts for the iPhone 13, iPhone 12 and iPhone SE 3, including commonly-replaced components like the battery, camera, display and SIM tray. Apple is also offering replacement parts for the Taptic Engine and the bottom speaker for devices from all three ranges.
The store provides links to the repair manual for each iPhone model, lists the tools required, as well as the removal and replacement instructions for the part in question.
Apple says self repair won’t be for everyone, which is evidenced by the list of tools required for an iPhone 13 display repair. We counted 16 and they aren’t items you’ll find in your average tool kit. Apple will rent them to users in the US for $49 a time.
“Self Service Repair is intended for individuals with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices. If you are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices,” the company says.
Apple has said it plans to expand the self-repair program to other product lines, including the Mac, in the future, but the last three iPhone releases isn’t a bad start.
Right now the repairs are only available in the United States, but considering the idea behind the program is to get ahead of forthcoming regulation from regions – including the EU – guaranteeing consumers the right to repair, we can see Apple expanding the availability sooner rather than later. The pricing of the repair program suggests Apple is more concerned with ticking this box than providing the service for consumers to do it affordably.
