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Apple expands independent repair program to Mac after US antitrust investigation
- rasz 6y agoJust as a reminder, their phone "independent repair program" has you signing rights to your business away (you are forced to let apple audit you at any time, you have to share personal client data on all of your clients with apple. All of this not limited to Apple repair part of your business) for the right to: - remove battery / screen from client device - send battery / screen to Apple with all clients personal information - wait for replacement unit (at a price not dissimilar to the price of same model 100% working used device) - mount new battery / screen after about a week Its designed in a way to not make any economical sense, but sound like Apple is a real independent repair champion.
- robin_reala 6y agoThat doesn’t sound legal in the EU. Is it true in Europe that to be an independent repair shop you have to get your customers to consent to having their personal data processed by Apple before they can get their phone fixed?
- Hamuko 6y agoIs the program even available in the EU?
- gambiting 6y agoThere's loads of authorized apple retailers and apple repair stores, even in countries which don't have any official Apple Stores. So there must be a certification program for those.
- tankenmate 6y agoI'm not sure if the grandparent was getting to this, but sharing your client information with a 3rd party in the EU and/or for EU citizens is problematic w.r.t GDPR. You'd have to disclose to your client that you are sharing their data, why you are sharing, and get their informed consent.
- robin_reala 6y agoConsent is only one legal basis, but it’d be hard to argue that sharing their data for processing by Apple is legitimate interest, and the other non-consent bases don’t apply here.
- rasz 6y agoNo worries here, Apple IRP actually requires independent business to get a waiver signed by the customer. Among other things Customer acknowledges repair has no warranty from Apple, despite repair being performed "using original Apple parts by Apple Certified technician working within Apple authorized independent repair program"!
- pmontra 6y agoWhy Apple should know that a random Joe replaced the touchscreen of his iPhone? I don't see any reason. HP doesn't know I replaced my keyboard three months ago and the keyboard works.
- abawany 6y agoIME, they've really hobbled the functionality of independent repair shops, making it necessary to supplicate to the Apple Store. I was trying to get the battery replaced in a 2015 MBP and the independent shops were 'required' to keep my machine for about 7 days since they had to first 'diagnose' that the battery was dying, order it, wait for it to arrive, and then replace it. In contrast, one could make an appointment at the Apple Store to get the battery replaced while one waited.
- formerly_proven 6y agoThis level of customer-hostility would cause a huge uproar for any other "Pro" or "workstation" vendor.
- chromedev 6y agoApple fans seem okay with this and also not being able to install apps outside the app store.
- somehnguy 6y agoWhat gives you that idea? When my Macbook battery ballooned up on me I just replaced it myself. It's not hard at all and can be done in 15 minutes, I have no idea why people in tech take their machines to repair places to do it.
- snapetom 6y agoI thought specifically one benefit of an IRP was that they had official Apple inventory on hand like screens and batteries without resorting to grey market stripped/scavenged parts. Is that not the case?
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- crazygringo 6y ago> you are forced to let apple audit you at any time, you have to share personal client data on all of your clients with apple I assume they want to be able to confirm the shops aren't also buying counterfeit Chinese components on the side and swapping them in for the genuine ones. I also assume they want the repair information to feed into their tracking of the history of the device, as it can affect warranty, AppleCare, whether Apple is willing to service the device in the future, etc. I don't know the details, but can you point to specifics (actual text) that seem unreasonable, or that don't make economic sense? Also remember that with franchises, repair shops, etc., agreements commonly give the franchiser/manufacturer tremendous power. They don't need it in normal cases, but it's reserved to be able to act against "badly behaving" companies trying to cut corners, falsify records, etc.
- wonnage 6y agoOnce you buy the device why the hell should Apple prevent someone from putting a counterfeit battery/screen/whatever inside of it? Sure, people might be defrauding AppleCare, but that's their problem - there's no reasonable justification for why they should be able to regulate who fixes their devices.
- mikepurvis 6y agoThere's an argument here that the customer could end up the victim if they pay for a genuine part and end up with a knockoff. However, that should be something resolvable after-the-fact— if a device shows up at a Genius Bar with a counterfeit battery, ask the user where it came from, engage lawyers.
- sushicat 6y agoI remember when iOS started showing alert for non-genius battery for a while, some people hate it.
- mikepurvis 6y agoLooks like this started in 2019, so I guess it only affects more recent hardware? I put an iFixit battery in my 5S a year ago and I didn't hear any complaints (doubled the life of it compared to the tired old one in there, too).
- reaperducer 6y agoThere's another side to this coin. I had some work done on a device at one of these independent Apple-certified repair locations. There's a sign in the store telling the customers that they may be contacted by Apple to ask how their experience was. It's a way for Apple to ensure that the shops flying its flag are quality operations. I'm OK with that. I specifically chose that store because of its relationship with Apple. remove battery / screen from client device... etc... That sounds like an extreme case. My repair took three days, and only because the shop was out of the battery I needed, and had to order a new one from Apple. The store said the work is usually done the same day.
- saltedonion 6y agoApple can can certainly limit the scope of use for the data collection for quality assurance only. But it’s probably worded much more broadly.
- reaperducer 6y agoI need something more specific than "probably" to believe the previous poster's rant. Some actual draconian contact text would be helpful.
- rasz 6y agoAfaik paperwork is 'secret', you can watch video of Jessa analyzing leaked copy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OawkqCPi1LQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OawkqCPi1LQ
- rasz 6y agoThis couldnt of been IRP shop, because IRP program does not let you stock parts.
- rasz 6y agoI forgot the best part - just like Apple Authorized, "independent repair program" prohibits you from performing ANY other repairs on Apple products, you can only do battery / screen replacement and thats it. Btw Apple also doesnt give you any warranty on supplied parts. Jessa Jones analyzing leaked IRP paperwork https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OawkqCPi1LQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OawkqCPi1LQ
- sinak 6y agoThis is Apple trying to avoid real Right to Repair legislation by taking actions that look like they support independent repair. Consider taking a moment to donate to https://repair.org/ https://repair.org/ - we're pushing to get Right to Repair laws passed in state legislatures across the US.
- sushshshsh 6y agoI am a real believer in right to repair. But I wonder, if we are unable to achieve legislative results, what can be done to build hardware on open standards?
- harikb 6y agoPeople have tried and failed. https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12775922/google-project-ara-modular-phone-suspended-confirm https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/2/12775922/google-project-ar... I think there is no money in letting people repair and upgrade components.
- sushshshsh 6y agoGoogle kills off a lot of things lol! I'm more concerned with raspi and ARM and etc :) Only functionality missing would be valid cell tower functionality. Wifi and satellite would work just fine
- emptyparadise 6y agoProject Ara was so overdesigned that I'm almost convinced that it was a false flag.
- Polylactic_acid 6y agoThat was a dumb idea to begin with. We don't need phones that work like lego. Just reverting to how phones worked 5 years ago would be a massive improvement. For almost all users all they will ever need to do is replace the battery. We used to be able to replace the battery with no tools or skills and the screen was pretty easy if you had some skill at all. The problem we face now is that the user can't fix anything at all, repair stores can fix things with great difficulty but they can't get new parts, and apple themselves can't even fix most things because the individual parts can't even be replaced on their own without replacing the whole thing. (The macbook keyboard which was prone to fail was attached with 50 rivets) All we need is user replaceable batteries, and for service centres to have access to all the parts they need. Lewis rossman can't get access to a chip that was >$1 on the old macbooks and is prone to fail. The newer version of the chip is impossible to source meaning those macbooks either get binned or pay apple for a whole new mobo which costs more than the laptop is worth.
- virtue3 6y agoYou also have to ship the part being replaced before you get a new one. And they have to receive it. Louis Rossmann has a ton of videos of this program originally. totally bunk stuff they're doing. "Look, we're complying".
- kevindong 6y ago> - send battery / screen to Apple with all clients personal information I trust Apple far more than any independent repair shop with my personal information. But also, what personal information is on a battery / screen? Additionally I use full disk encryption via FileVault on my Mac and keep the passcode enabled on my iOS devices which is known to be secure. No one, not even Apple, knows my password/passcode.
- css 6y agoIf you have to do any serious repairs they will ask you to make a second admin account so they can login and test things.
- Marsymars 6y agoThe one time I brought my laptop to an Apple Store for a serious repair, they asked for the password to my primary account. I told them to just wipe the drive if they needed access.
- raxxorrax 6y agoWouldn't work with iPads. If you have connected your Apple ID with the device and forget your password, you cannot even reset the device. Not sure on phones, but pretty sure it works in a similar way. Macs are probably different though. A "If they could, they would"-situation probably.
- Marsymars 6y agoNewer Macs with T2 chips and Activation Lock enabled are similar. In either the case of T2 Macs or iOS devices I'd be happy to just reset the device myself rather than giving credentials. I was surprised that they asked at all - in my mind, asking someone for a password is verboten.
- rasz 6y agoThe point is IRP program requires your personal data, and requires IRP business to send your broken part and wait for replacement, usually taking a week. Real independent place wont ask you anything beyond contact email/phone number _if and only if_ they are unable to do the repair on site while you wait/do your shopping at the mall/take a short walk. Since most places stock parts on site you will get your battery swap /screen replacement done right away.
- Zenst 6y agoCertainly does create the potential for repair brokers. A person who is the owner for the duration of the repair and as such the details of that person would be provided to Apple to comply with this data grab. Always a way to game/fight the system.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- tmaly 6y agoI have a 2013 MBP that started random crashing several years back. I took it into a Mac store and they could not help me. I have always suspected a hardware issue. Repair for a new board was just not worth the cost. If this works and it would bring the cost down, I would still consider trying to get this machine fixed.
- rasz 6y agoIt will cost you ~$450 in a real independent shop. Apples only option for repairing logic boards was always swapping whole thing for $850-1600 or up-sell to a new device.
- cmroanirgo 6y agoThis is my experience too. An unexpected failure on my 2013 mba and Apple suggested new logic boards with no guarantee of fix the problem & recommended a new mba. I literally went across the road and a flat fee of $500 got me going again. He desoldered a few components and replaced with parts taken from a spare mba mobo. Couldn't be happier.
- mikepurvis 6y agoI was a 2015 MBP owner for many years and suffered through being stuck on 8GB of RAM the whole time because Apple refuses to swap logic boards up to different specs than the original SKU. I only realised later on that the indie shop near me would have been willing to do that upgrade, or perhaps swapped my machine over to a 16GB one they had traded in with a smashed screen.
- christkv 6y agoTry https://www.rossmanngroup.com/ https://www.rossmanngroup.com/ he also has a YouTube channel and is very active in the right to repair movement.
- gowld 6y agoThe TCO of an appliance includes warranty price, and the expected lifespan equals the warranty duration. If you use your apple appliance beyond 3 years, you are scavenging trash (good for you, but no expectation that the device will function). If $2500+ for 3 years of a laptop sounds bad to you, don't buy Apple.
- legulere 6y agoThis is Apple trying to do the least that allows them to get away from more regulation.
- maire 6y agoThe goal should be self repair. I want the manuals and parts so I can make my own repair.
- cure 6y agoLike Thinkpads, yeah.
- jhallenworld 6y agoExactly right. I can (and do) repair my own car. Not so long ago you it was a normal thing that you could build your own TV... https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Catalogs/Allied-Catalogs/Heathkit-1969.pdf https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Catalogs/Allied-Catalo...
- mschuster91 6y ago> I can (and do) repair my own car. Out of random interest, what age is your car? Personally back when I had it I felt comfortable doing everything except steering, brakes and structural frame work on my 1994 VW T4, but I wouldn't dare touch a modern car. Too much investment required for special tooling, and diagnosis of problems requires a computer and specialized programs in contrast to a multimeter...
- jhallenworld 6y agoWell my fleet has grown to three: a 2000 VW B5 Passat (230K miles), a 2010 VW CC, and a 2003 Cadillac CTS I inherited from my parents and which is a good car for kids to learn to drive on. I'm a bit invested in VW tools... (but no "vagcom" yet). One amazing thing is that the VW service books are cheaper than the GM one for the CTS... Actually the CTS probably needs a steering rack. It's the only car I've ever owned that has play/backlash in the steering and it doesn't appear to be the linkage. I haven't quite worked up the nerve to do it yet, but I think about it every time I drive the thing. I'm tempted to sell it, but the value is not much, its mileage is low and my kids do need a car..
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- bluedino 6y agoI remember last year when Best Buy stores all became AASP’s...except they don’t really do any work on Macs at all. They send them out to their service centers and don’t even use OEM batteries in their replacements, for example. With the nearest Apple store two hours away (and not even open this year), it would be nice if Best Buy could do the work...sigh
- snapetom 6y agoAuthorized Service Providers and Independent Repair Provider are two separate programs. IRP was created a few years ago specifically for iOS devices. This article says that it's expanding to Macs. ASPs have been around for decades. Computing stores in many US colleges/universities are ASPs. In the past, when Macs were much simpler, they were allowed to do a fair amount of work on then. However, you're right. As Macs have changed and everything has become fused together, ASPs have basically just become an interface between the customer and real Apple. Basically a "Genius" bar not in an Apple Store.
- snapetom 6y agoYears later, and I've had a ton of problems actually finding an Independent Repair provider. As far as I can tell Apple does not actually maintain a directory, and it's left for local repair shops to market/advertise. The later, then is highly dependent on their Google ranking skills. I went to a local repair shop for years. I went in a third time in a year to change a battery on an iPhone 8. Each time they apologized, blamed it on a bad shipment of batteries, and repaired it for free. However, on that third time, I chatted them up about the IRP. The guy got extremely hostile about the program. Screw that place. Took me a while, but I finally did find a IRP after much googling and asking around.
- reaperducer 6y agoI've had a ton of problems actually finding an Independent Repair provider. As far as I can tell Apple does not actually maintain a directory Call AppleCare. That's how I found the one that I used.
- snapetom 6y agoGreat idea, thank you!
- rasz 6y agoGoogle adsense banned repair and data recovery from advertising on their platform "We need to discuss Google's anti-repair advertising discrimination." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUBJ2LD-Dao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUBJ2LD-Dao
- qppo 6y agoI just searched google for repair and data recovery for several of my devices with adblock disabled and it turned up several local shops. So seems to be provably untrue. I kind of lost faith in Rossman after he blamed Apple for Customs agents seizing counterfeit parts.
- throwaway2048 6y ago
- TheBillyMania 6y agoReading the comments below, Apple is damned it they do and damned if they don’t.
- damnyou 6y agoThat is the only correct state of affairs for corporations (and governments) as big and powerful as Apple. Constant criticism no matter what they do. It's the only way to hold them even remotely accountable.
- sebmellen 6y agoI don't know why you're getting downvoted for this. Power is kept in check by criticism and close observation. If Apple weren't held accountable at all, you can be sure they'd declare themselves a sovereign dictatorship w/ Mr. Cook at the supreme leader (/s of course, but...?).
- damnyou 6y agoIs it truly a surprise why I keep being downvoted for pointing out abuses of power by Hacker News's favorite megacorp?
- shmerl 6y agoThey are so nasty, that no one will trust they have good intentions. Whose fault is that I wonder.
- Apocryphon 6y agoThe stock price abides. They'll survive the damnation.
- harry8 6y agoOne should start from the premise that whatever apple are doing is wrong. They have implemented their strategy of it being cheaper to pay lobbyists, advertising, events and PR than it is to do the right thing. Eg they don't pay their tax but have a much bigger say in making and enforcement of law than any US tax-payer. Treating their actions with suspicion and hostility until shown without doubt to be benign is the only sensible response to a company that employs these policies. You're paying for the enforcement of their property rights because you pay a big whack of your income in tax, they don't, they mooch off you.
- sushshshsh 6y agoPaging Louis Rossmann for how this actually is just lip service and not an "expansion" of any rights at all for anyone but Apple
- zamalek 6y ago> [article] provide "uneven" service I guess that they can't legally claim it's inferior, because of how dreadful their service is in comparison to Rossmann. Apple wants to level the playing field to the bare minimum, i.e. their official repair quality standards.
- simik 6y agoThere you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRjVvccQVM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRjVvccQVM
- egsmi 6y agoI think you all are reading more into this that Apple is claiming. Apple is claiming expanded access to genuine parts and it seems they are delivering that. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/08/apple-offers-customers-even-more-options-for-safe-reliable-repairs/?1567080121 https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/08/apple-offers-customer... https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-repair/apple-expands-independent-repair-shop-program-to-europe-canada-idUSKBN2491SH https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-repair/apple-expand... "Apple said Wednesday that 140 businesses with 700 locations have signed up for the program in the United States. Some of the independent shops, such as uBreakiFix, have multiple locations, while some are sole proprietorships." That seems like expanded access, for shops and customers, to me.
- qppo 6y agoThis may be controversial (or maybe not, this is HN and not reddit), but there's a question I've never seen answered. I don't really care about how easy it is to repair my phone, or at least not as much as I care about using iOS. I knew if my iPhone were to break I'd have to take it to Apple, so I pay for Apple Care (like I pay for iCloud for my backups). I don't feel like I've been swindled. I feel like I made the purchasing decisions that reflect my budget and concerns. Similarly for laptops. I had a Macbook Pro that died from a burnt out reverse voltage protection diode (probably cost less than a penny). Apple quoted me the cost of the entire main board. My next laptop was not a Mac, it was a device that was easier to repair and upgrade because that reflected what I valued in a personal laptop. Why should companies not be allowed to compete along this axis of features? Why do we need to kneecap one business model in favor of another, and limit engineers ability to make design decisions because that business model is not viable? Surely the markets have spoken. Apple's customers don't care about having a right to repair. If they did, Apple would be selling machines that could be repaired by anyone.
- notwhereyouare 6y agoSo, I’m feeling the swindled part just a little bit. I had an iPhone 8+. Had a charging issue, apple care replaced it free of charge. The refurbish iPhone I got, lasted ~100 days before the screen broke. Had to get a new phone. Now maybe I could have gotten apple care on that refurbished phone, but it was new and I didn’t expect to have issues like that
- sushicat 6y agoI think now you can buy Apple Care if inside one year of purchase. https://9to5mac.com/2020/08/17/apple-expanding-60-day-applecare-purchase-window-to-full-year-for-hardware/ https://9to5mac.com/2020/08/17/apple-expanding-60-day-applec...
- sushicat 6y agoI agree you with this one, it's not one way is better than the other. Personally I care about the design or portability much more than the repairability; I'm totally fine with them swap the whole logic board to repair one tiny chip, or even give me a new one instead; this "reflect my budget and concerns". The "right to repair" act seems will hurt consumers like me, which prefer a slimmer design than if it's repairable or not. How much repair does it want to push? Repair individual CPU cores? The free market lets companies make stuff for their targeted consumer groups, which is great. Everyone has a choice, based on individual "budget and concerns".
- sushicat 6y agoBased on my repair experience back in China, I understand and support Apple doing this. My opinion is based on the personal experience I had before, and I support people with different opinions. Back the days (and I still believe it's the case right now) in China there are a lot of phone repair shops ran by individuals or small businesses, and those shops are not certified by any programs, they "operate" by someone has skills to repair electronics. I was tricked by them multiple times. The first time I was repairing my Nokia N95 with a broken screen (N95 has an exposed "soft" screen), I sent it in to one of those shops; a few hours later, I got a call with an estimated price, and I accepted. Until months later I realized the price they charged me almost doubled the price it supposed to be if I went to a Nokia office service center. I agree I had some fault on this one, but I'm not a pro-consumer that knows everything. The second time I was repairing a SE M608. Based on the lesson from last time, I refused the price they gave to me and want to get another quote from SE certified repair center. Then the latter told me my phone's internal components was swapped and no longer the original one. I suppose that was done overnight in the repair shop after I refuse their price. Not to mention my friend got working components in her phone "repaired". Then I never go to independent or 3rd party repair shops anymore, no matter they're certified or not, because I don't trust them. I know HN have lots of people know how to repair stuff or able to learn from iFixit, but that's not for everyone. I strongly support Apple put more control and audit to the IRP or ASP to make sure they don't trick their customers. On the other hand, I also think Apple should sell repair components directly on their website, so anyone can repair by themselves if they want to.
- userbinator 6y agoMy repair experience in China was completely the opposite, and I think you made the first mistake: leaving the device with the shop for any length of time and out of your sight. Some time ago, in Shenzhen, I saw a friend get his laptop component-level-troubleshooted and repaired while we waited and watched. It was a busy shop too, with multiple stalls and a lineup of others waiting for service.
- xhruso00 6y agoI have different experience in China. I have been to Shenzhen where is the biggest market for Apple and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Battery replaced in minutes and I could have watched them. The only thing they said is that I need to bring my own battery - there were numerous sellers on the same floor. I also bought my iPhone XR (2nd hand) for a very cheap price and there is diagnostic for free (computers that have licensed software). Now when I was asked to pay 400eur for battery replacement for MBP that has double the value I declined. I replaced it myself for some 3rd party battery.
- ComputerGuru 6y agoJust for some perspective, I can call up my Dell small business sales rep (who reached out to me after I bought just three or four machines over a period of some years) and give him an obscure part number. He says he needs a minute to look up the part, etc and asks if I’m taking this to a Dell-authorized technician; I say no. He takes advantage of how long it takes for the likely instantaneous result to pop up on the screen to ask if I’m interested in the specials he has going on for business laptops, I politely decline but express interest on behalf of future me. He gives me a quote for the part around 1.5x to 2x what the Chinese knockoff that won’t last a week (I know because I tried) costs, I agree and give him my credit card number which they refuse to keep on file, then he throws in free next business day shipping. I get the part, reference the service and repair manuals Dell makes freely available, and do the repair myself. Oh, and depending on the part in question, there’s a good chance that it is under a two year warranty even though I did the repair myself. For Apple, I buy used parts in the hope that they come from a genuine device being parted out on eBay each for 50% of the cost of the original device because I know all the new parts are not just fake but bad fakes. I get a part that is past its expiration date, rather abused, but will work. I soak the MacBook in corrosive chemical baths to get the industrial super-strength glue (thank God it’s not epoxy?) to loosen up a little before I get out my exacto, needle nose pliers, a scraper, and a plastic pry tool. I pray nothing breaks while I try to get the part out. Something inevitably breaks (also, try to avoid piercing a battery while you pry it out; li-ion batteries do not like to be manhandled). The cost of a replacement part does not make economic sense. I either let the product sit disused on a shelf hoping to find the part cheaper at a later date, hock the device on eBay for pennies on the dollar for a parts shark to snap up then part out, or throw it in the trash because I’d rather not sell my eight hundred dollar phone for a hundred dollars and this at least gives me the satisfaction of cursing at Apple while I do it. (Yes, the Apple story is an amalgam of many different adventures with different endings over a decade with many different devices, the majority of which were either ultimately written off or else repaired at prices that didn’t make much sense.) Oh, in addition to sometimes doing my own repairs, I’m also the final arbiter when it comes to all IT purchases for a school. When I’m asked if we can/should get a fleet of Macs for the faculty and students, I insist we get Thinkpads or Latitudes instead.
- p1necone 6y ago
- mehrdadn 6y agoThe independent repair program is designed to destroy independent repair businesses and mislead people in the process. It forces their customers to wait 1-2 weeks for any repair (even just a battery replacement) after being forced to provide their personal identifying information, and even then, does not provide parts for anything nontrivial at all. It ensures repair shops don't actually stay in business—customers wouldn't wait 1-2 weeks for just a battery replacement. Louis Rossmann explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRjVvccQVM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRjVvccQVM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rCUF-V1esM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rCUF-V1esM
- xhruso00 6y agoRecently my MBP 2015 couldn’t boot because of the dead battery. I asked authorized repair centre and they quoted 400EUR as they need to order whole topcase. This is such a ripoff from Apple. Almost no one ships batteries cross border now. Finding a good replacement is almost an impossible task. The only thing I want the battery to be safe (not catching on fire or damaging my MBP)
- zubiaur 6y agoI got mine replaced under a recall, maybe yours is eligible too?
- xhruso00 6y agoUnfortunately not. I was hoping for it.
- tim333 6y ago>Almost no one ships batteries cross border now. I'm a little puzzled. I went on amazon uk where I happened to be and searched "macbook pro battery 2015" and got dozens of results, some with 5* reviews and from reputable companies like Sloda for example. Prices around 70 EUR. I swapped my 2013 Air battery the other day which takes about 2 mins. Not sure how hard it is on the 2015 pro.
- xhruso00 6y agoI bought the so called 5* battery. It seems good but it degrades quickly after few charges. People review mostly in the first week (battery works and seems good), but the battery will lose original capacity in few weeks. If you read carefully you will find these reviews. In my case I am down 10% capacity after 11 cycles. PS: Battery is a sensitive item and cannot be shipped by plane. This explains the cross border problems.
- tommymachine 6y agoEvery repair to my iPhone that has been done outside of Apple certified channels has ended in needing a replacement device. Have heard/ read some horror stories of Apple Store repairs, although have yet to experience any myself. Personally I haven’t had a single repair from a third party that has actually been passable. All this to say that I’m not really seeing a huge benefit of right to repair for consumers. A race to the bottom in price means that there’s no money left to pay/train repair techs well enough to perform the repairs properly (i.e. without taking shortcuts/rushing & thereby causing further problems). This has been my experience so far with the third party shops vs Apple Certified.
- grugagag 6y agoI didnt have the same experience. I repaired a few Iphones at an indy repair shop and the repair was solid and way cheaper than with apple.
- tommymachine 6y agoI’ve used independent shops that were Apple certified that have been fantastic
- nottorp 6y agoWord of mouth helps here. I repaired an iPad and two iPhones at indy shops. Shop #1 did the iPad kinda right, except the one button(tm) was crooked after the screen replacement. Shop #2 did the two iPhones perfectly. Even the one with water damage. So just ask around.
- musiccog 6y agoFor an up-to-date comment from Louis Rossman (amazing component level Mac repairs) hit this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRjVvccQVM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRjVvccQVM
- oxfordmale 6y agoLack of repairability is the main reason I do not buy Mac Books. Yes, they are more reliable, however, if you encounter a problem, you endure a long wait at a Mac Book repair centre that is miles away. My work laptop developed an issue while I was on holidays in Spain, and if it had been a PC it could have been easily fixed by any of the local repair centres. Of course Apple being Apple, I would have to drive 2 hours to the nearest Apple repair centre with no guarantee it would have been fixed in time before I returned back home.
- ornornor 6y agoThey’re not more reliable. I’m still using a thinkpad from 2013 as my daily driver. My work mbp failed after 6 months because dust specs got under the keyboard keys and stopped them from registering presses anymore.
- hunta2097 6y agoI concur, I work in a department of mainly MBP15's and they have a terrible reliability experience here. The most common things that go wrong are faulty displays, keyboards and overheating issues. I'd go far as to say the MBP15 has a design flaw where the screen breaks right in the centre where you place your fingers or thumb.
- oxfordmale 6y agoMy MacBook overheated and the entire logic board had to be replaced. Apple has designed the MacBook Pro to run right on the thermal limit, but their cooling doesn't seem to work well when you run multi threaded heavy IO processes. I now have a McBrick Pro
- viridian 6y agoLast I checked apple was forth in manufacture reliability, behind Asus, Toshiba, and Sony. They are better than average, but people really overestimate the build quality of the macbook.
- acd 6y agoI think Apple should make a developer/hacker/ifixit score 10 version of their devices. As a consumer you could then choose between the consumer design version or the hacker version. The hacker version of the hardware should have user serviceable parts such as motherboard, ssd, battery, screen, memory, keyboard and use standard philips or torx screws.
- dathinab 6y agoApple independent repair is a scam, and public media should call it out on it. Not only are the terms extremely abusive, what you get from them is a joke. The benefits of independent repair is that they can repair the actual damage, e.g. by replacing some broken capacitors, connectors or ships on the motherboard. Which might sound supper hard but this are skills anyone who has a stable hand, reasonable good hand eye coordination and is bit clever or at least not stupid can learn in a view month maybe, half a year if they have proper guidance. Heck anyone who enters the program will not only not get support from Apple to do proper repair they will lose their ability to do so because Apple forbids them to have potential replacement parts for this chips around... (And also makes sure they are not available on the marked.)