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With the release of the iPhone 14 last year came many plaudits
for Apple, mainly for making the phone itself more
‘repairable’ than its predecessors. While repair to the
devices had become more straightforward, increased complexities
about who could make such repairs also arose.
The main issue is centred on the repair of a broken or
malfunctioning iPhone 14 ‘Always-On Display’ (AOD), which
uses the phone’s two ambient light sensors to calibrate display
brightness. In order to conserve battery life, when at night
or when the phone is in your pocket, the display will shut down,
leveraging the phone’s automatic brightness capabilities. If
the display of an iPhone 14 breaks, and an Apple-authorised service
centre is not used to replace it however, the ambient light sensors
shuts down, leaving the screen permanently black unless you can
remember the position of the slider, leaving the brightness of the
phone to only be adjusted manually.
The cause of this failure is Apple’s policy of ‘Parts
Pairing’, tying individual components to the phones that carry
them. A component such as the screen of an iPhone 14 will have a
unique ID logged in its hardware that the iPhone checks for
whenever it is started. As far as the phone is concerned, it will
only work properly if it has its ‘own’ display attached. If
the device’s own display is not detected, it won’t work.
Users will instead see error messages urging them to go to their
local Apple support technician. These messages do not ultimately
persist, but the device will be permanently marked as hosting
unauthorised components.
The only way to prevent this is for an Apple-authorised
technician to manually sanction the pairing of a new component with
your device with an in-house software tool; a process that requires
a technician connecting to Apple’s private network over the
internet, for which access has to be granted by the company
themselves.
The result of this is that repair stores outside of Apple’s
own network will soon be left unable to make repairs on any new
iPhones. The costs of joining Apple’s network of authorised
technicians and having access to pair new components with existing
phones, however, are high enough to cause many businesses to have
had second thoughts about doing so.
Apple has long been resistant to the idea that consumers should
be able to fix their own products, with them previously withholding
repairing manuals and spare parts from third party technicians, in
spite of the numbers of iPhones that require basic repairs.
Now though, Apple state that a position of compromise has been
reached, with them allowing third party technicians to repair
certain Apple products if they become verified service providers.
Additionally, individuals can fix their own devices as part of the
self-service repair programme, where Apple would make tools parts
and manuals available to users (if you had the ability to take
delivery of approx. 35kg of the required tools, and paid the
approx. £1000 deposit to ensure the tools are returned in
seven days).
Therefore, the issue remains – is it fair to own a
product, but still have the manufacturer control the repairs and
functionality of it?
Both in Europe and the US, there is a strong push for ‘Right
to Repair’ legislation to be introduced, allowing consumers to
choose how and where they repair their owned devices. Further
promising news for those backing the ‘Right to Repair’
movement, the US Federal Trade Commission has also recently
enforced similar legislation that sees manufacturers from using
warranty provisions to prevent owners seeking independent repair
for their products; with the EU also looking to lay down robust
right to repair provisions with the Ecodesign provisions, ensuring
devices sold are more repairable, and having a specific focus on
repair operations by end users.
While strategies like this from Apple may ensure they maximise
the value of their IP, such actions may ultimately serve to
accelerate governments into taking action, such as with the Right
to Repair initiative in the US, and Ecodesign directive currently
in its infancy with the EU; with any such initiatives also
potentially having an impact on patent infringement law around the
world.
While strategies like this from Apple may ensure they maximise
the value of their IP, such actions may ultimately serve to
accelerate governments into taking action, such as with the Right
to Repair initiative in the US, and Ecodesign directive currently
in its infancy with the EU; with any such initiatives also
potentially having an impact on patent infringement law around the
world.
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guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
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