What Is Apple's Self Service Repair?
Apple parts, tools, and manuals will be available for iPhone 12/13s in early 2022, and then later in the year for M1 Macs. This is revolutionary for Apple, since repairs were only previously possible through Apple repair specialists. Self Service Repair will become available in the US, and then expand to additional countries throughout the year. Customers will join more than 5,000 Apple Authorised Service Providers and 2,800 Independent Repair Providers who have access to these parts, tools, and manuals.

(Image from Apple).

Customers wishing to use Self Service Repair will first need to review the Repair Manual. They can then place an order for genuine Apple parts and tools using the Apple Self Service Repair Online Store. Following the repair, customers who return their used part for recycling will receive credit toward their purchase. More than 200 individual parts and tools will become available, enabling customers to complete the most common repairs on their iPhone 12/13. Self Service Repair is intended for individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices. For the vast majority of customers, visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair.

Why Is Self Service Repair Such A Big Deal?
Until now, access to factory OEM parts for iPhones and Macs has been restricted to just a few places, such as Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple Stores, and Apple Independent Repair Providers.

(Image from Apple).

While this is a huge step, the service does face limitations. Firstly, it's only focused on screen, battery, and camera for iPhones. Plus, people looking to repair their phones tend to have older models, and at least initially, Apple’s Self Service Repair program won’t help them. Replacement batteries aren’t needed for most customers until about a year or two after the phone was purchased. iFixit's CEO Kyle Wiens believes that the self-service program is primarily Apple’s strategy for easing the pressure from its own shareholders over the right to repair movement.

The Right To Repair Movement.
The Right to Repair is a global movement that aims to ensure everyone has the right to fix the products they own. It seeks to change regulations on how electronics are made in the first place, to make them easy and affordable to repair. The movement began in the wake of the huge increase in electronic waste - which is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. The increase is partly due to phone and laptops manufacturers making their products harder to fix, forcing a lot of consumers to just buy new.

Apple has often been viewed as one of the biggest opponents to the right to repair movement. Apple had previously claimed that consumers fixing their own devices, 'would be dangerous'. According to Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, 'Companies inhibit (the right to repair) because it gives the companies power, control, over everything.' However, it does appear that Apple is starting to see the light, and in just a few months, repairing Apple products will be more accessible.