the low cost repair. In early 2018, after Apple was found to be slowing down certain models of iPhones in order to compensate for degrading batteries, the company reduced the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements for iPhone 6 and later models. Under the program, Apple reduced the price for a battery replacement from $79 to $29.[1] Subsequently, in a January 2, 2019 letter to investors, Apple’s CEO explained that iPhone sales were lower than anticipated due to, among other things, “some customers taking advantage of significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements.”[2]
Whether consumers are willing to trade repairability of devices for other design features is a question that remains open.[3] Further research is required to understand the tradeoffs consumers are willing to make when fully informed about repairability.[4]
Manufacturers argue that authorized repair facilities provide superior service compared to the service provided by independent repair facilities. Most of the support for this argument is anecdotal and relates to concerns about independent repair facilities that do not meet safety standards and do not conduct repairs properly.[5] For example, in a joint comment, several associations representing OEMs stated:
Customers can be sure that a manufacturer’s repair network will conduct repairs using properly trained and vetted professionals that have the necessary skills to safely and reliably repair products to OEM specifications and standards with OEM-quality parts…. Without contracts, consumers that do not choose manufacturer-affiliated repair services are exposed to the potential for unsafe or unreliable repair that could lead to frustrating, or even dangerous, results…. And where in-home repairs are concerned, OEMs require, by contract, that repairs be conducted by properly trained
- ↑ A Message to Our Customers about iPhone Batteries and Performance, Apple, (Dec. 28, 2017), https://web.archive.org/web/20180208010741/https://www.apple.com/iphone-battery-and-performance/.
- ↑ Letter from Tim Cook to Apple investors, Apple, (Jan. 2, 2019), https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/01/letter-from-tim-cook-to-apple-investors/. Apple reportedly anticipated replacing 1–2 million iPhone batteries under its battery replacement program, but ended up replacing over 11 million batteries. Killian Bell, Apple wildly underestimates demand for cheap iPhone batteries, Cult of Mac, (Jan. 15, 2019), https://www.cultofmac.com/600738/apple-wildly-underestimates-demand-iphone-battery-replacements/.
- ↑ It is also possible that this is a false choice. For instance, even if the use of adhesives rather than screws makes a product more aesthetically pleasing, a manufacturer could provide instructions and supplies for dissolving the glue to individuals and independent repair shops.
- ↑ The impact of repairability scores will soon be tested in France, where a new law requires manufacturers of certain consumer products to label the products with such a score. Repairability Index, Ministère De La Transition Écologique, (Feb. 10, 2020), https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/indice-reparabilite; Law No. 2020-105, Regarding a Circular Economy and the Fight Against Waste (Feb. 10, 2020).
- ↑ When asked at the Workshop if the CTA has studied whether authorized repair providers perform higher quality or more secure repairs compared to independent repair providers, Walter Alcorn said he was not aware that anyone has studied that question. Transcript, at 53–54.
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