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Leaked Videos Reveal Apple's Internal iPhone Repair Procedures (vice.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the get-it-while-it-lasts dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Someone has uploaded what appear to be 11 of Apple's internal repair videos to YouTube. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but two sources in the repair community familiar with Apple's repair policies told Motherboard these are indeed genuine Apple how-to videos. The videos themselves have an Apple copyright on them, the host references internal Apple documentation and diagnostic tests, and, most importantly, the videos use proprietary Apple disassembly and repair tools that Motherboard has previously confirmed are manufactured by and are exclusive to Apple.

The videos on how to open an iPhone X and replace its battery are particularly interesting, and show that the DIY repair community has gotten extremely good at reverse-engineering Apple's official procedures. The instructor walks the repair tech through the process of opening the case on the iPhone X in a way that closely mirrors the process that sites such as iFixit have been doing for a few years now. The video starts by instructing the tech to remove the screws near the lighting port, then inserting the iPhone X into a device that uses suction cups to pry the screen away from the body while the tech uses a small tool to cut the adhesive along the seams at the edge of the device. Apple's suction cup tool looks like a bulkier version of iFixit's iSclack tool -- a suction cup device that customers can use to disassemble and repair their own device. The video about replacing the iPhone X's battery is remarkably similar to the iFixit video of the same procedure.

8 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Many computer manufacturers put repair and disassembly instructions on their websites, no secret about it. Not every part of the world even has a convenient Apple store -- what's wrong with people being able to fix their own equipment without damaging it?

    1. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Informative

      They don't give it out free because they make good money repairing devices that users didn't bother to get extended service contracts on, and they don't want to help anyone else do the same job. They get to say that no one else is following their official procedure and that no one else has their official training, which induces stupid people to use their service instead of going someplace cheaper. Apple users aren't necessarily dumber than anyone else, but that's the way to bet given how abusive Apple is to customers.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by jenningsthecat · · Score: 2

      And yet people continue to buy these very expensive, unrepairable devices whose battery is not user replaceable.

      So much for any economic theory involving rational markets.

      "Rational" is not the immutable constant most people seem to think it is. The behaviour of most Apple customers is perfectly rational in their own eyes - they see value in the products and services that matches or exceeds the value they place on the money they spend for them.

      That's why I always try to get people to look at the far-reaching consequences of the decisions we make. Our current 'lifestyle' choices, (such as making throwaway products into huge market successes), will make it VERY hard for our children, (and certainly our grandchildren and beyond), to even survive, much less enjoy comfort and prosperity. In the name of getting one up on our fellow humans, we are willing to convert irreplaceable resources into Earth-killing landfill and greenhouse gases at a rate that can only be described as sociopathically criminal. Yes, this IS how we are programmed as a species. That said, we HAVE demonstrated the ability to behave counter to that programming. Now we just need to demonstrate lots, lots more of it.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  2. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

    Buy a Moto E4 Plus -- low-end Moto phones typically have removable batteries. This one has a 5000 mAh battery which should last quite a while without recharging.

  3. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Moto E4 has a replaceable battery, water resistance, and acceptable performance. It has both GPS and GLONASS and support for pretty much every frequency band, plus dual SIM slots. If only the camera and screen were better and it ran Oreo, it would be the perfect phone, especially given that Walmart is selling both colors for $100. Well, I wouldn't mind 3+GB RAM, but that's not strictly necessary.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  4. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by reboot246 · · Score: 2

    As recently as a couple of years ago my Samsung S5 had a replaceable battery. I never had to replace it, and I upgraded because the phone itself went bad.

    I guess five years would be ancient history to some of you.

  5. Re:Reverse engineered? by Cederic · · Score: 2

    Maybe I'm cynical but I suspect it's two-way traffic. Apple engineers going to iFixit and saying, "Oh, we should do that!"

  6. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

    Did you use the same justification when they invented the IC?

    Your logical fallacy is that of the ridiculous example. ICs actually improved things.

    Your entitlement to repair ends when it inhibits development progress of general electronics.

    This is the attitude that is dooming humanity.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"