Apple may be giving some third party shop additional repair tools?

[WMGroomAK]

Found this kind of interesting considering all of the Right-to-Repair issues currently going on...  It appears that Apple is initiating a 'pilot program' to make some of their iPhone calibration machines available to some 'certified repair partners'.  

http://www.techspot.com/news/69584-apple-share-iphone-repair-tools-third-party-shops.html

Quote

Apple products, iPhones in particular, have been notoriously hard to repair and troubleshoot. This struggle has been made famous by YouTuber Louiss Rossmann over the past few years as he documents his struggles. Apple has also heavily lobbied against "Right-to-Repair" bills in several states. Their practice of hiding repair manuals and technical information has brought sharp criticism from the industry who claim it is intentionally hindering mom and pop shops.

In a surprising move though, Apple has decided to make their iPhone calibration machine available to a handful of certified repair partners. These shops will become Apple authorized and have the ability to verify and calibrate the 3D Touch capability on newer iPhones.

The pilot program is still in its early stages and we don't know much except that one of the shops is ComputerCare in the Santa Clara area. It's likely these first three will all be California-based, so Apple can keep an eye on them.

If customers view the program as easier or a better deal than traditional AppleCare, that could signal a big success for the repair industry. Competition usually plays in favor of consumers, so according to ComputerCare, one of the three shops in the pilot, this could "dramatically reduce" repair times.

While I doubt that this will ever substitute for a Right-to-Repair bill that allows for independent outfits to conduct repairs, it is interesting to see that Apple may be opening the doors just a crack.  Of course, on the paranoid side of things, this may also be a way for Apple to try and kill Right to Repair legislation by saying that if a company is 'fully-certified' then they will have access to their tools for a cost.  I can kind of understand a company wanting only a certified partner conducting repairs to electronics, however, at the same time, I could also see a consumer who has a product that is already beyond the warranty period wanting to be able to get a repair done to keep it running without having to pay for what a 'fully-certified' shop may end up charging. 

 

UPDATE:  So I'm fairly certain that this is directly related to the earlier article concerning the iPhone calibration, but now we're getting a better idea of the scale that they are planning to role out these machines to...  According to a TechReport article, Apple is looking at rolling this out to around '400 authorized third-party repair centers in 25 countries' including Best Buy retailers by the end of 2017.

http://techreport.com/news/32058/iphone-screen-repair-machines-coming-to-best-buy-stores

Quote

Apple rolled out its proprietary Horizon screen repair machines to its 500 repair centers and stores three years ago when the iPhone 5 debuted. The machines have been shrouded in mystery, as the company never even formally acknowledged their existence. According to Reuters, some of those machines will be leaving the confines of Apple's walled gardens for new homes inside Best Buy stores and other locations around the world. Apple reportedly plans to send Horizon machines to "about 400 authorized third-party repair centers in 25 countries."

 

The move should reduce wait times for repair service at Apple retail locations, and allow iPhone owners in areas without an Apple store nearby to have their phones serviced instead of sending them through the mail. The company said the move is unrelated to the "right to repair" legislation gaining steam in states like Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and New York. Apple does not report how much of its revenues come from out-of-warranty repair services, but according to Reuters, analysts believe the figure is between $1 billion and $2 billion per year. Screen repair services cost $129 to $149 depending on the handset, a figure that dropped over time from the original price of $229.

 

Best Buy is the first retailer with access to the Horizon machines. A unit is already operational in Miami, and another is coming soon to a location in the Silicon Valley. While third-party repair centers have been able to replace iPhone screens for some time, the Horizon machine offers the only way to completely fix a phone when the fingerprint sensor behind the glass has been damaged.

 

Still don't buy the whole 'unrelated to right-to-repair deal', but this should be good to some consumers who would otherwise have been required to send their devices a further distance.  I doubt it will drop screen repair costs any though.

 

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-repair-exclusive-idUSKBN18Y0BF?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+(Reuters+Technology+News)

Edited June 7, 2017 by WMGroomAK
Additional Article

[WMGroomAK]

20 minutes ago, Johners said:

Louis Rossmann thinks it's pretty bullshit.

I'm strongly thinking that Apple wants to use this as a method to kill right to repair rules by saying that companies 'just have to become a certified repair shop' and they'll hand out their tools...  

[Jito463]

The problem I have with this, is the restrictions that Apple places on their "certified" repair shops.  We have a working relationship with an Apple certified repair shop near our computer repair store.  We send customers to them for Apple warranty work, they send us customers that are out of warranty or want repairs done that Apple doesn't permit them to perform, such as replacing screens on iPhones.

 

If the only way to get access to Apple repair tools is to be certified, I think we'd rather go without.

[Belgarathian]

On 6/7/2017 at 7:08 AM, Johners said:

Louis Rossmann thinks it's pretty bullshit.

 

Louis Rossmann has shit thoughts on anything Apple does. I'm fairly sure Apple could give him $1b USD, an entire Apple factory to use for Apple repairs, and a gold plated, deerskin lined Mercedes C63 AMG and he'd still call them crap because they use hex screws or something. 

[ResidentRad]

Louis is biased and also a little pious. 

 

His style of repairs and the equipment he himself has to use exceed the capability of most repair shops. He expects Apple, and brands like Apple, to stock their retail stores with the equipment required to perform the precision board repair that he does. He in fact seems to argue against the miniaturization and advancement in design that going smaller allows; his livelihood depends on things being replaceable and repairable; that's fine but why should ANY company adjust their business to accommodate the likes of him?

 

Why should any company have to give up schematics and full on manuals to any shop? I agree that Apple should make their parts catalogue open to order from if you so chose, let a customer buy their own motherboard or screen or camera module and let any shop access such things that let them repair. but why should Apple or any company hand over wiring diagrams and schematics and anything else? Do we then expect Apple to offer up the custom DMG Mori machines they use in manufacturing as well? where do you draw the line? 

 

I agree that a customer should have reasonable access to parts and the ability to repair. I also agree that companies will advance and if that makes repairs harder if not impossible, so be it. That's progress and why should we protect an industry and its jobs because the landscape has shifted? 

[captain_to_fire]

17 hours ago, WMGroomAK said:

This struggle has been made famous by YouTuber Louiss Rossmann over the past few years as he documents his struggles.

Oh yeah, the jerk guy who whined so much with Linus's video about deliding an i7-6700k. Why is he relevant again? 

[SirFlamenco]

18 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

Oh yeah, the jerk guy who whined so much with Linus's video about deliding an i7-6700k. Why is he relevant again? 

I can't seem to find anything with the word "Deliding" Could you pass the link?

[captain_to_fire]

14 minutes ago, SirFlamenco said:

I can't seem to find anything with the word "Deliding" Could you pass the link?

 

[klh2000]

4 hours ago, hey_yo_ said:

 

Those video are unrelated, you are thinking of the time that Linus tried to repair a graphics card by baking in an oven.

[WMGroomAK]

Just as an FYI, there has been some update to how many authorized retailers will receive this by the end of 2017.

 

UPDATE:  So I'm fairly certain that this is directly related to the earlier article concerning the iPhone calibration, but now we're getting a better idea of the scale that they are planning to role out these machines to...  According to a TechReport article, Apple is looking at rolling this out to around '400 authorized third-party repair centers in 25 countries' including Best Buy retailers by the end of 2017.

http://techreport.com/news/32058/iphone-screen-repair-machines-coming-to-best-buy-stores

Quote

Apple rolled out its proprietary Horizon screen repair machines to its 500 repair centers and stores three years ago when the iPhone 5 debuted. The machines have been shrouded in mystery, as the company never even formally acknowledged their existence. According to Reuters, some of those machines will be leaving the confines of Apple's walled gardens for new homes inside Best Buy stores and other locations around the world. Apple reportedly plans to send Horizon machines to "about 400 authorized third-party repair centers in 25 countries."

 

The move should reduce wait times for repair service at Apple retail locations, and allow iPhone owners in areas without an Apple store nearby to have their phones serviced instead of sending them through the mail. The company said the move is unrelated to the "right to repair" legislation gaining steam in states like Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and New York. Apple does not report how much of its revenues come from out-of-warranty repair services, but according to Reuters, analysts believe the figure is between $1 billion and $2 billion per year. Screen repair services cost $129 to $149 depending on the handset, a figure that dropped over time from the original price of $229.

 

Best Buy is the first retailer with access to the Horizon machines. A unit is already operational in Miami, and another is coming soon to a location in the Silicon Valley. While third-party repair centers have been able to replace iPhone screens for some time, the Horizon machine offers the only way to completely fix a phone when the fingerprint sensor behind the glass has been damaged.

Still don't buy the whole 'unrelated to right-to-repair deal', but this should be good to some consumers who would otherwise have been required to send their devices a further distance.  I doubt it will drop screen repair costs any though.

 

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-repair-exclusive-idUSKBN18Y0BF?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+(Reuters+Technology+News)

[chrisromic2]

21 hours ago, hey_yo_ said:

 

Linus mentioned the video, that Louis Rossmann disliked, in the beginning of the BGA graphics chip repair video. 
 

 

[Trixanity]

Seems like a placating move by Apple. Give them a treat to get them to shut up about it and go away. Kinda like settling out of court for a fraction of the claim in the original case. It gives them a nice cover too: "see? You can get authorized. So no need to make legislation".