4 ms·
Imagine if this was Apple saying this. It would be a top story across the web.
by Clent 3y ago
Imagine if this was Apple saying this. It would be a top story across the web.
- FirmwareBurner 3y agoIs there any factual information that Apple actually repairs your broken iWatch, or do they just replaces it with a brand new one, and then throws your broken one in the e-waste bin?
- goober24 3y agoThey most certainly repair them. You can get AppleCare on the watches and they'll repair devices outside of AppleCare for a fee - going all the way back to the first watch.
- fragmede 3y agoPedantically, with Applecare+, they don't. They confirm warranty status, accept the old watch, and give you a new one of similar vintage. https://support.apple.com/watch/repair/express-replacement https://support.apple.com/watch/repair/express-replacement
- paulmd 3y agothey don't repair it with you in the store, they send it back to a service center for refurbishment, but they do absolutely refurbish and repair units in house, and this stream ends up as other people's replacement refurbs, or on the apple refurb store, or sold in emerging markets.
- turquoisevar 3y agoThat’s a special service they offer with AC+ but not the only option (would be a problem if it was because they require a hold on your card of the amount of a new retail one to ensure you don’t fuck around). That said, most repairs are done offsite so anything they can’t do on the spot they just trade you a refurbished one and do it on their own time offsite. I say “refurbished” but Apple calls it a “replacement” model. This seems like a distinction without a difference at first but Apple has two streams, “refurbished” and “replacement”. The former you’ll see on their refurbished shop and might have minor signs of usage, the latter is used in their replacement process and always looks like a brand new one that you buy new (even though the fine print says it could have signs of usage). I always prefer replacement over repair if I have the choice, because you’re essentially handed a new device. In rare cases, > 3 coming back for the same issue, they’ll simply give you a new current retail model if your issue seems tied to a design issue in the model you own (e.g. this happened sometimes with the MBP GPU issue and later with the keyboard issue) so it always pays to keep badgering them if your issues aren’t resolved.
- dieortin 3y agoThey replace it with a new one, and recycle the components.
- mholm 3y agoIt appears that the screen and battery are both fairly straightforward replacements, about as easy as any modern smartphone. It would shock me if they weren't performing these repairs.
- renewiltord 3y agoThey do replace it, but it costs about $100. The watch itself can be had for $299.
- corbezzoli 3y agoPretty sure that's what happens with AppleCare+ https://support.apple.com/watch/repair/express-replacement https://support.apple.com/watch/repair/express-replacement
- AndrewGaspar 3y agoI can tell you from personal experience they will not repair Apple Watches - they recycle them and charge a pretty hefty replacement fee if you do not have AppleCare+. I had a Stainless Steel Apple Watch Series 6 just outside the 1 year warranty. The display came dis-attached from the frame, either because the adhesive failed, or the battery had swollen. Like, literally I was just driving down the road and the display started hanging off the watch from its flex. The Apple Store wanted $400 to replace it - would not even evaluate a repair.
- FirmwareBurner 3y agoYeah, if you're out of warranty, Apple's m.o. is also to just buy a new device as they don't repair them or they quote you a cost to "repair it" that's as much as a new product, to discourage you from that track and encourage you to buy a new one instead.
- kube-system 3y agohttps://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/watch https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/watch
- FirmwareBurner 3y agoIt says nothing there that they actually repair broken iWatches. "Refurbished" doesn't necessarily mean "repaired" but usually come from the pool of devices in good condition that have been returned in the 30 day period or traded in for an upgrade, but they are never "broken" to need repairs.
- kube-system 3y agoThey quote different prices to replace batteries vs other repairs, so I suspect that the process is: if(dirty || badBattery || badAccessories) { repair() } else { recycle() } And they also mention for other products that include new housings, which they don't say for the Apple Watch. So I suspect that cracking them open for anything more than a battery replacement would make labor exceed the cost of the entire unit. Because these are relatively cheap devices that are labor intensive to work on.
- lern_too_spel 3y agoApple has been doing the same thing since the Apple Watch launched. It was never a top story across the web.
- auguzanellato 3y agoThey provide replacement with ~reasonable prices, they only charge around 100$ for a "battery replacement" despite them replacing the whole watch.
- lern_too_spel 3y agoThis article is about screen replacement, which Apple charges quite a bit more for, more than the total cost of a Pixel Watch. Battery replacement does not require replacing the whole watch for Pixel Watch. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Google+Pixel+Watch+Battery+Replacement/160348 https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Google+Pixel+Watch+Battery+Repl...