‘We are losing money’: companies in Apple’s repair program say they can’t compete with tech giant

theguardian.com:

Companies in Apple’s third-party repair program say delays in the process and high pricing for parts make it almost impossible to compete with the juggernaut.

In 2021 Apple, under pressure from a Productivity Commission review on the “right to repair”, launched its independent repair provider program in Australia. It was trumpeted as a way for small companies to compete with Apple to repair their products – such as the iPhone – using Apple tools and spare parts.

At the time, repairers said they felt the move was a token gesture designed to head off any potential right-to-repair legislation that would have been recommended by the Productivity Commission review.

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Two years later, some say their fears have been realised. A number of repairers Guardian Australia has spoken to in Australia and the US suggest Apple’s slow response times and the high cost for replacement parts makes it almost impossible for them to be viable competitors.

The repairers requested anonymity to speak about the program, fearing that reprisals from the California-based tech giant might prevent them from remaining in the program.

Apple has indicated it takes an average of eight weeks for repairers to be admitted to the program, but repairers Guardian Australia has spoken to said the wait time can be up to six months – and that it feels like the applications sit in a black hole, without any point of contact within Apple to provide an update on their status.

Once repairers are admitted to the program, they receive training from Apple, as well as access to Apple parts, tools, repair manuals and diagnostic software for the company’s iPhones and Macs.

But