By Stephen Nellis
Apple Inc on Wednesday said it will for the first time start selling spare parts and tools to the general public to perform their own repairs on some iPhones and Mac computers.
Consumers will soon be able to buy replacement parts for their Apple devices direct from the company. Photo: 123rf
The self-service repair programme comes after years of pressure from consumer groups have resulted in Apple providing greater access to repair manuals and genuine parts.
In 2019, Apple started a programme where independent repair shops could buy its parts, tools and manuals. Apple said there were now 2800 independent shops in its programme in addition to its 5000 directly authorised repair providers.
Under the self-service programme, Apple customers would be able to buy those parts directly to perform their own repairs after reading a manual.
Apple said the online store would start with about 200 parts and tools aimed at fixing the most common issues with displays, batteries and cameras on iPhone 12 and 13 models.
The programme would eventually extend to Mac computers that use Apple's M1 chip and to less common repairs.
Customers would be offered the same pricing on parts and tools as independent repair shops and would be able to return their used parts to Apple after completing a repair to receive a discount.
Apple said the programme would begin early next year in the United States and expand to more countries later in the year.
- Reuters