Apple’s Independent Repair Shop Extends to Macs: You No Longer to Wait for a Genius Bar

Apple’s independent repair program provides qualified repair shops with Apple-certified tools, parts, repair books and diagnostics, as well as free training.

The extension could make it faster and easier to access fixes for most common issues without warranty with Macs. Problems that fall under Apple’s warranty should be repaired at an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, such as Best Buy.

More than 140 independent repair companies with more than 700 US locations are now part of the program, and this summer Apple announced the expansion of the program to Europe and Canada. The repair shops will complement Apple’s worldwide network of more than 5,000 Authorized Service Providers, and will have access to parts and tools at the same price as those providers.

The news comes after Mac sales rose nearly 22% year-over-year in the quarter ended June, likely stimulated by work-from-home policies during the coronavirus pandemic. And it’s not just Apple – there’s a wide shortage of laptops as remote work continues and as many students prepare to go home from school this fall.

During the pandemic, Apple had to close some of its retail stores, reopen and then reopen as coronavirus spread throughout the United States.