Succumbing to the pressure from the ‘Right to Repair’ movement, Apple is opening its first repair centre for U.S. customers. The self-service style setup will let customers repair their Apple devices using the company’s tools and parts.
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Owners of iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series can repair display, battery, and camera related issues in those phones. They can also review repair manual for the devices before ordering parts to be replaced by visiting an Apple support page.
The store will have an inventory of over 200 individual parts and tools, and customers can order them by sharing their phone’s serial number or IMEI.
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The iPhone maker’s unexpected change in heart comes after a push from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the EU regulators, activists and consumer rights organisations.
Repair.org, a non-profit that spearheaded the campaign, said that Apple’s announcement is a “pretence of cooperation without actually delivering on right to repair.”
The campaign aims to allow customers to repair their products or be able to service them at a third-party centre.
“We are concerned that independent repair shops and/or wholesale refurbishers will be unable to order a supply of repair parts directly in bulk,” the not-for-profit organisation said. “In our experience, less than 10% of all tech buyers want to fix their own equipment and are expecting Right to Repair legislation to re-invigorate local repair options.”
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