Apple surprised everyone when it announced its Self Service Repair program last year. With the program, customers comfortable with carrying out their own repairs can get access to genuine parts and tools. Today, Apple has announced that Self Service Repair Store is now available in the US and will gradually expanding to more countries beginning in Europe later this year.
The online store gives customers access to more than 200 individual parts and tools. Customers can make repairs on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups and on the iPhone SE 3rd generation as well. Customers can buy parts and tools for display, battery, camera, bottom speaker, SIM tray, and Taptic Engine. The store will also add parts and tools for Apple silicon Macs later this year.
To start repairing, a customer first needs to review the repair manual for the product they want to repair. After that, they can visit the Self Service Repair Store and order the necessary parts and tools. The tools that are available in this store are the same as used by Apple"s own repair network. Apple is also providing tool rental kits for $49 so that customers who don"t want to purchase tools for a single repair can also have access to high-quality repair tools like torque drivers, repair trays, display and battery presses, and more.
Apple says that it has nearly doubled the number of service locations that has access to genuine Apple parts, tools, and training over the past three years. There"s a global network of more than 5,000 Apple Authorized Service Providers with more than 100,000 active technicians. In the US, eight out of 10 Apple customers are located within 20 minutes of an authorized service provider.
With that said, the company also says that “Self Service Repair is part of Apple’s efforts to further expand access to repairs. For the vast majority of customers who do not have experience repairing electronic devices, visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair."