Apple expands self service repair to iPhone, MacBook users in Europe

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple on Tuesday announced that its self service repair programme is now available in eight European countries.

Customers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK can purchase genuine Apple parts and tools for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, and Mac notebooks with Apple silicon.

The Self Service Repair Store provides access to more than 200 individual parts and tools, as well as repair manuals. The program enables customers who are experienced with the complexities of repairi, Apple said in a statement.

"We believe the best technology for our customers and for the planet is technology that lasts, which is why we design our products to be durable and rarely require maintenance or repair," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer.

"But when a repair is needed, we want customers to have many options for safe, reliable, and secure repair. That's why we're excited to launch Self Service Repair in Europe, giving our customers direct access to genuine Apple parts, tools, and manuals," he added.

Apple will offer tool rental kits for $49, so that customers who do not want to purchase tools for a single repair still have access to these professional repair tools.

The weeklong rental kits will ship to customers for free, said the company.

"For the vast majority of customers who do not have experience repairing electronic devices, visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair," it added.

In August, Apple had expanded its self service repair programme to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks with the M1 family of chip.

Over the past three years, Apple has nearly doubled the number of service locations with access to genuine Apple parts, tools, and training, including more than 4,000 Independent Repair Providers.

A global network of more than 5,000 Apple Authorized Service Providers supports more than 100,000 active technicians. As a result, eight out of 10 Apple customers are located within 30 minutes of an authorized service provider across Europe.