It was reported on October 30 that due to the new all-weather display function of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the maintenance difficulty has reached a new height, and it is almost impossible to restore it through third-party service providers. It is reported that Apple is equipped with two ambient light sensors for this year’s high-end iPhones, which are used for brightness adjustment and identification of the all-weather display function to automatically turn off.
(Image from: Apple’s official website)
Since earlier, Apple has provided third-party parts recognition for iPhones, making most parts replaced through unofficial repair services non-functional, although Apple recently lowered the “non-working” limit to only ” Risk Warning”, but it can still help users to distinguish whether original parts are used after repair. Judging from the latest news from technology blogger Hugh Jefferys, Apple has added a large number of “hidden” internal parts recognition systems to the iPhone 14 series, even if two iPhone 14 Pros with full configuration, model, and color are swapped for parts. It still does not work properly, which greatly increases the difficulty of maintenance.
(Image from: Apple’s official website)
In fact, with the exception of the two high-end models, Apple’s more serviceable adjustments for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, the most vulnerable back cover uses an integrated glass, and the maintenance personnel can easily remove the entire back cover , It is no longer necessary to remove the glass that is closely adhered to the middle frame. Logically speaking, the maintenance cost, maintenance difficulty and maintenance cost should be reduced. However, according to the current situation, Apple is only to reduce the maintenance expenses of Apple Store after-sales service, and does not really hope that users can repair mobile phones more conveniently.
(Image from: Apple’s official website)
Of course, Apple’s practice of protecting official repair services is indeed reasonable for itself. After all, the quality of third-party accessories is uneven, which is likely to affect the normal experience of the iPhone, but even official accessories are encrypted, which is undoubtedly ” Monopolistic Competition”. A report issued by SimplyFixIt, an independent repair company, shows that the iPhone 14 series has added a large number of unannounced encryption services, and it is very likely that every important component, such as the core chip, memory chip, display screen, etc., is bound to a personal Apple ID. None of the official repair services have been able to make it work. It is worth noting that this chain of repair companies has been purchasing original parts from Apple, which almost confirms Apple’s practice of “expelling” third-party service providers.
(Image from: Apple’s official website)
It has to be said that Apple has always advocated that users can join the Apple Care+ program while purchasing a new phone, but there are not many users who will make up their minds to purchase this $199 service, and Apple may not necessarily want to make repairs difficult for third parties. The service providers rushed to kill them, and more hoped that the repaired iPhone would still have a normal experience. But under this approach, should Apple significantly reduce the repair price, especially the subscription fee of Apple Care+, so as to be in line with Apple’s concept of “repair”.
(Cover image from: Apple’s official website)