Apple's Self Service Repair comes to European countries
Image courtesy: Apple

Apple has launched Self Service Repair in eight European countries. It’s now available in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This continues the expansion that Apple promised when launching Self Service Repair in the US in April this year.

What is Self Service Repair?

Self Service Repair gives you all you need to repair common issues with your Apple products. You can now buy repair manuals along with genuine Apple parts and tools through the Apple Self Service Repair Store. In addition, you can be confident that you are using the same manuals, parts, and tools as Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Service Providers.

What products can you repair?

The products covered by the Apple Self Service Repair Store include the Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups and Mac notebooks with Apple silicon. Every genuine Apple part is designed and engineered for each product. The company has also said it tested the components to ensure the highest quality, safety and reliability.

Parts and tools

The store gives you access to more than 200 individual parts and tools, together with the necessary repair manuals. The tools offered through Self Service Repair include torque drivers, repair trays, display and battery presses. Apple also says that the tools are engineered to withstand the rigours of high-volume, professional repair operations.

Pricing

The costs for parts and tools will vary depending on the repair you need to carry out. However, you can also rent a tool kit from the Self Service Repair Store for $49. This means that you can still use professional tools without having to buy them if you just need to do a single repair. You get to use the rental kits for a week and Apple ships them to you for free. In addition, you can send the replaced parts back to Apple for refurbishment and recycling. If you do this, you may also receive credit off your purchase. 

What we think

One of the issues around Apple products has been the cost and difficulty of getting a repair when something goes wrong. All this means is that customers can now repair their devices themselves if they feel confident to do so. More importantly, it also means that independent repair services can now use genuine Apple parts and tools. This should make high-quality, professional repair services more widely available. In addition, the increased competition will also hopefully mean that prices come down as well.

Pete Tomkies is a freelance cinematographer and camera operator from Manchester, UK. He also produces and directs short films as Duck66 Films. Pete's latest short Once Bitten... won 15 awards and was selected for 105 film festivals around the world.