Cupertino (US): Apple to launch an online store for self-service repairs early next year. The company said that the store will have more than 200 individual parts and tools for making the most common repairs on the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13.
The online store will initially be focused on do-it-yourself fixes to screens, batteries and displays, which Apple previously resisted and cited concerns about safety, such as faulty battery replacements that can damage a device.
The company said that this will enable users of two of the newest iPhone models and eventually some Mac computers to get access to genuine Apple parts and tools for consumer repairs.
The move is a sharp turnaround for a company that has long prohibited anyone but company-approved technicians from fiddling with its proprietary parts and software.
The shift reflects a strengthening 'right to repair' movement embraced by President Joe Biden and affecting everything from smartphones to cars and tractors. It's a reaction to the infusion of software into more everyday products and the practices of manufacturers who have increasingly made those products difficult and often expensive to repair.