a few problems with your argument:
Apple technicians are often worse at repairing devices.
Apple policies are often the root cause of this, as they prevent technicians from doing reasonable repair work in order to justify replacing entire parts which do not actually need replacing in order to repair the issue.
The the problem is folks inexperienced with repairing devices like yourself have been convinced by apple that "many (most likely the majority) ... will make mistakes".
That's like saying every 3rd party auto repair shop should be shut down in favor of dealer mechanic shops. When in reality, the corporate greed policy based on making money - not repair electronics or cars - are often the driving decision makers in repair work. That is to say, they actually do worse work at authorized shops. A lack of competition tends to do that.
Ok, first I am always in awe of people who have the skill to disassemble, fix at the component level, and reassemble modern electronics. I am also not surprised that both the independent repair folks get told they aren't as good as Apple, and that Apple isn't doing anything more or less magical in their repairs.
I do however take a bit of issue with generalizing from one or two instances. Just as there are "bad" independent repair techs, there are no doubt "bad" Apple repair techs. And bad techs make sloppy repairs, period. The reality is that the "best" your electronic device will be, is likely just after it comes off the assembly line and passes QA, that entire assembly process and the components used are tightly controlled so you get the best possible outcome. Rework inevitably it hard on components, traces, and often has to use materials that differ from the ones usable in the original manufacture.
(1) Component level repair is done daily by multiple repair shops. Apple not doing something doesn't make it impossible or uneconomical.
(2) Competition and availability of parts/tools/manuals will bring down costs. Apple forces suppliers to not sell parts to repair shops driving up acquisition costs for parts.
(3) If someone still doesn't want to use a third party repair shop, they can take it to Apple.
(4) Labor prices vary throughout the world. Smart people exist everywhere.
Lets focus on the real issue - reducing e-waste and promoting longer device lifetimes via repair.
We don't need any "repair procedures" from Apple. What needs to stop is Apple choking the repair market by blocking sales of components by third-parties.
I'm sure Apple has designed the electronics really well, so there is no complaint there. But they're still using normal components in a normal circuit doing normal things. At the electronics level, a competent tech can diagnose and fix/replace faulty components with some working knowledge of electronics and a curious mind. Like with anything else people get better with experience so there may very well be a difference in the amount of repair each individual repair shop can do.
As a society, our final goal should be to reduce e-waste and promote longer device lifetimes through reuse and repair in all industries.
Apple brought it on themselves with their anti-repair stance. Third party repair companies are literally begging them for parts so they can service Apple products. In other industries, there are a large number of quality technicians who can service consumer products without a problem.
The problem is that companies (especially Apple) are explicitly trying to make their devices harder to repair -- which is the reason for the whole Right-to-Repair movement[1]. If you want to see how much dodgy stuff repair shops have to go through to figure out how to fix Apple products, check out the channels of Louis Rossman[2] and Jessa Jones[3].
Apple doesn't actually repair anything. Apple outsources this to shops with wildly varying qualifications. Often incurring unnecessary cost. And no, they wouldn't repair them for free.
No one is claiming that apple is training their geniuses to intentionally guide people to more expensive repairs. In fact they are accusing apple of a lack of adequate training, These guys just don't know that what they're saying is untrue. Apple's failed to train their technicians to repair anything. all they can do is replace.
I suggest you watch some videos by Louis Rossmann on youtube to understand the problems with Apple's repair policies. The problem isn't with Apple certified repair shops, but with independent repair shops
I would be fine with Apple doing the repairs themselves. But the fact is, right now, they're not repairing anything. They're swapping out parts without search for cause and charge you a massive amount for the hardware they've swapped.
If Apple started doing "Certified Repairs" and actually repair or fix the issue instead of swapping parts every time (there are a lot of problems that can be fixed by cleaning out gunk, swapping a wire etc.), I'd be completely okay with going to an Apple store (or certified partner) to do the repair.
So this isn't an argument against repair - it may be an argument against repair by third parties if you want to suggest that? But then again why would Apple make a job that they have to do harder? Doesn't pass a common-sense test.
Part of the problem with Apple's repair programs is that Apple themselves doesn't want people dinking around with individual electronic components, so they don't let their branded repair centers[0] buy or touch them. This dramatically increases the cost of repair as you have to dispose of a lot of known-good chips purely so that Apple does not have to provide a supply of their proprietary components and does not have to hire skilled labor to solder them onto boards.
People who actually do bother with component level repair are able to frequently undercut Apple on repair cost[1], but have significantly harder time buying the components you need to do this because Apple won't sell chips. As for why, they won't really tell, or if pressed they'll waive their arms around and say "intellectual property" and "innovation". My guess is that they don't want other companies pulling a Strange Parts and building their own iPhones from replacement parts... to which I say, who cares? If you actually do it that way you aren't saving a whole lot of money and all that money is going back to Apple anyway.
Oh, and you can sed s/Apple/any other tech company/g the above paragraphs and still be 100% correct. The whole "what about the innovashun" argument is a cultural toxin that has infected basically every other company that has anything to do with electronics. It's why I don't believe Elon's intentions around Twitter's algorithm for a second[2]. Everyone in tech has been very consistently opposed to anyone other than them touching their stuff, purely because it's "theirs" and not because it actually has a cognizable harm to them.
[0] AASP & IRP members inclusive
[1] Even if we exclude particularly embarrassing cases like when the Genius Bar forgot to check if a backlight cable was installed correctly and recommended a full logic board swap
[2] Tesla is the company that brought Apple-style repair hostility to cars. Elon does not care about "freedom" beyond hearing about it in a meme.
Although I think the video has a point for some cases, I think you’re also right.
My selection bias, for example, is the opposite.
I had my iMac 27” repaired three times in 2013 for a SINGLE faulty pixel.
Under Apple Care (which was less than 10% the cost of the machine when I bought it), a technician was coming to my place with a new screen and replace it on the spot. Amazing service.
Unfortunately I kept on getting a screen replacement with faulty pixel (apparently not so rare in such a big screen, plus the replacement part was probably reconditioned) so the technician kept on coming from 200km away with a new part.
In the end it took three shots to get the replacement right. I’ve read how much each intervention cost to Apple in the repair bills he technician would leave to me as a receipt: 700$ each (560€). Never paid a dime. Make it times three and you’ll find out Apple spent almost as much as the cost of my iMac to get the repair right.
In 2016 my ex-gf the screen of my iPhone by dropping a mignon of vodka on it from the kitchen shelf. Screen was destroyed completely and I feared for the repairability of the phone itself.
I brought it the Apple Store in Berlin for a regular paid screen or phone replacement. The Genius stopped me as I was telling him what happened and inspected the phone: “do you see this half-moon thing inside the front camera? It’s an hardware problem and we have a replacement program for that. Your phone is eligible for free replcement”. 10 minutes after I walked out with a brand new (reconditioned) iPhone, as If I chose the full replacement, without forking out a single dime. I told about the replacement program to all my friend with an iPhone 6s or 6. I think at least three of them got a new phone out of an old one, no matter how used or fucked up their phone was. One of them had dropped it and the phone screen was barely holdin together as well.
Apple’s brand is so strong that anything that happens on an Apple device is perceived as Apple’s merit, but also more often as Apple’s fault.
Apple is aware that its main competitive advantage is also their main Achille’s heel, unless they keep control.
When it comes to software that’s easy, and that’s why they’re so against side loading.
When it comes to hardware that’s much harder.
When someone goes to a random store, gets their screen swapped with a random part and that starts behaving uncontrollably and degrading the experience, who do you think that customer is holding accountable for that? Themselves? The repairer? Nope, it’s Apple. If you want proof, ask any acquaintance who works at an Apple Store about the complaints they get from customers.
Pressured by a growing outrage about repairability, Apple found a smart way out: sure, repair it yourself, these are the parts and tools you should use, if you mess up it’s your problem.
It can still dent Apple’s brand a bit but it’s better than forced regulation for them.
This argument wasn’t in Apple’s defense, but an attempt at showing that Apple’s approach doesn’t come from an ideological dislike of repair per se, but from pure business calculation based on their current status as a brand and user-experience-focused company.
Now, if you want the ideological bit, that’s a different one and more generic and it’s the old Steve Jobs tenet: users don’t know what they want until you show it to them. I personally believe that’s still true, and yes I believe it applies to the right to repair when taken beyond a small bubble of entitled electronics enthusiasts.
Edit: oh no, I dared say something against the right to repair! Hasten! Bring in the downvotes!!!
Harder to repair products are more expensive to repair. This is the main reason Apple locks down everything so much and fights independent repair shops at every corner. Repair monopolies are profitable too.
It doesn't matter whether you want to repair it or not, in the long term you can only lose when you don't care how hard it is to repair.
The problem isn't Louis, it's Apple's repair-hostile policies. Louis is just pointing out that he is physically capable of fixing a thing for $50 in an hour while the apple store would discard the whole motherboard and replace it, costing thousands and taking much more time. Repairing is fundamentally much more environmentally positive than discarding / replacing.
The guy is amazing in his advocacy for systems that can be repaired, updated etc.
If people were on Apple, then got turned off because their device broke and couldn't be repaired legally, so they switched to an android that they _can_ repair, that's not Louis' fault - it's Apple's.
The the problem is folks inexperienced with repairing devices like yourself have been convinced by apple that "many (most likely the majority) ... will make mistakes".
That's like saying every 3rd party auto repair shop should be shut down in favor of dealer mechanic shops. When in reality, the corporate greed policy based on making money - not repair electronics or cars - are often the driving decision makers in repair work. That is to say, they actually do worse work at authorized shops. A lack of competition tends to do that.
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