Fixing iPhones the very heavy, expensive, and complicated official way
May 21, 2022 2:40 PM Subscribe
As right to repair laws slowly advance through the US and several states, The Verge tries out Apple's Self Service Repair process and is surprised to receive 79 pounds of equipment on their $1,200 deposit, compared to the $45 iFixit equivalent.
I would love for any company, in any context, to send me multiple heavy duty pelican cases of specialized equipment.
posted by stinkfoot at 2:57 PM on May 21, 2022 [30 favorites]
posted by stinkfoot at 2:57 PM on May 21, 2022 [30 favorites]
I felt the same way until the last few paragraphs:
The more I think about it, the more I realize Apple’s Self-Service Repair program is the perfect way to make it look like the company supports right-to-repair policies without actually encouraging them at all. Apple can say it’s giving consumers access to everything, even the same tools its technicians use, while scaring them away with high prices, complexity, and the risk of losing a $1,200 deposit....posted by box at 3:01 PM on May 21, 2022 [17 favorites]
The real victory will come months or years down the road, though. That’s when Apple can tell legislators it tried to give right-to-repair advocates what they wanted — but that consumers overwhelmingly decided Apple knows best.
So the thing to do seems to be to find a bunch of people with the money and sign up all at once so that maintaining the massive kits becomes prohibitive to Apple. If it becomes a signup list because they only have 5 kits or whatever, then one should be broken every once in a while. I wonder if this could be crowdfunded!
posted by rhizome at 3:16 PM on May 21, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 3:16 PM on May 21, 2022 [6 favorites]
Would $1200 be a reasonable investment to start up an iPhone repair company?
posted by njohnson23 at 3:30 PM on May 21, 2022 [22 favorites]
posted by njohnson23 at 3:30 PM on May 21, 2022 [22 favorites]
Why would anyone want to punish Apple for supplying the tools necessary to make proper repairs? Those flimsy iFixit kits don't generate good results unless the user is quite skilled.
I don't think that the author is familiar with industrial processes or repairs. Custom jigs, precise ovens, carefully controlled glue application are really common and expected in industry.
posted by pdoege at 3:33 PM on May 21, 2022 [18 favorites]
I don't think that the author is familiar with industrial processes or repairs. Custom jigs, precise ovens, carefully controlled glue application are really common and expected in industry.
posted by pdoege at 3:33 PM on May 21, 2022 [18 favorites]
I don't think that the author is familiar with industrial processes or repairs. Custom jigs, precise ovens, carefully controlled glue application are really common and expected in industry.
Expected in industrial processes and repairs? Sure! Replacing a battery? Why??
posted by MuChao at 3:37 PM on May 21, 2022 [19 favorites]
Expected in industrial processes and repairs? Sure! Replacing a battery? Why??
posted by MuChao at 3:37 PM on May 21, 2022 [19 favorites]
Right! It's such a shame Apple doesn't design their phones in-house and thus would have no way of making them easier to repair.
Which is, to drop the sarcasm, part of the author's point.
posted by col_pogo at 3:47 PM on May 21, 2022 [16 favorites]
Which is, to drop the sarcasm, part of the author's point.
posted by col_pogo at 3:47 PM on May 21, 2022 [16 favorites]
Ah, memories. I worked a year or so at the university PC/Mac repair center. So many Apple tools and 3-ring binders of test/repair procedures, shelves of CRT tubes, boards, other miscellaneous bits. They did have a pretty decent certified repair center sort of setup. At least that way you get to keep your warranty/AppleCare or whatever it is today. Are you sure you can take your phone apart and put it back together and still guarantee the water resistant properties? What happens if you accidentally strip a screw or bend a case? I mostly can go either way on it. And yeah, maybe a local shop or something ponying up the $1200 or whatever to have the right tools to do things the "in the Apple repair manual" method might be better than doing it yourself, or wishing that it was as easy as changing a battery in your Nintendo handheld thing or a flashlight/watch/etc.
posted by zengargoyle at 3:47 PM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by zengargoyle at 3:47 PM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
saw someone talking about this on Twitter and noting a bunch of little things, like that absurdly tight tolerances are part of being IP-waterproof-rated, and that apparently lithium battery DRM is pretty common throughout the industry as a way to avoid liability for a third-party lithium battery causing what Apple refers euphemistically to in their repair manuals as a “thermal event.”
Arguably it’s Good, Actually that their response to right-to-repair stuff is to provide the real equipment used to do things right, rather than just expecting everyone to use an ifixit guitar pick and a lot of mumbled cussing and calling it a job well done
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:48 PM on May 21, 2022 [12 favorites]
Arguably it’s Good, Actually that their response to right-to-repair stuff is to provide the real equipment used to do things right, rather than just expecting everyone to use an ifixit guitar pick and a lot of mumbled cussing and calling it a job well done
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:48 PM on May 21, 2022 [12 favorites]
I mean, hell, I got on-site service done on an iMac by a licensed third-party repair provider through AppleCare, and not only did they fail to fix the problem, the repair guy also did significant cosmetic damage to the case of the computer from just struggling to put it all back together on his own, by hand, in my kitchen
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:50 PM on May 21, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:50 PM on May 21, 2022 [5 favorites]
My main takeaway here is that paying Apple $69 for parts and labor on a replacement battery is a relative bargain.
posted by ghharr at 3:51 PM on May 21, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by ghharr at 3:51 PM on May 21, 2022 [6 favorites]
"Replacing a battery? Why??"
Because the housing has to be IP68 when a poorly trained operator finishes the process. And IP68 is no joke.
It's a bit like servicing a scuba regulator. Anyone can twist and hammer on one and then throw in a parts kit. To actually set the clearances and torques you'll need the tools and custom tools cost money.
posted by pdoege at 3:52 PM on May 21, 2022 [12 favorites]
Because the housing has to be IP68 when a poorly trained operator finishes the process. And IP68 is no joke.
It's a bit like servicing a scuba regulator. Anyone can twist and hammer on one and then throw in a parts kit. To actually set the clearances and torques you'll need the tools and custom tools cost money.
posted by pdoege at 3:52 PM on May 21, 2022 [12 favorites]
A bodged hack that doesn't restore the phone to factory spec shouldn't be what "right to repair" gives us. It's annoying that the tools needed to repair a $1200 phone might require you to leave a $1200 deposit, but if when you're done your phone meets factory spec then that's pretty great! I know I changed my old iPhone's battery with a spatula and it sure as fuck isn't waterproof or even dust-proof anymore; there's spots all over the camera sensor now.
It would be nice if the device was as easy to repair as an old-style leased* AT&T dial phone but then I expect it would be less acceptable to users because of the trade-offs. (*It's true, you couldn't own your telephone instrument for decades, you had to rent it from Ma Bell.)
If anything really good comes of this, the right-to-repair legislation will apply downward pressure on the cost for factory service, and that's something everyone can appreciate.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:04 PM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
It would be nice if the device was as easy to repair as an old-style leased* AT&T dial phone but then I expect it would be less acceptable to users because of the trade-offs. (*It's true, you couldn't own your telephone instrument for decades, you had to rent it from Ma Bell.)
If anything really good comes of this, the right-to-repair legislation will apply downward pressure on the cost for factory service, and that's something everyone can appreciate.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:04 PM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
Because the housing has to be IP68 when a poorly trained operator finishes the process.
Yeah, but it kind of doesn't.
I've replaced the batteries my successive Samsung Galaxies (an S6 and then an S9) and it's never taken more than twenty minutes. I didn't do a particularly clean job. Subsequent to repair I accidentally did ten laps in a pool with the S9 in my pocket. I shook the water out of the USB and headphone jacks and wiped it off. It was fine.
If you're planning on being in an incredibly harsh environment, get a case. If you're an average user, it doesn't really matter. The only reason it's important to maintain IP68 is if you're on the hook for a replacement.
posted by phooky at 4:22 PM on May 21, 2022 [6 favorites]
Yeah, but it kind of doesn't.
I've replaced the batteries my successive Samsung Galaxies (an S6 and then an S9) and it's never taken more than twenty minutes. I didn't do a particularly clean job. Subsequent to repair I accidentally did ten laps in a pool with the S9 in my pocket. I shook the water out of the USB and headphone jacks and wiped it off. It was fine.
If you're planning on being in an incredibly harsh environment, get a case. If you're an average user, it doesn't really matter. The only reason it's important to maintain IP68 is if you're on the hook for a replacement.
posted by phooky at 4:22 PM on May 21, 2022 [6 favorites]
(Also: if you have or are planning to have small kids, get a serious case. Your Otterbox will look super fucking dorky but you won't be running around in a panic with a stroller from repair shop to repair shop all morning.)
posted by phooky at 4:26 PM on May 21, 2022
posted by phooky at 4:26 PM on May 21, 2022
Or they could, you know, have a panel with some screws and a gasket. There's your IP68 right there with no adhesive.
Apple's choices prioritize aesthetic over sustainability and functionality, and unfortunately they're large enough that they have defined the modern phone and the rest of the industry has followed suit.
Scuba regulators are life critical equipment. Slim phones are not.
posted by jellywerker at 4:28 PM on May 21, 2022 [28 favorites]
Apple's choices prioritize aesthetic over sustainability and functionality, and unfortunately they're large enough that they have defined the modern phone and the rest of the industry has followed suit.
Scuba regulators are life critical equipment. Slim phones are not.
posted by jellywerker at 4:28 PM on May 21, 2022 [28 favorites]
everyone wants a thick, heavy phone until the time comes to actually pick one to buy
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:29 PM on May 21, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:29 PM on May 21, 2022 [13 favorites]
I would love an iPhone that used screws and gaskets in place of adhesive everywhere, and if that design dictated that the phone be as chunky and heavy as my stock iPhone in its Otterbox case, then... fine? Because if I knew that I could easily replace major assemblies with OTS components from Amazon or Ebay, I wouldn't care if it was in a case. Heck, I'd prefer a naked phone, the only reason I use a case is because they design the damn things to be hostile to user repairs.
(And, while they love their adhesive, at least Apple is elegant about it. Every upgrade or repair I've done, from iPhone to iPad to iMac, I've had zero issues with, and it's been a straightforward repair. Hubby had a Moto X that needed a new screen and battery, and you'll never convince me that someone at the factory didn't just squirt an entire stick of hotsnot into that thing and then cram the back on. What a joke, and a nightmare.)
posted by xedrik at 4:55 PM on May 21, 2022 [9 favorites]
(And, while they love their adhesive, at least Apple is elegant about it. Every upgrade or repair I've done, from iPhone to iPad to iMac, I've had zero issues with, and it's been a straightforward repair. Hubby had a Moto X that needed a new screen and battery, and you'll never convince me that someone at the factory didn't just squirt an entire stick of hotsnot into that thing and then cram the back on. What a joke, and a nightmare.)
posted by xedrik at 4:55 PM on May 21, 2022 [9 favorites]
everyone wants a thick, heavy phone until the time comes to actually pick one to buy
Part of the irony here is that we buy these sleek beautiful phones and then hide them inside protective cases.
I had to swap the SIM card in my iPhone SE to change carriers earlier this week, and took the protective case off for the first time in ages. What a beautiful little device! in such a fetching red! And yet it's so small and slippery that I'm practically afraid to handle it without its case on.
The specialized equipment was pretty cool to see, as were the phone innards. And I agree with people who think it would be cool to be shipped a couple of Pelican cases, because that's always spy stuff in the movies and I could pretend to be a spy. Heck, the whole time I was repairing my phone, I would be pretending to hack into it like a movie spy.
This "make self-repair so burdensome people won't do it" is basically the same strategy that's been being used against abortion rights for a long time: waiting periods, the ultrasound requirement, etc. Conforming to the letter of the law, while putting up all kinds of barriers to people actually taking advantage of their rights.
posted by Well I never at 4:58 PM on May 21, 2022 [17 favorites]
Part of the irony here is that we buy these sleek beautiful phones and then hide them inside protective cases.
I had to swap the SIM card in my iPhone SE to change carriers earlier this week, and took the protective case off for the first time in ages. What a beautiful little device! in such a fetching red! And yet it's so small and slippery that I'm practically afraid to handle it without its case on.
The specialized equipment was pretty cool to see, as were the phone innards. And I agree with people who think it would be cool to be shipped a couple of Pelican cases, because that's always spy stuff in the movies and I could pretend to be a spy. Heck, the whole time I was repairing my phone, I would be pretending to hack into it like a movie spy.
This "make self-repair so burdensome people won't do it" is basically the same strategy that's been being used against abortion rights for a long time: waiting periods, the ultrasound requirement, etc. Conforming to the letter of the law, while putting up all kinds of barriers to people actually taking advantage of their rights.
posted by Well I never at 4:58 PM on May 21, 2022 [17 favorites]
Thanks for the response phooky . That is a great example of the difference between a manufacturer's need to reliably meet an established standard and a consumer's willingness to be satisfied with a much lower standard that only needs to be met once.
The thing about gluing the backs on, as opposed to screwing on a plate, is that the big liability from the manufacturer's point of view is that prismatic cells catch on fire when perforated. Even worse, they burn hot and are super hard to extinguish. Really life threatening stuff. This is a concern when there are poorly trained customers equipped with pointy screwdrivers about. Much better to replace the fiddly screws and drivers with adhesive.
Of course, that means you'll need a heater to open it. Hmm, and adhesive to seal it when you're done. Oh, and a jig to keep the alignments correct. Hmm, probably a calibrated press to make sure that the clearances are 100%. If we are going to do all that we might as well throw in some quality tools. You know, if we loan these things out we'll need some sort of stout box that makes packing and shipping easy for an uneducated consumer....
Oh look! We've gone from first principles to the aforementioned Apple repair kit.
And frankly, you may disagree about the engineering tradeoffs, but it at least seems like a reasonable thing to do. Maybe a bit overkill, but reasonable.
posted by pdoege at 6:12 PM on May 21, 2022 [9 favorites]
The thing about gluing the backs on, as opposed to screwing on a plate, is that the big liability from the manufacturer's point of view is that prismatic cells catch on fire when perforated. Even worse, they burn hot and are super hard to extinguish. Really life threatening stuff. This is a concern when there are poorly trained customers equipped with pointy screwdrivers about. Much better to replace the fiddly screws and drivers with adhesive.
Of course, that means you'll need a heater to open it. Hmm, and adhesive to seal it when you're done. Oh, and a jig to keep the alignments correct. Hmm, probably a calibrated press to make sure that the clearances are 100%. If we are going to do all that we might as well throw in some quality tools. You know, if we loan these things out we'll need some sort of stout box that makes packing and shipping easy for an uneducated consumer....
Oh look! We've gone from first principles to the aforementioned Apple repair kit.
And frankly, you may disagree about the engineering tradeoffs, but it at least seems like a reasonable thing to do. Maybe a bit overkill, but reasonable.
posted by pdoege at 6:12 PM on May 21, 2022 [9 favorites]
I don’t really get why people are so interested in repairing tech, of all things. Darn socks or resole shoes because those don’t fundamentally change in a few years. No one is on the 3nm process node in their home. Recycling this stuff is worthwhile. Having devices that can last as long as possible is great. Having professional repair easily accessible is great. Apple is basically the best at longevity, support and repair, but somehow if you can’t easily pop it open yourself then something is wrong. This whole conversation is about a minuscule population of geeks and the online publications that pander to them.
posted by snofoam at 6:14 PM on May 21, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 6:14 PM on May 21, 2022 [7 favorites]
You don't get why people might be interested in replacing the battery in their $1000 phone — and why some people think it might be better if it didn't cost a significant chunk of cash to do so?
posted by ssg at 7:09 PM on May 21, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by ssg at 7:09 PM on May 21, 2022 [11 favorites]
I don’t really get why people are so interested in repairing tech, of all things.
Because batteries are only good for so long before they need to be replaced? Because sometimes, shit happens, and a screen gets cracked? Because my old but perfectly good and still my daily driver iPhone 8 doesn't need to be replaced completely, it just needs some love?
Do you buy a new car every time you need new tires? Come on.
posted by xedrik at 7:33 PM on May 21, 2022 [12 favorites]
Because batteries are only good for so long before they need to be replaced? Because sometimes, shit happens, and a screen gets cracked? Because my old but perfectly good and still my daily driver iPhone 8 doesn't need to be replaced completely, it just needs some love?
Do you buy a new car every time you need new tires? Come on.
posted by xedrik at 7:33 PM on May 21, 2022 [12 favorites]
I've replaced batteries, keyboards, screens, and entire cases in many laptops. When it came to replacing the rapidly expanding battery in my second-hand Macbook though, no fucking way.
I'd sure as hell rather chuck a bunch of socks than toss a laptop in the dumpster.
posted by Ickster at 7:33 PM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'd sure as hell rather chuck a bunch of socks than toss a laptop in the dumpster.
posted by Ickster at 7:33 PM on May 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
Or why people would be concerned that the financial incentive for making a 1000 dollar phone extremely hard to repair would improve a company's bottom line?
posted by Ferreous at 8:14 PM on May 21, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Ferreous at 8:14 PM on May 21, 2022 [6 favorites]
Do you buy a new car every time you need new tires? Come on.
Do you have tire servicing equipment in your home, or do you take the car somewhere and pay someone to put new tires on it?
posted by Fleebnork at 6:07 AM on May 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
Do you have tire servicing equipment in your home, or do you take the car somewhere and pay someone to put new tires on it?
posted by Fleebnork at 6:07 AM on May 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
Meanwhile, when a mechanical watch is designed to be serviced, it's completely disassembled, every screw, every gear, cleaned, inspected, and oiled when reassembled, at arguably the same tolerances as a mobile phone.
posted by mikelieman at 6:18 AM on May 22, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 6:18 AM on May 22, 2022 [6 favorites]
My elderly mom wants to get a new battery in her iPhone SE (which she has because of a medical app only available on iOS) instead of buying a new phone. But it would require waiting 3-5 days for the repair, and she doesn't have another phone she could use in the meantime. She can't safely go into an indie repair shop right now because Covid cases are surging. There are good reasons that this should be possible to do at home, and it's hard for me to believe that it isn't possible to design phones so that the battery is easier to replace.
posted by pinochiette at 6:22 AM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by pinochiette at 6:22 AM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Whelp, I know which Mefites work at Apple now.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:53 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Literaryhero at 6:53 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
Durable, sleek, precision design is half the reason people buy Apple's stuff.
People posting from their iphones about how they really want a ruggedized, industrial phone are full of shit.
posted by ryanrs at 7:29 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
People posting from their iphones about how they really want a ruggedized, industrial phone are full of shit.
posted by ryanrs at 7:29 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
Or they could, you know, have a panel with some screws and a gasket. There's your IP68 right there with no adhesive.
Important to note that this is not 4 screws in the corners. To get uniform, high clamping pressure on the gasket, you either need a thicker metal flange, or many screws closely spaced along the edge. My phone has a perimeter of 400mm. Assuming a wide spacing of 10mm, that's 40 screws.
posted by ryanrs at 8:01 AM on May 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
Important to note that this is not 4 screws in the corners. To get uniform, high clamping pressure on the gasket, you either need a thicker metal flange, or many screws closely spaced along the edge. My phone has a perimeter of 400mm. Assuming a wide spacing of 10mm, that's 40 screws.
posted by ryanrs at 8:01 AM on May 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
And each screw for that gasket needs a sturdy place to screw into, which removes significant volume from the interior (which necessarily makes the phone bigger), and a very high precision milled hole in that place, plus of course the high precision milled screw itself, each of which must be applied at a precise torque and in a certain order so it doesn't warp the plate or oversquish the gasket/leave a gap, and be set in with a thread locker so it doesn't work its way out. A thread-locker, it should be noted, that is a consumable that would have to be re-applied to every one of those 40 screws in a fairly exacting amount if you ever opened the phone.
Or, one could use a frigging adhesive.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:33 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
Or, one could use a frigging adhesive.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:33 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
Durable, sleek, precision design is half the reason people buy Apple's stuff.
People posting from their iphones about how they really want a ruggedized, industrial phone are full of shit.
Whoa, the only reason I have an Iphone is they do a better job at privacy theater and every time I have to help my FIL with his Android I want to throw it across the room. I buy Apple despite the preciousness not because of it.
posted by Pembquist at 8:47 AM on May 22, 2022 [5 favorites]
People posting from their iphones about how they really want a ruggedized, industrial phone are full of shit.
Whoa, the only reason I have an Iphone is they do a better job at privacy theater and every time I have to help my FIL with his Android I want to throw it across the room. I buy Apple despite the preciousness not because of it.
posted by Pembquist at 8:47 AM on May 22, 2022 [5 favorites]
So can they not just design a back cover where you press and slide with your thumb, cover slides off, pull out battery, replace? That model is in 1000000 other devices. I mean what percentage of iPhone owners want to swim around with their phone? Even for something advertised as waterproof I wouldn’t be comfortable with that.
posted by freecellwizard at 9:06 AM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by freecellwizard at 9:06 AM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
I mean what percentage of iPhone owners want to swim around with their phone?
I like that my iPhone is waterproof to the level that if it gets wet for whatever reason, it will be unaffected. I like the fact that my iPhone is rigid because Apple glues everything to within an inch of its life. Apple products used to be repairable and upgradable and as a result they were also quite bendy, fairly bulky, and much less reliable. I like the current situation, where I can pay Apple a relatively small chunk of money to replace my battery and they'll do all the hard work for me.
posted by Galvanic at 9:26 AM on May 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
I like that my iPhone is waterproof to the level that if it gets wet for whatever reason, it will be unaffected. I like the fact that my iPhone is rigid because Apple glues everything to within an inch of its life. Apple products used to be repairable and upgradable and as a result they were also quite bendy, fairly bulky, and much less reliable. I like the current situation, where I can pay Apple a relatively small chunk of money to replace my battery and they'll do all the hard work for me.
posted by Galvanic at 9:26 AM on May 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
Remember all those stories about people dropping their phones in the toilet? Well, now you can just wash it off in quiet shame instead of having to explain what happened to IT or the guy at the Apple store.
posted by ryanrs at 11:05 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by ryanrs at 11:05 AM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
Discussions about this sort of thing are interesting when they're not just "the company I love/hate did a thing I disagree with* and therefore everything is wrong." It can be simultaneously true that paying Apple $69 to do this repair for you is a relative bargain AND that Apple is playing up how absurd it thinks right to repair is when the process is so incredibly precise. It's also a really good way for them to set a legal barrier to what constitutes a repair that doesn't void your warranty. Your options are:
1. Pay $69 to have an Apple certified technician (possibly an Apple employee) do the repair for you, and keep warranty coverage and water/dust intrusion protection;
2. Pay $69 for the battery, $49 to rent the tools, and float a $1200 hold on your credit card, in order to do all the hard work yourself but still keep warranty coverage and water/dust intrusion protection (at least as long as Apple doesn't also contend that you just did the repair wrong even if you used their tools, etc);
3. Pay nominally less to a third party and risk losing warranty coverage and/or water/dust intrusion protection.
I've replaced batteries in older iPhones. The first time I did it the screen delaminated when the tabs in the frame didn't release under pressure from the suction cup, and then I had to replace the screen too. I've also replaced non-user-replaceable components of a couple Mac mini models as well as the SSD in a 5K iMac (that involved the special service wedge, adhesive cutting wheel, and replacement adhesive strips from iFixit that you have to align using a pointed end of a spudger). I'd be comfortable doing most of those again but I wouldn't try to replace another battery in an iPhone. The tolerances are too tight, my patience is too thin, and the price of just letting Apple do it is, in this case, reasonable for what it is. I don't love the obvious play-acting of the heavy Pelican cases and security deposit, but I also don't mind just paying for a battery replacement at the store.
(Side note: I'm a little amused they expect you to provide your own bucket of sand. Imagine the teardown videos with electron microscopes analyzing the special sand Apple uses, from only the finest, purest dunes on Earth. It's a missed opportunity.)
* The thing I personally disagree with is the decision to have a thin phone with a tiny battery in the enclosure, but stick an awkward camera bump on the corner. On my iPhone 13 mini the camera bump has a distinct raised edge, the two cameras are further raised, and the sapphire lenses are raised further still. I keep my phone and wallet in the same pocket and I now have to use a case because otherwise the camera bump would catch on my wallet and either pull it out of my pocket with the phone or wear the leather out prematurely in that spot (or both). If they made the whole phone as thick as the thickest part of the camera bump and filled the extra internal volume with battery, I'd be happy**, but clearly there isn't enough market pressure from people like me. I think by making thin phones and spawning a whole market for cases (and including the possible "no case at all" option for users who want the thinnest thing possible) Apple is responding to the greatest market pressure of all.
** I don't, generally, run out of battery, even on long days. I just don't do that much on my phone. Maybe if they gave me a phone with a flat back and a huge battery, I'd still end up thinking "man, this thing is chonky, and it turns out I don't actually need all that battery anyway." And the other six people who say they want what I want might conclude the same thing.
posted by fedward at 12:44 PM on May 22, 2022 [5 favorites]
1. Pay $69 to have an Apple certified technician (possibly an Apple employee) do the repair for you, and keep warranty coverage and water/dust intrusion protection;
2. Pay $69 for the battery, $49 to rent the tools, and float a $1200 hold on your credit card, in order to do all the hard work yourself but still keep warranty coverage and water/dust intrusion protection (at least as long as Apple doesn't also contend that you just did the repair wrong even if you used their tools, etc);
3. Pay nominally less to a third party and risk losing warranty coverage and/or water/dust intrusion protection.
I've replaced batteries in older iPhones. The first time I did it the screen delaminated when the tabs in the frame didn't release under pressure from the suction cup, and then I had to replace the screen too. I've also replaced non-user-replaceable components of a couple Mac mini models as well as the SSD in a 5K iMac (that involved the special service wedge, adhesive cutting wheel, and replacement adhesive strips from iFixit that you have to align using a pointed end of a spudger). I'd be comfortable doing most of those again but I wouldn't try to replace another battery in an iPhone. The tolerances are too tight, my patience is too thin, and the price of just letting Apple do it is, in this case, reasonable for what it is. I don't love the obvious play-acting of the heavy Pelican cases and security deposit, but I also don't mind just paying for a battery replacement at the store.
(Side note: I'm a little amused they expect you to provide your own bucket of sand. Imagine the teardown videos with electron microscopes analyzing the special sand Apple uses, from only the finest, purest dunes on Earth. It's a missed opportunity.)
* The thing I personally disagree with is the decision to have a thin phone with a tiny battery in the enclosure, but stick an awkward camera bump on the corner. On my iPhone 13 mini the camera bump has a distinct raised edge, the two cameras are further raised, and the sapphire lenses are raised further still. I keep my phone and wallet in the same pocket and I now have to use a case because otherwise the camera bump would catch on my wallet and either pull it out of my pocket with the phone or wear the leather out prematurely in that spot (or both). If they made the whole phone as thick as the thickest part of the camera bump and filled the extra internal volume with battery, I'd be happy**, but clearly there isn't enough market pressure from people like me. I think by making thin phones and spawning a whole market for cases (and including the possible "no case at all" option for users who want the thinnest thing possible) Apple is responding to the greatest market pressure of all.
** I don't, generally, run out of battery, even on long days. I just don't do that much on my phone. Maybe if they gave me a phone with a flat back and a huge battery, I'd still end up thinking "man, this thing is chonky, and it turns out I don't actually need all that battery anyway." And the other six people who say they want what I want might conclude the same thing.
posted by fedward at 12:44 PM on May 22, 2022 [5 favorites]
Well, now you can just wash it off in quiet shame instead of having to explain...
Leak: iPhone 14's shame will be over 30% quieter
posted by Western Infidels at 12:59 PM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Leak: iPhone 14's shame will be over 30% quieter
posted by Western Infidels at 12:59 PM on May 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
every time I have to help my FIL with his Android I want to throw it across the room
I have felt that very urge when trying to help people with Android phones that run the irremovable proprietary bloatware that Samsung, LG, Huawei and probably others are so determined to foist on their users. I own a cheap Umidigi phone (AU$100 new on eBay) which runs a very plain vanilla Android 10 Go, and it's just been easy.
posted by flabdablet at 1:29 PM on May 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
I have felt that very urge when trying to help people with Android phones that run the irremovable proprietary bloatware that Samsung, LG, Huawei and probably others are so determined to foist on their users. I own a cheap Umidigi phone (AU$100 new on eBay) which runs a very plain vanilla Android 10 Go, and it's just been easy.
posted by flabdablet at 1:29 PM on May 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
Ok so there is a huge long thread about Apple's malicious compliance with a right-to-repair rule and huge amounts of noise and heat about something really marginal in the larger scheme of things. It's one thing to be forced to pay Apple to change the battery in your phone. It's something else altogether to have the manufacturer of your farm tractor ship it with "anti-tampering" firmware to brick your expensive capital asset when you try to do a field repair.
iPhone batteries are a distraction in this conversation, I'm saying.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 1:34 PM on May 22, 2022 [6 favorites]
iPhone batteries are a distraction in this conversation, I'm saying.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 1:34 PM on May 22, 2022 [6 favorites]
the verge is so bad they have me defending Apple, damn you D: (Louis Rossmann, YouTube, 8m26s)
posted by flabdablet at 1:40 PM on May 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 1:40 PM on May 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
A bodged hack that doesn't restore the phone to factory spec shouldn't be what "right to repair" gives us
If I want to bodge the thing together, I should damn well be allowed to do that with a thing that I own.
The amount of adhesive used in modern phones is completely ridiculous. I managed to get a SIM stuck in my Nexus 6 one night not long after I bought it. I didn't have a good set of Torx drivers at the time so I did have to go to Walmart at 10PM to go buy a set, but after getting home I was easily able to release the clips on the decorative plastic back cover and get access to the screws needed to pull the real back off and gain access to the jammed SIM tray. After a grand total of 20 minutes worth of fiddling, everything was right again, no need for a repair shop or any particularly specialized tools.
If Nokia could put together tiny candybar phones with screws, smartphone manufacturers can do the same with the much, much larger phones of today.
I'm not saying all adhesive is bad. A reasonable amount to hold the battery in place or keep the screen on is fine. There are very real benefits there. The problem comes when they use so damn much that it's literally impossible to get into the phone without destroying something no matter how careful you are even with a judicious application of heat.
posted by wierdo at 3:02 PM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
If I want to bodge the thing together, I should damn well be allowed to do that with a thing that I own.
The amount of adhesive used in modern phones is completely ridiculous. I managed to get a SIM stuck in my Nexus 6 one night not long after I bought it. I didn't have a good set of Torx drivers at the time so I did have to go to Walmart at 10PM to go buy a set, but after getting home I was easily able to release the clips on the decorative plastic back cover and get access to the screws needed to pull the real back off and gain access to the jammed SIM tray. After a grand total of 20 minutes worth of fiddling, everything was right again, no need for a repair shop or any particularly specialized tools.
If Nokia could put together tiny candybar phones with screws, smartphone manufacturers can do the same with the much, much larger phones of today.
I'm not saying all adhesive is bad. A reasonable amount to hold the battery in place or keep the screen on is fine. There are very real benefits there. The problem comes when they use so damn much that it's literally impossible to get into the phone without destroying something no matter how careful you are even with a judicious application of heat.
posted by wierdo at 3:02 PM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
If I want to bodge the thing together, I should damn well be allowed to do that with a thing that I own.
You can do whatever you want to with the thing that you own.
Oh, you want it to work afterwards? Well, that’s a different question.
Also, I love that you know exactly how much adhesive is the right amount.
posted by Galvanic at 4:24 PM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
You can do whatever you want to with the thing that you own.
Oh, you want it to work afterwards? Well, that’s a different question.
Also, I love that you know exactly how much adhesive is the right amount.
posted by Galvanic at 4:24 PM on May 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
Except that I can't bodge things together because some manufacturers lock components to the mainboard of the phone. Even if I execute the repair perfectly In a physical sense, shit won't work. I'm not unsympathetic to possible security concerns with (for example) fingerprint readers. However, there's nothing stopping a manufacturer from making it possible to swap working genuine parts between phones while still maintaining security.
Also, I explained quite well how much is too much adhesive. Enough to keep things from being creaky: totally fine. Enough that it's literally impossible to remove the screen without delaminating it: too much. I know that there is a correct amount because some manufacturers use that amount. I prefer clips and screws, but recognize that there are other reasonable approaches that don't significantly affect repairability when employed properly.
posted by wierdo at 7:02 PM on May 22, 2022
Also, I explained quite well how much is too much adhesive. Enough to keep things from being creaky: totally fine. Enough that it's literally impossible to remove the screen without delaminating it: too much. I know that there is a correct amount because some manufacturers use that amount. I prefer clips and screws, but recognize that there are other reasonable approaches that don't significantly affect repairability when employed properly.
posted by wierdo at 7:02 PM on May 22, 2022
Indeed. Look at the results of their reportage inside this very thread. We've got heated disagreement going on about the appropriateness of Apple making a bunch of expensive tooling available with a hefty deposit, all of which serves as a very tidy distraction from what we should be complaining about: that they don't make schematics available, they enter into exclusive supply deals with parts suppliers that prevent third-party repairers getting access to necessary replacement parts, and they use software-keyed parts-pairing techniques so that even genuine OEM parts gleaned from donor phones won't work when transplanted into systems whose original parts have failed.
Fundamentally repair-hostile corporate policy is about so much more than how much glue they use.
posted by flabdablet at 5:12 AM on May 23, 2022 [6 favorites]
Fundamentally repair-hostile corporate policy is about so much more than how much glue they use.
posted by flabdablet at 5:12 AM on May 23, 2022 [6 favorites]
I'm still stuck on "entirely separate computer" from the article. Separate from what? Am I currently typing on an Entirely Separate Computer? Are those particularly rare?
posted by ftm at 8:32 AM on May 23, 2022
posted by ftm at 8:32 AM on May 23, 2022
Anyone scoffing at $49 for a week and $1200 credit card hold has never rented any specialized tools from like Home Depot or a more specialized place apparently.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:03 AM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:03 AM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
The complaint as I see it is that iPhone (and others!) assembly seems to be engineered to be a one-way operation. That's the absurdity denoted by the $1200 kit.
posted by rhizome at 10:44 AM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by rhizome at 10:44 AM on May 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
I am 100% behind the whole right-to-repair thing in principle, but the idea kind of falls apart when a replacement battery is $69 including labour. Yes, Apple could, with relative ease, design an iPhone where the battery could be easily removed. Oh, you want it waterproof as well? That's not easy at all. Do you still want it slim and smooth? Yeah, nah, you have to pick two of those three only.
The idea that a company should design its products to suit the tiny, tiny majority of people who are happy to dismantle a $1,000+ high precision device to avoid paying $69 for a battery is farcical, really. But the idea they should allow for the interchange of parts or for generic parts to be used for repairs is the real kicker and what right-to-repair should be all about. It's s shame this article focussed on the least-important thing here and not the real issue of more complex (and expensive) repairs that are far more important and have far more impact in reducing landfill.
I must say, the idea of a couple of big cases of technical tools arriving on my doorstep for me to play with for a while would be fucking awesome :-)
Meanwhile, when a mechanical watch is designed to be serviced, it's completely disassembled, every screw, every gear, cleaned, inspected, and oiled when reassembled, at arguably the same tolerances as a mobile phone.
I doubt anyone is renting out the kit and instruction manual to do that, but if they are, I'm off to buy a mechanical watch!
posted by dg at 8:44 PM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
The idea that a company should design its products to suit the tiny, tiny majority of people who are happy to dismantle a $1,000+ high precision device to avoid paying $69 for a battery is farcical, really. But the idea they should allow for the interchange of parts or for generic parts to be used for repairs is the real kicker and what right-to-repair should be all about. It's s shame this article focussed on the least-important thing here and not the real issue of more complex (and expensive) repairs that are far more important and have far more impact in reducing landfill.
I must say, the idea of a couple of big cases of technical tools arriving on my doorstep for me to play with for a while would be fucking awesome :-)
Meanwhile, when a mechanical watch is designed to be serviced, it's completely disassembled, every screw, every gear, cleaned, inspected, and oiled when reassembled, at arguably the same tolerances as a mobile phone.
I doubt anyone is renting out the kit and instruction manual to do that, but if they are, I'm off to buy a mechanical watch!
posted by dg at 8:44 PM on May 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
The process of using self service repair, minus the Pelican cases of tools.
posted by wierdo at 7:48 PM on May 28, 2022
posted by wierdo at 7:48 PM on May 28, 2022
« Older But what will this do to the taxonomy? | Anybody you know make The List? Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by gwint at 2:54 PM on May 21, 2022