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Apple’s hatred of third party repairs isn’t because of the impact on revenue. It’s because of the possible impact on brand, and Apple is maniacally protective o

Apple’s hatred of third party repairs isn’t because of the impact on revenue. It’s because of the possible impact on brand, and Apple is maniacally protective of their brand. If the repair shop does a bad job, or uses a non OEM part, then the phone now sends a bad message for Apple. Your friend picks up your phone and thinks Apple displays are dim or that the phone is a little rattly.

paulgb 8y ago
At what point is the brand damage of people never seeking repairs worse for the brand, though? I haven't noticed it as much with the latest generation of iPhones, but it used to be that every other iPhone I saw in the wild had a big crack down the screen which didn't exactly endeer me to the brand. (or maybe it's still a problem and my peers are just more responsible/willing to pay for repairs?)
- eigenloss 8y ago
  Physical damage caused by user negligence and perceived defects in design or manufacture due to third-party repair service are two different things.
  - Nullabillity 8y ago
    99% of all cracked screens I see in the wild are iPhones.
    - mitchty 8y ago
      Funny, I see a lot more android phones than iphones with broken screens. Probably 80/20 in favor of android.
      - michaelmrose 8y ago
        Android owns at this point at least 80% of the market.
dbuder 8y ago
You're drinking the kool aid on this one, it is about money, the whole electronics industry (and others) runs on the basis that you will replace your goods regularly. Apple has strong brand loyalty and many customers that will buy every upgrade, they are just shifting the rest of the repurchase curve up. They have never had a good reason for all their proprietary cables either, well other than gouging for them. Oh your 2 year old laptop is broken? That's old tech anyway, you should buy a new one!
- ggg9990 8y ago
  The cable thing is completely different and a clear cash grab by Apple. I mean, the Lightning cable is way better than Micro USB, but why it costs $20 is just because Apple knows people will pay that much.
- eridius 8y ago
  Funny you say that, since historically Apple computers maintain their resale value much better than any other manufacturer's computers.
michaelmrose 8y ago
I've heard this argument before but it seems quite frankly so ridiculous I cannot credit the idea that Apple is so thunderously stupid as to believe it. Virtually nobody pays much attention to how other peoples phone functions and if they say a dim display they would probably assume their battery was dying not that apple sucks. If we go back to the auto industry I seem to recall them wanting to force people to get oem service/parts to maintain their warranty not to "protect their brand", a phrase which almost always precedes nonsense, but out of simple greed. Greed is always always the simple answer in life. People that think their position is strong are always more willing to grasp at a few more pennies.
- gkoberger 8y ago
  I don't think you're giving the argument enough credit. Nobody says "I got my iPhone repaired cheaply and now the touch isn't responsive"; they tell their friends "God my iPhone sucks these days". It's the same reason Kleenex sues when people use their brand for generic products, or Disney forces daycares to take down murals of Mickey, or Burberry burns unsold products. It's a slipper slope away from quality, and while no one thing is a huge deal, the culmination is. I agree at the end of the day it's about making money, but that's just what being a business is. For certain brands, they want their products to be meticulous. It's not the only way to build a product (see Android), however it is the reason Apple products are so beloved by the people who buy them.
  - gervase 8y ago
    The first two examples you provided (Kleenex and Disney) have nothing to do with quality, and everything to do with trademarks. If they do not aggressively defend their trademark, even from tiny, rural daycares with 10 kids, then there is a chance they can lose their trademark and it can become generic (see aspirin, cellophane, escalator, etc).
    - gkoberger 8y ago
      Sure, I agree, but the larger point is the same: some companies choose to go overboard to protect their brand. The ways they do it is different, but the reason is the same.
raverbashing 8y ago
Well to be honest some "authorized repair companies" are a complete crapfest, especially outside of the US/Europe
tinus_hn 8y ago
Apple does not sell OEM parts to anyone other than their official partners so any part you get replaced at an unofficial shop is either stolen, harvested from a broken donor device or fake.
debt 8y ago
IANAL, but I assume there's huge risk if Apple allows phones to be fixed by third parties. For instance, a nefarious repair shop could do who knows what(download all the data, install a rootkit, use defective hardware, install tracking devices, etc.) to the phone and the consumer would never know about it until it's too late.
xfitm3 8y ago
Louis Rossmann will disagree with you on that one. I won’t quote him but he has a ton of content on Youtube, you can hear his opinion for yourself.

paulgb 8y ago

At what point is the brand damage of people never seeking repairs worse for the brand, though? I haven't noticed it as much with the latest generation of iPhones, but it used to be that every other iPhone I saw in the wild had a big crack down the screen which didn't exactly endeer me to the brand. (or maybe it's still a problem and my peers are just more responsible/willing to pay for repairs?)

eigenloss 8y ago
Physical damage caused by user negligence and perceived defects in design or manufacture due to third-party repair service are two different things.
- Nullabillity 8y ago
  99% of all cracked screens I see in the wild are iPhones.
  - mitchty 8y ago
    Funny, I see a lot more android phones than iphones with broken screens. Probably 80/20 in favor of android.
    - michaelmrose 8y ago
      Android owns at this point at least 80% of the market.

dbuder 8y ago

You're drinking the kool aid on this one, it is about money, the whole electronics industry (and others) runs on the basis that you will replace your goods regularly. Apple has strong brand loyalty and many customers that will buy every upgrade, they are just shifting the rest of the repurchase curve up. They have never had a good reason for all their proprietary cables either, well other than gouging for them. Oh your 2 year old laptop is broken? That's old tech anyway, you should buy a new one!

ggg9990 8y ago
The cable thing is completely different and a clear cash grab by Apple. I mean, the Lightning cable is way better than Micro USB, but why it costs $20 is just because Apple knows people will pay that much.
eridius 8y ago
Funny you say that, since historically Apple computers maintain their resale value much better than any other manufacturer's computers.

michaelmrose 8y ago

I've heard this argument before but it seems quite frankly so ridiculous I cannot credit the idea that Apple is so thunderously stupid as to believe it. Virtually nobody pays much attention to how other peoples phone functions and if they say a dim display they would probably assume their battery was dying not that apple sucks. If we go back to the auto industry I seem to recall them wanting to force people to get oem service/parts to maintain their warranty not to "protect their brand", a phrase which almost always precedes nonsense, but out of simple greed. Greed is always always the simple answer in life. People that think their position is strong are always more willing to grasp at a few more pennies.

gkoberger 8y ago
I don't think you're giving the argument enough credit. Nobody says "I got my iPhone repaired cheaply and now the touch isn't responsive"; they tell their friends "God my iPhone sucks these days". It's the same reason Kleenex sues when people use their brand for generic products, or Disney forces daycares to take down murals of Mickey, or Burberry burns unsold products. It's a slipper slope away from quality, and while no one thing is a huge deal, the culmination is. I agree at the end of the day it's about making money, but that's just what being a business is. For certain brands, they want their products to be meticulous. It's not the only way to build a product (see Android), however it is the reason Apple products are so beloved by the people who buy them.
- gervase 8y ago
  The first two examples you provided (Kleenex and Disney) have nothing to do with quality, and everything to do with trademarks. If they do not aggressively defend their trademark, even from tiny, rural daycares with 10 kids, then there is a chance they can lose their trademark and it can become generic (see aspirin, cellophane, escalator, etc).
  - gkoberger 8y ago
    Sure, I agree, but the larger point is the same: some companies choose to go overboard to protect their brand. The ways they do it is different, but the reason is the same.

raverbashing 8y ago

Well to be honest some "authorized repair companies" are a complete crapfest, especially outside of the US/Europe

tinus_hn 8y ago

Apple does not sell OEM parts to anyone other than their official partners so any part you get replaced at an unofficial shop is either stolen, harvested from a broken donor device or fake.

debt 8y ago

IANAL, but I assume there's huge risk if Apple allows phones to be fixed by third parties. For instance, a nefarious repair shop could do who knows what(download all the data, install a rootkit, use defective hardware, install tracking devices, etc.) to the phone and the consumer would never know about it until it's too late.

xfitm3 8y ago

Louis Rossmann will disagree with you on that one. I won’t quote him but he has a ton of content on Youtube, you can hear his opinion for yourself.