Starting Tuesday, Apple will begin offering customers genuine parts and tools so they can repair their own MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops with the M1 family of chips.
Parts and tools, along with repair manuals, will be available for purchase and rental through the Apple Self Service Repair Store.
Initially, Apple will offer a dozen different repair types for each MacBook model, including the screen, top case, battery, and trackpad.
For experienced repairers
The tech giant noted that its self-service repair offerings are designed for customers “who have experience with the intricacies of repairing electronic devices. »
Apple added, “For the vast majority of customers who are inexperienced in repairing electronic devices, going to a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the way to go. the safest and most reliable way to obtain a repair. »
Rental repair kits will be available for $49 for one week’s use. In the meantime, customers can send replaced parts back to Apple to be refurbished and recycled and, in many cases, get a credit on their purchase by doing so.
Apple launched the self-service repair store last April, with parts and tools for iPhones. The company plans to expand the program to other countries and other Mac models later this year.
Right to Repair Movement
For years, Apple has come under scrutiny for its resistance to the Right to Repair movement, as Adrian Kingsley-Hughes noted for ZDNet, and pressure from the Biden administration likely hasn’t. only intensifies this situation.
In July 2021, Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at reducing vendor restrictions on repairs. The president also asked the Federal Trade Commission to issue rules against anti-competitive restrictions on the use of independent repair shops.
Apple noted that over the past three years, it has nearly doubled the number of repair shops with access to genuine Apple parts, tools and training.
Source: ZDNet.com