Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#101

Post by gjsman-1000 » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:25 PM UTC

wfhordie wrote: post #93

Apple can’t win here. If they had sent the sleek, easy to carry tools this author asked for, the author would complain about the pathetic tools they are providing. Really disappointed in The Verge on this article. Could have been a cool piece about the specific tech that Apple provides, but instead it’s framed so disingenuously that I come away not feeling particularly good about right to repair in general. It no lon…

Furthermore, according to Apple technicians, these are the actual tools they have always used every day in Apple stores, but the author is framing it as though Apple went out of their way to make difficult tools for consumers - by giving them exactly what they were asking for, the actual tools.

The author complains that after renting the tools and buying the battery, it’s more expensive than having Apple do it. So? Is Apple supposed to ship $1200 in tools to you for free without a hold (incentivizing theft), or sell parts for cheaper than they sell them to their own stores (the prices are the same as to their stores and service providers)? Repairing anything is expensive if you don’t have the tools or don’t want to buy the tools and reuse them.

iFixIt should (frankly) denounce the article as it will almost certainly be used by Apple in a future court case to argue that Right To Repair activists are “extreme.”

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#102

Post by Someone » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:26 PM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #91

Does Apple require you to rent all of these specialty tools to replace the battery? Or is this author just getting all of the specialty tools to make a point? Obviously, people have been replacing iPhone batteries without 79 pounds of special tools for a long time. The fact that Apple provides the option to buy their special tools is great, but this author is digging deep for a reason to spin that as a bad thing whic…

Looking at https://selfservicerepair.com/home, it doesn’t look as if it requires it, but I couldn’t fully check, as you have to enter a valid IMEI fairly early in the sales process, and I don’t have qualifying hardware.

Also, their manuals assume you have the necessary hardware (makes sense to me, but means Apple won’t help you do repairs without that hardware)

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#103

Post by sokoloff » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:26 PM UTC

Aeolun wrote: post #79

londons_explore wrote: post #16

I actually think this is a great. I like the idea of more 12 year olds getting a chance to peek at the innards of their tech, using the proper kit so they at least have a chance of not ruining everything. While I suspect Apple will lose quite a lot of money on this (these toolboxes will end up with most of the tools missing or broken very quickly!), I think from a global economic perspective, the educational value of…

I do not think a lot of 12 year olds are going to put down a $1200 deposit. Nor will a lot of parents put down a $1200 deposit so their 12 year old can mess with their $1000 phone. But I dunno… maybe?

I’m about to tear into my 13 year old’s iPhone X and replace the battery when the $25 package arrives from Amazon later today.

You bet he’s going to be there watching and seeing what’s inside the phone. (It’s not that we’re doing exploratory surgery for fun and just want to see what’s inside. It’s driven by the need to repair his phone, but has a side effect of cool.)

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#104

Post by danrl » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:26 PM UTC

Professional tools to get the job done, like they are used in any halfway decent repair shop.

The author seems to confuse right to repair with sloppy, microwave-utilizing home repairs using a $20 kit from ebay.

What a badly faithed clickbait article. Expected more from The Verge.

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#105

Post by dwighttk » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:26 PM UTC

wfhordie wrote: post #93

Apple can’t win here. If they had sent the sleek, easy to carry tools this author asked for, the author would complain about the pathetic tools they are providing. Really disappointed in The Verge on this article. Could have been a cool piece about the specific tech that Apple provides, but instead it’s framed so disingenuously that I come away not feeling particularly good about right to repair in general. It no lon…

I especially liked the line mocking the instruction to have sand available if the battery catches on fire. That’s a good idea.

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#106

Post by PragmaticPulp » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:26 PM UTC

jeroenhd wrote: post #11

It's so silly that modern phones (from all manufacturers, really) need these giant kits (or hacks like microwaving a jelly sock) just to replace the single part that wears down. I still have my first Android phone. It contains a battery you can pop out after removing the back cover. Replaceable batteries used to be the norm! Now we need suction cups, hot air stations and professional guides to replace the part, becau…

> It's so silly that modern phones (from all manufacturers, really) need these giant kits

People have been replacing iPhone batteries long before this kit was available as an option.

99% or more of iPhone owners have no desire to replace their own batteries. Suggesting that Apple compromise the design of the iPhone just to cater to the rare customer who wants to swap batteries isn’t a realistic suggestion and I’m kind of baffled that so many HN commenters can’t understand that much.

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#107

Post by lupire » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:27 PM UTC

Gigachad wrote: post #30

jeroenhd wrote: post #11

It's so silly that modern phones (from all manufacturers, really) need these giant kits (or hacks like microwaving a jelly sock) just to replace the single part that wears down. I still have my first Android phone. It contains a battery you can pop out after removing the back cover. Replaceable batteries used to be the norm! Now we need suction cups, hot air stations and professional guides to replace the part, becau…

You don’t need all this. A hair dryer and guitar pick and suction cup is all you need. Ifixit sells a very cheap kit that has everything you need. It’s quite easy and reasonable to do. Problem is apple insists that phones can only be touched with extremely specialised tools which ensure every repair is perfect with little room for any human error. And instead of loosening their requirements for self repair, they have…

Is Apple going to sue you if you use a hair dryer, or merely decline to fix it for you for free when the battery expired after your 3yrar warranty anyway?

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#108

Post by dwighttk » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:29 PM UTC

danrl wrote: post #104

Professional tools to get the job done, like they are used in any halfway decent repair shop. The author seems to confuse right to repair with sloppy, microwave-utilizing home repairs using a $20 kit from ebay. What a badly faithed clickbait article. Expected more from The Verge.

Agreed with you until the last sentence. The Verge has great writing right alongside clickbait. It is just a coin flip.

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#109

Post by gjsman-1000 » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:31 PM UTC

blagie wrote: post #100

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #91

Does Apple require you to rent all of these specialty tools to replace the battery? Or is this author just getting all of the specialty tools to make a point? Obviously, people have been replacing iPhone batteries without 79 pounds of special tools for a long time. The fact that Apple provides the option to buy their special tools is great, but this author is digging deep for a reason to spin that as a bad thing whic…

You misread the article. Apple is renting out the tools for $49 and a $1200 deposit. Apple is doing this at a loss; the tools cost more than $49 to ship, let alone rent, and probably way more than $1200 to buy. That's weird. Apple is also charging $69 for a $5 battery -- their normal repair fee. That's unfair. Apple set up a bizarre, convoluted process, on which both Apple and the customer lose money.

The author negligently failed to mention the ~$25 refund you get when returning the old battery for recycling. The pricing is structured to incentivize part returns but the author was focused on what appears to be a hit piece and did not mention that.

Re: Apple Shipped Me a 79-Pound iPhone Repair Kit to Fix a 1.1-Ounce Battery

#110

Post by zenexer » Sat, May 21, 2022, 1:32 PM UTC

wfhordie wrote: post #93

Apple can’t win here. If they had sent the sleek, easy to carry tools this author asked for, the author would complain about the pathetic tools they are providing. Really disappointed in The Verge on this article. Could have been a cool piece about the specific tech that Apple provides, but instead it’s framed so disingenuously that I come away not feeling particularly good about right to repair in general. It no lon…

At least some of these tools are name brand. For example, the torque screwdrivers are Wera Kraftform Micro ESD pre-set torque screwdrivers. Apple sells them cheaper than anyone else, as far as I can tell—which is quite curious. Surely if you ordered them in bulk you could beat Apple’s prices, but you can’t order a single set of the same screwdrivers for less than what Apple is charging. I’m also told this is the exact same brand Apple itself uses in their stores.

There’s an alternative, though: head to Home Depot and buy and adjustable torque screwdriver for $60. It’ll have the same 10% tolerance rating. It won’t be ESD-safe—but does it really need to be for a one-off home repair? You could find something even cheaper on AliExpress, I’m sure.

Curiously, this program seems like a great deal for repair shops: for a bit over a thousand dollars, they can get the same tooling that Apple’s own stores use. It makes no sense for a consumer to buy or rent these tools from Apple, but a repair shop? $1,200 is a bargain to say you’re using the exact same tooling as Apple.