Apple To Make Tools and Parts To Fix Phones and Computers Available Nationwide, White House Says (reuters.com) 32
Mac computer and iPhone maker Apple on Tuesday will announce plans to make parts, tools and documentation needed to repair its products available to independent repair shops and consumers nationwide, at fair and reasonable prices, the White House said. From a report: National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard made the announcement in remarks prepared for a White House event later Tuesday focused on the so-called "right to repair," calling on Congress to pass legislation requiring such action across the country.
The event is part of U.S. President Joe Biden's push to promote competition and crack down on so-called junk fees and other actions that increase prices for consumers. The latest effort is aimed at giving consumers more control over fixing what they own, from tractors to smart phones. Brainard said California, Colorado, New York and Minnesota had already passed right to repair laws, and 30 other states had introduced similar legislation.
The event is part of U.S. President Joe Biden's push to promote competition and crack down on so-called junk fees and other actions that increase prices for consumers. The latest effort is aimed at giving consumers more control over fixing what they own, from tractors to smart phones. Brainard said California, Colorado, New York and Minnesota had already passed right to repair laws, and 30 other states had introduced similar legislation.
So we still have to pay Apple ... (Score:3, Interesting)
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So we still have to pay Apple, now for specialized tools rather than the repair service?
And to quote TFA summary:
None of this strongarming will decrease costs for consumers. It will just move costs around, likely making it harder to know what you're paying for and/or decide what things are worth buying. For example, consider overdraft fees. If banks can't charge them, they'll make it up by lowering the interest they pay. I fail
Re: So we still have to pay Apple ... (Score:1)
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Seriously, your concerned their going to raise price on their $1200 phone because of right to repair? Any one that understands market knows it is going to have a negligible effect on their pricing which is aimed solely at price gouging the need the newest tech people.
How can it not? Apple is going to incur increased costs to support making manuals, training, and parts available. Someone is going to pay for it and it's not all coming out of the profit margin. I agree one of us doesn't understand how markets work and I not-so-humbly suggest it isn't me.
Without pushback Apple would monopolize every aspect of the market they can.
Not necessarily. Companies in a free market maximize profit. Monopolizing the market might not maximize profit. In other words, some business is not profitable enough to bother with. But the real pushback is Samsung, Google
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It's their dick moves like making the lid closed sensor on MacBooks need calibrating with a special tool. Every other manufacturer seems to be able to make a lid closed sensor that doesn't need manual calibration with a special tool. It costs Apple money to do it, it's an extra step needed during manufacturing.
Hopefully the EU will force them to make the battery easily removable too. None of this glued together nonsense when a screw will do.
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It's their dick moves like making the lid closed sensor on MacBooks need calibrating with a special tool. Every other manufacturer seems to be able to make a lid closed sensor that doesn't need manual calibration with a special tool. It costs Apple money to do it, it's an extra step needed during manufacturing.
$5 says Apple started using the standard tools and decided a custom tool was 1% better. For Apple and Apple customers, that tiny bit of extra lid closing reliability was worth the cost. I doubt "oh, this locks our repair shops" was top of mind, if it was even considered at all. Don't like it? Buy from another vendor. Or, reverse-engineer the tool and sell it to repair shops.
Hopefully the EU will force them to make the battery easily removable too. None of this glued together nonsense when a screw will do.
Also your preference but not mine. Another $5 says Apple tried both and concluded gluing was faster, cheaper, and/or more reliable. App
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So we still have to pay Apple, now for specialized tools rather than the repair service? Stockholder are satisfied with that deal. Turns the Genius Bar folks back into evangelists and salesmen rather than repairmen.
So now you want the stuff for free?!?!!
Communist much?
serial locked? will will shops be allowed to stock (Score:3)
will parts be serial locked? will will shops be allowed to stock parts? will shops have to have an apple account to run tools? Will shops be able to pair parts without an apple repair ticket?
Louis Rossmann will blow his top (Score:1)
...If it's true. ...Which it probably isn't.
Apple probably has an angle to kill right to repair for good. No company that rabid about something they do as part of their core policies does a U-turn that dramatic that fast. I don't buy it.
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My guess is the tool and parts cost will be high enough that it independents will have to charge prices that are about the same as the apple store - making it not worth their while.
I suspect the same. Just like the EU's law, all that is required is tools be available to the public, no cap on price. Spare parts need not be cheap either. Right to repair does not equate to right to repair inexpensively.
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My guess is the tool and parts cost will be high enough that it independents will have to charge prices that are about the same as the apple store - making it not worth their while.
I suspect the same. Just like the EU's law, all that is required is tools be available to the public, no cap on price. Spare parts need not be cheap either. Right to repair does not equate to right to repair inexpensively.
(re)read TFS.
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My guess is the tool and parts cost will be high enough that it independents will have to charge prices that are about the same as the apple store - making it not worth their while.
You apparently didn't comprehend the "fair and reasonable prices" part in TFA.
Reading is FUNdamental!
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fair and reasonable prices
Fair and reasonable is subjective... and Apple's idea of fair and reasonable is a lot higher that most peoples.
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fair and reasonable prices
Fair and reasonable is subjective... and Apple's idea of fair and reasonable is a lot higher that most peoples.
Why don't you wait and see before you complain, Hater?
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...If it's true. ...Which it probably isn't.
Apple probably has an angle to kill right to repair for good. No company that rabid about something they do as part of their core policies does a U-turn that dramatic that fast. I don't buy it.
My prediction is that Apple has been planning ahead and tooling for this while Samsung et al. are sitting on their hands and paying lobbyists. Samsung et al. will get properly screwed and have to spend millions to retool or risk not selling any models in California for a while and Apple gets to play the "innovator" role once again.
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Nope, no retooling is required. The laws require that parts, tools and manuals are available, nothing more. One of these companies locks down hardware to prevent aftermarket repair, the other doesn't. Take a guess which one (and to give you a hint: I replaced my Samsung screen myself with a part I bought from Amazon).
Apple is however planning ahead. By creating a repair process that is needlessly complex (seriously Apple's screen replacement kit would be hilarious if it weren't so nefarious) they are active
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Apple probably has an angle to kill right to repair for good.
Apple's angle is to kill with kindness. Their "repair tools" are so large and unwieldly, hard to use, come with insanely unnecessarily complex manuals, and require doing a dance shipping equipment to and from Apple, combined with overpriced spare parts that their angle here is to "provide the service" and gather data showing that no users bother repairing their stuff as nice ammunition against right to repair bills. Not all dissimilar to a false flag operation.
We want parts available to all and independent
Not many will care. (Score:2)
Realistically not many will care about it. This is good for the minority who can repair themselves, along with those who might care about device longevity. Most of the Apple user base will continue to deal with Apple and they know it.
I've gone through the process of changing a screen on my "easy-to-repair" pinephone and, although it was a breeze, I don't know many who would do it without messing up. Part availability isn't the only issue. Unless devices have trivial connectors (like the Framework laptop), m
I will believe it when I see it (Score:1, Troll)
In the EU they will need keep battery costs down o (Score:2)
In the EU they will need keep battery costs down or get fined under the new rules.
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And, if you want to repair an older MacBook Pro battery that is bonded to the keyboard and it is over 7-8 years old, is Apple going to have those expensive parts with "new batteries?"
I have repaired a few older PCs & Macs with "new" batteries and those batteries really were degraded from sitting in storage.
I and a few friends have older MacBooks and there are specific reasons to keep them running, but batteries & other parts are always a problem.
That is the pits
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In the EU they will need keep battery costs down or get fined under the new rules.
How so? I don't recall seeing anything on pricing, just awhile lot of requirements to be able to replace and recycle batteries.
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You need to understand how EU rules work. The EU sets out the general principles, in this case that the battery must be user replicable. It's then up to individual member states to implement those rules in their own laws, and the EU monitors for compliance.
If there is any question, like say Apple requires an expensive special tool and someone complains that it frustrates the intent of the rule, the EU courts can look at it and make a decision. They can issue fines as well, if either the member state or Appl
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You need to understand how EU rules work. The EU sets out the general principles, in this case that the battery must be user replicable. It's then up to individual member states to implement those rules in their own laws, and the EU monitors for compliance.
If there is any question, like say Apple requires an expensive special tool and someone complains that it frustrates the intent of the rule, the EU courts can look at it and make a decision. They can issue fines as well, if either the member state or Apple were shown to be deliberately and knowingly trying to get around the rule.
Yes, member states need to establish laws to enforce the EU regulation; however the rule specifically allows the use of special tools as long as they are generally available. Could a court decide high prices means "not generally available?" My point is noting in the rule requires Apple to make the costs of repairs less than that of service by Apple or Apple Authorized shops. Others could buy the tool but would have to weigh the costs vs the revenue it would generate.
Is it April 1st already? (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, we all know Apple will never, ever deal in good faith with 3rd-party repair shops.
If they did, no one would ever send anything to Apple for repair unless they had a fetish for being wildly overcharged.
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no one would ever send anything to Apple for repair unless they had a fetish for being wildly overcharged.
These are *Apple users* we're talking about. They tend to have a kink for that kind of thing.
Unbelievable (Score:1)
I'm really glad the White House is focusing efforts on such an important issue in these trying times.
worth more than gold (Score:3)
Doesn't really matter when the parts are worth more than gold. Plus being serialized to a single device ever means you cannot swap parts from one phone to another without issues (like features that don't work or error/dick messages in Settings).
It's Apple (Score:2)
Don't believe it. They are trickier than Dick was.
They will find a way... (Score:2)
...to make it nearly impossible to do
They are masters at malicious compliance
Not really.... (Score:2)
Stores have to pay more to access these and are then forbidden from doing certain kinds of repairs.
As it stands right now, independent repair stores CANNOT change cracked screens on iPhone Pro 13, 14, or 15 Max or regular because parts aren't available for a reasonable price.
I will bet you that the inflated prices of parts will be such that "repair" becomes a Hobson's choice forcing people to buy new.