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Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

ifixit.com

141–150 of 590 posts

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#141

It's good to see Apple behaving and recognising the momentum the Rights to Repair movement has got globally in the last few years (especially in the large market of EU, and now picking up in Asia). But I think iFixit has been too generous in giving the iPhone 14 a repairability score of 7 out of 10 when Apple still places additional unwanted hurdles and control through software: > We are hearing reports that Apple is…

If Apple allows super easy salvage of another device for parts, I wonder if phones will start to be stolen again. Easy salvage might create an unacceptably wide-spread life-safety risk to ALL smartphone owners. Tradeoffs, unintended consequences.

> Easy salvage might create an unacceptably wide-spread life-safety risk to ALL smartphone owners.

Yeah, it'll be the end of the world if an iPhone is disassembled and its parts sold worldwide! /s

If preventing theft was the real goal behind requiring software activation for repairs, then Apple can simply display a warning to the user that a replaced part is stolen and to inform the police. The real reason for this anti-repair feature is to ensure that iDevice users are forced to buy Apple care, are forced to buy parts from Apple at artificially inflated prices and to prevent them from sourcing cheaper parts from elsewhere. When I buy an iPhone, I own it. If I want to replace a part in it with a non-genuine non-apple spare part it is my right to do so, and Apple doesn't have any right to prevent me from doing so.

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The tools are made to guarantee a factory-quality repair, complete with stock levels of part fit and water resistance, regardless of the skill level of who’s using it. That can’t really be done in a way that’s not overengineered and bulky.

I’d argue that they’re not over engineered at all. They’re engineered for a particular purpose. Which is: Apple doing warranty repair. I love how people used to complain that Apple didn’t make their tools available, and now people complain that their tools are too nice. Well duh, did people think that Apple was using hairdryers and guitar picks for warranty work?

It's Apple. Haters are going to hate no matter what they do.

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

I do like both security and freedom. How do we get both in this scenario? Have the iOS device ask the user for permission to allow unverified hardware to work? Also have a periodic reminder that unverified hardware is installed and the possible consequences?

yeah, let the logged-in user re-pair (pun not entirely intended) their swapped-out components and log it somewhere for future technicians. Apple can also go an extra step to register stolen components to also show that once it is inserted into another devices. ofc there then needs to be some core to pair with but apple will figure it out.

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#145
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sort of. You can still buy replacement parts from Apple as part of the repair program. This would, in theory, make repairing the iPhone 14 a lot easier than it has been in the past. No, this still doesn't mean you can go get the cheapest replacement option you can on Alibaba but the repair is STILL easier, even if you still have to buy from Apple. For certain replacement parts I can see this being important, like any…

>For certain replacement parts I can see this being important, like anything involved in Face ID or Touch ID. Those are secure elements. The back glass is not a secure element. That's just vendor lock-in malice for the sake of profiteering. Edit: Since I can reply to your comments below, your argument fails flat because: 1) SW lock-outs also apply to genuine apple parts, not just aftermarket ones 2) If the user's abi…

There's a charitable interpretation. Customers can now verify that the replacements are genuine Apple parts.

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#146

>Apple has completely redesigned the internals of the iPhone 14 to make it easier to repair HN: Easier for who? Quote from the video: "We're hearing reports of Apple continuing on the hostile path of pairing parts to the phone, requiring activation of the back glass after installation. Why in the world would you need permission to install a sheet of glass?! Using software to prevent the replacement of components with…

Apple’s Activation Lock lead to a substantial drop in smartphone theft worldwide. That’s something worthy of consideration. Apple must not re-incentivize phone theft to harvest parts. https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/11/apples-activation-lock-lea...

But what if I want to transplant a part from my old phone to a phone same model that I both legitimately own? Why should Apple be the one to stop me? Why not let the user enable/disable the SW lock, like a lo-jack?

Do you live in an area where phone theft is rampant? Ok, then leave SW lock enabled on your phone's parts.

Do you want to legitimately transplant parts off your old phone to your new phone? Then let the user disable the SW lock after entering their PIN or Face-ID or whatever.

It's not like this is some super-complex problem Apple couldn't solve with a few line of code to have the best of bot worlds if they really wanted to.

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#147

Odd article considering everything is still software locked to the phone. Sure it's easier to repair, but if you get your parts from anywhere else than apple's program directly, a lot of features will stop working. Hugh Jeffreys made a video interchanging parts on two brand new iphone's and it disabled a lot of things including auto-brightness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2WhU77ihw8

This makes it easier for my technicians when customers lie by omission when they have had their device repaired someplace else and they bring it back to us for repair. It's not until we get into the repair and find out someone has stripped screws that can't be removed without extraction tools and replaced LSI's. It's also nice for consumers who get their devices stolen strictly for parts. Preventing someone from basi…

You are conflating separate concerns.

Tracking serial numbers to black-list stolen parts (too much effort for too little value IMO but I'm not a bean counter for a nation-state-sized corporation so what do I know?) is very different from white-listing ordained parts.

Independent shops should be able to buy broken phones from individuals and part them out for repairs without jumping through Apple's hoops.

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#148

> It’s an upgrade so seamless that the best tech reviewers in the world didn’t notice. I think it’s bad taste on how he keeps on knocking tech reviewers. Of course they won’t notice because they don’t open phones for a living.

Correct. Tech reviewers don't open phones for a living, and the vast, vast majority of cell phone buyers literally could not care less.

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#149

>Apple has completely redesigned the internals of the iPhone 14 to make it easier to repair HN: Easier for who? Quote from the video: "We're hearing reports of Apple continuing on the hostile path of pairing parts to the phone, requiring activation of the back glass after installation. Why in the world would you need permission to install a sheet of glass?! Using software to prevent the replacement of components with…

Apple’s Activation Lock lead to a substantial drop in smartphone theft worldwide. That’s something worthy of consideration. Apple must not re-incentivize phone theft to harvest parts. https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/11/apples-activation-lock-lea...

I got mugged a couple years ago, or attempted to: The thief asked for my phone, saw it was an iPhone and just gave it back.

That to me is worth the whole phone bricking thing. And it's also not like I've gone through a bunch of them, I got a 6S on release and a 12 pro when I felt it couldn't play video games anymore.

Re: Apple’s iPhone 14 Redesign for Repair

#150

I’m not sure I care much about repairability. For me, makers should have the freedom to design products as they wish. I don’t think that phones and laptops would be as light and portable as iPhones and Macs are if Apple was inhibited by the Right to Repair movement from arranging internal components in such a jampacked way. I also think that makers should have the freedom to design computers whose software tightly in…

If any company can figure out how to do it and be a tight integrated product that works amazingly, it's Apple. Let's not forget, this is also about reducing e-waste and it's not an option anymore to dump new phones because one part broke and you can't repair yourself.

If there's any company that cares about e-waste and could do this, it would be Apple. They're the only company, from what I can see, that does any kind of changes with regard to an eye on environmental sustainability.
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