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Apple Is Fighting A Secret War To Keep You From Repairing Your Phone (huffingtonpost.com)

Posted by msmash on from the apple-vs-right-to-repair dept.

It's no secret that Apple makes a ton of money by charging 'astronomical' fee for replacing and fixing display and other components of iPhone and iPad (as well as Mac line). For instance, the company charges $599 for replacing the display on the iPad Pro tablet. Which sounds insane when you realize that you can almost certainly purchase a new iPad Pro under $700. And this is what most people do. A Huffington Post article notes that this behavior has contributed significantly in "generating heaps of e-waste." Citing many advocates, the publication claims that Apple has "opposed legislation that could help curb it." From the report: The Huffington Post spoke with politicians in two states who support such legislation, and confirmed through government filings that Apple has lobbied on the issue. Four states -- Minnesota, Nebraska, Massachusetts and New York -- have considered adopting "right to repair" amendments, which would update existing laws regarding the sale of electronic equipment. Amending these laws would make it easier to fix your devices and would help reduce "e-waste," a catch-all term for any electronic detritus. The New York State Senate and Assembly could approve one of these amendments next week. This would help unofficial repair shops get the information they need to fix your iPad, ideally driving down repair costs and encouraging you to squeeze more life out of your old devices -- thus cutting down on the e-waste generated by our voracious appetites for new gadgets. Apple asserts that it helps recycle millions of pounds of electronics equipment every year. But it won't support right to repair amendments.One would ask what is preventing a user from getting their device repaired by unofficial service person? In addition to the security implication, you also run a risk of getting your device bricked by Apple. To recall, the iPhone maker was found bricking the handsets that had been repaired by third-party vendors earlier this year.

19 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. The solution is simple by Stormwatch · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The solution is simple: do not be stupid enough to buy anything from Apple in the first place.

    --
    Circumcision is child abuse.
    1. Re:The solution is simple by codeAlDente · · Score: 5, Funny

      Not that simple. You can't just suddenly wish a bunch of people smarter. That won't stop the pileup of toxic waste.

      --
      He once inserted random mutations into his code, just so he could have the experience of debugging.
    2. Re:The solution is simple by macs4all · · Score: 4, Interesting

      And a car analogy..... that would be like Ford bricking your car for using a non-OEM water pump or non-Ford spark plugs. Don't support this kind of stupidity.

      What? That proprietary, purpose-built parts have to be replaced with like, the same proprietary, purpose-built parts?

      Apple didn't "Brick" iPhones out of a want to prevent aftermarket repair, you ninny! It was an Anti-Theft-Circumvention feature. Seriously. So someone couldn't steal/sieze your phone and then UNLOCK it by simply replacing the Fingerprint Sensor (which retains the Fingerprint data INSIDE OF ITSELF) with another one "Trained" to the THIEF'S Fingerprint.

      Actually, pretty cool that they thought it through that far, and yet everyone thinks all they are trying to do is thwart third-party repair.

      But, as long as you don't have a damaged Home Button, as shown at Step 19 and forward in this iFixit Repair Tutorial, you can fairly easily move it from anold display to a new one, keeping the "pairing" of the SoC and the Fingerprint Sensor intact.

      Since Display and Battery replacements are hands-down the most "popular" of mobile-device repairs (pretty much everything else is WAY beyond most user's repair skills in ANY mobile device), I'd say that Apple products are in-line with other manufacturers, as far as "repairability" goes.

  2. Not your father's Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Its pretty sad when Apple was one of the first companies to embrace open architecture to see them become such denizens of closed, monolithic devices. The IBM PC probably would not have had expansion slots if they weren't competing against the fully open Apple 2, and the world today would be a much less interesting place for aspiring engineers.

    1. Re: Not your father's Apple by GoodNewsJimDotCom · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm probably not the only one who sees the irony in the 1984 commercial where Apple was to break up big brother, but now they're helping the government spy on everyone.

      --
      God spoke to me
    2. Re:Not your father's Apple by retroworks · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Actually, it's precisely what got Apple in trouble in the early 90s.

      IBM and Microsoft played nicely with Taiwanese and other white box manufactures, allowing common ATX parts and even reused components to lower the cost of the PC, while Apple refused to integrate. Foxconn and Android are about to give Apple some wicked deja vu.

      --
      Gently reply
    3. Re: Not your father's Apple by Solandri · · Score: 4, Informative
      What's especially ironic is what the guy on the big screen (representing Big Brother) in the commercial is saying:

      "Today we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives.

      "We have created for the first time in all history a garden of pure ideology, where each worker may bloom, secure from the pests of any contradictory true thoughts.

      "Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth.

      "We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause.

      "Our enemies shall talk themselves to death and we will bury them with their own confusion."

      It was originally a jab at the IBM PC (IBM was trying to keep it proprietary - its BIOS had just been reverse engineered in 1982). But right now the computer ecosystem which best fits the "garden of one pure ideology, secure from pests" description is iOS.

  3. Secret? No. by GerryGilmore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This has been their policy all along. From weird fasteners that require a special "Apple tool" to almost-impossible to obtain spare parts, there's never been any doubt about their intent - maximize AAPL profit at all cost! (To consumers, that is....)

    1. Re:Secret? No. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I don't understand -- I recently replaced the battery & display on an iPhone5 for less than $50 (it did take two people 3 hours & we lost a tiny screw). User-generated how-to-repair documentation is available free on YouTube, the display runs ~$25 (mine did have a bad pixel but it's only noticeable at boot) & the battery between $8~$20 on eBay.

  4. Unfair comparison by AchilleTalon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "For instance, the company charges $599 for replacing the display on the iPad Pro tablet. Which sounds insane when you realize that you can almost certainly purchase a new iPad Pro under $700."

    Well, on a iPad, the display is everything. So, it is something to expect replacing the display will nearly top the price of the device itself. You pick the most expensive part to compare the brand new one price to the repair. That's not a fair comparison. Almost the rest of the iPad components worth nothing.

    --
    Achille Talon
    Hop!
    1. Re:Unfair comparison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      The most expensive part was picked to highlight the ridiculous amount Apple charge for repair. Catch up slow boy.

      The bill of materials and manufacturing cost for an iPad Pro 128GB comes out at approx $370 (according to iHS who are normally spot on). The display component costs Apple $87. The display swap takes a competent technician 10 minutes to perform. So when you pay $599 to have your cracked display replaced you are paying Apple $850 PER HOUR to perform the work and Apple make $510 profit from replacing a cracked screen.

      Apple loves these repairs, thats why its trying so hard to prevent 3rd parties from repairing Apple made equipment. Apple actually makes more money repairing an iPad pro than it does from the original sale.

      9.7" 128GB iPad Pro Sale & Repair Costs
      Sale: Sells @ $749, Costs $370, Profit $379
      Screen Replacement: Sells @ $599, Costs $95 inc labour, Profit $504
      Home Button Replacement: Sells @ $419 ($379 repair cost + $40 Home Button), Costs $20 inc labour, Profit $399
      Other Repair: Minimum Fee of $379 + parts cost (except for batteries)

      Thats right the minimum Apple charges for a repair is $379 + P&P, coincidentally exactly the same amount it makes from the sale of a new item.

  5. Always litigate instead of boycott by Octorian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When any other company does something you don't like, you boycott their products. By giving business to their competitors instead of them, they (theoretically) take notice and change their ways to win your business back.

    But Apple seems to be a special case here... When Apple does something you don't like, you're allowed to:
    - Rant all over the Internet to gain public support
    - Sue Apple because of their practices
    - Push for regulations and/or legislation to limit their practices

    But the one thing you're *never* allowed to do, for some reason, is:
    - Actually stop buying Apple products

    1. Re:Always litigate instead of boycott by Woldscum · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I have not knowingly purchased a SINGLE Sony product since the "CDs Rootkit" crap in 2005.

    2. Re:Always litigate instead of boycott by nbritton · · Score: 3, Interesting

      But the one thing you're *never* allowed to do, for some reason, is:
      - Actually stop buying Apple products

      We keep buying Apple products because the competition sucks. I make my living as a Linux system engineer. Linux is great on the server, but in all honesty it is useless on the desktop because it has limited commercial application support. The whole purpose of an operating system is to run applications (that people want to use). In my opinion Mac OS X is the only viable *nix desktop on the market. It has support for Mac, Windows, and Linux applications. It runs everything I need, it looks pretty, and it just works right out of the box. The last thing that I want to do when I come home from work is fix another computer, I just want the stuff to work so I can live my life.

      Android is nice, but it has some serious problems. The biggest problem I see is fragmentation and lack of vendor support for updates. Again, I just want the device to work without me ever having to think about it. From a personal standpoint I also think the UI is ugly and kludgy. The bottom line is it just doesn't have the polish that I have come to expect from iOS devices.

      Since I covet Mac OS X and want devices that I don't have to screw with I have actively chosen to live within Apple's walled garden. Quite frankly I love it here, everything just works, their devices enable me to do the things that I want to do without getting in my way.

      Android (and Linux) will conquer the world eventually because it is an open platform with similar parallels to the IBM PC market. However, until they improve I'm sticking with Apple for my consumer products. I figure Apple has at least 10 years of smooth sailing before Android completely edges them out of the portable device market.

  6. Re:I used to think that. Then I used Apple product by yithar7153 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Or you could just buy an Intel-based Chromebook, which probably has the majority of its hardware supported OOTB on most Linux distributions, because ChromeOS is running a Linux kernel under the hood. It is possible they're using special drivers, but I find that unlikely, considering the number of people that have gotten Linux to work on Chromebooks. GalliumOS is proof of this.

  7. To recall? by newcastlejon · · Score: 4, Informative

    To recall, the iPhone maker was found bricking the handsets that had been repaired by third-party vendors earlier this year.

    Yes, I recall that. I also recall that it was because those third-party repairers were replacing parts of the crypto system without having the tools/expertise necessary to pair the parts they replaced with the ones they didn't. There are plenty of reasons to rant about Apple without misrepresentations like these.

    --
    If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
  8. Re:I just watched a video about this by klui · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Louis Rossmann has some great repair videos. If anyone is interested in how practical repairs of water-damaged computers are done check his channel out. He also collaborates with another person whose name escapes me at this time who does iPhone/iPad devices at https://www.youtube.com/channe....

    Like him or not, Linus Sebastian also collaborated with Louis on a video after a scathing response from Louis of a LinusTechTips video.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  9. Re:I used to think that. Then I used Apple product by Socguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It all just works, assuming that you only want to use it for whatever apple decides to allow you to do...

  10. and then released an updated that unbricked them. by Brannon · · Score: 3, Informative

    The update included additional security checks of the secure enclave (including the fingerprint sensor) and thus unintentionally bricked devices with third-party replaced fingerprint sensors.

    Apple released an update to unbrick those phones once they knew about the problem.

    But, yeah, if it makes you feel better to lie on the internet then please feel free.