Apple has announced their Self Service Repair programme, which will allow individual consumers to order spare parts for iPhone and Mac models. This comes as Apple has been under pressure from consumer groups to allow more access to repair manuals and spare parts, and not penalise customers for performing third party repairs.
Under the Self Service Repair programme, consumers will be able to order parts and manuals for their Apple products directly from the company, in order to perform these repairs themselves. This service will first be available for iPhone 12 series and iPhone 13 series models, and will eventually roll out to Mac computers with M1 chips.
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Self Service Repair will be available early next year in the US, and will expand to other countries through 2022. The initial phase of the program will focus on the most commonly serviced parts, such as the iPhone display, battery, and camera. The ability for additional repairs will be available later next year.
Apple says that Self Service Repair is intended for individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices. It maintains that for the vast majority of customers, visiting a professional repair provider is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair.
This comes as Apple is facing pending regulation in various areas, including New York and the European Union, which would require them to provide access to repair parts and manuals.