We Are Retroactively Dropping the iPhone’s Repairability Score | iFixit News
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We need to have a serious chat about iPhone repairability. We judged the phones of yesteryear by how easy they were to take apart—screws, glues, how hard it was…

[ifixit] We Are Retroactively Dropping the iPhone’s Repairability Score::We need to have a serious chat about iPhone repairability. We judged the phones of yesteryear by how easy they were to take apart—screws, glues, how hard it was…

  • aleph@lemm.eeEnglish
    1951·
    1 year ago

    “Why don’t you buy Apple products?”

    Me: Gestures broadly at this:

    Ever the innovators, Apple introduced a new dimension to repair that our scorecard simply didn’t account for: namely, that you could take a highly repairable design like the iPhone 14, install a genuine Apple replacement screen or battery, and then… it fails to work. Following the correct procedure was no longer enough.

    Today, you need one more thing: a software handshake, using Apple’s System Configuration tool. It contacts Apple’s servers to “authenticate” the repair, then “pairs” the new part to your system so it works as expected. Of course, it can only authenticate if Apple knows about your repair in advance, because you gave them the exact serial number of your iPhone, and they’ve pre-matched it to a display or battery. This is only possible if you buy the screen or battery directly from Apple. Forget harvesting parts—which is a huge part of most independent repair and recycling businesses. It’s also impossible to pair any aftermarket parts—which means only Apple-authorized repairs can truly restore the device to full functionality.

    • BeanCounter@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1542·
      1 year ago

      It contacts Apple’s servers to “authenticate” the repair, then “pairs” the new part to your system so it works as expected.

      Mmmm… DRM for your replacement parts for over $1,200 devices that you already paid for. That’s what this society needs.

      • qwertyqwertyqwerty@lemmy.worldEnglish
        151·
        1 year ago

        I think calling it DRM is incorrect. I think Apple and its audience belief you should be able to tell if a replacement part could be counterfeit, and possibly have a security vulnerability as a result. However, it should be a one-time notice that a user can dismiss and continue using the phone’s complete functionality.

        For example, if someone replaces a camera module, Face ID could technically be compromised. That said, the security for Face ID is on the device itself, and replacing the module with a third-party one, as long as they was made aware it may not be as secure as the original part, let them do what they want with their own device.

        EDIT: If it were me, I would want to know a part in my phone is not directly from Apple, but I would still want the ability to determine if I want to continue using the phone like that or straight up replace it. It should be the user’s decision.

        • BeanCounter@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          I agree to some extent. And I believe that’s how ingenuine parts were treated by iOS before now.

          But locking its functionality? That’s some bullshit.