Today, Apple announced that it will expand a program that gave third-party repair shops access to their own tools, diagnostics and parts. Launched last year, the app initially provided only the resources for service of iPhones. Now it will also apply to Macs. As with the iPhone app, stores can sign up for the app for free, and those who participate will receive free training and access to parts.
Apple has tried to make its own services like AppleCare + and the Genius Bar at Apple retail stores a great selling point for benevolent Mac users who want good repair options, without figuring out which stores are reliable or do any of the work themselves. Although these services often receive high marks from Apple customers, there is a major problem: the company’s own Apple Store locations mainly serve large city centers in relatively rich countries.
There are several gaps in that coverage, leaving iPhone or Mac owners who do not live in these locations with fewer options. This repair program can be a first step to reduce some of that problem. It will allow some third-party retailers to serve areas that Apple Stores does not provide a level of service for iPhones and Macs that is closer than what customers in an Apple Store would get.
Furthermore, the expansion of this program is forward-looking, as Apple is the focus of intensive scrutiny of lawmakers and consumer advocacy organizations, as well as anti-trust research, related to Apple’s end-to-end product strategy.
Apple’s explicit strategy is to control not only the hardware and software that make up its products, but also associated services such as the App Store or repair programs. The argument is that this makes for better experiences for users who buy it, but some watchdogs, legislators, regulators and commentators claim it is anti-competitive.
The growth of this program signals something of a shift in Apple’s strategy – a kind of middle ground that potentially undergoes some of these criticisms, while giving consumers more robust repair options in some markets. That said, the program remains small – there are only a few hundred stores to date in the United States, Canada and Europe – and Apple is still building its products in a way that means access to its own tools and components of the company for many optimal is repairs.
