Apple Makes It Easier to Fix an iPhone, Mostly
In the past Apple (AAPL) has been criticized for its policies concerning the repair of its products, particularly iPhones, which had to be returned to the company or brought to an authorized Apple service center at considerable expense. Opening an iPhone as a user would invalidate the warranty and cause even more expense for repairs. Apple did not supply components for repair to non-Apple repair centers and used a number of screws and other connectors that were not typically available, making it quite difficult for sources outside of the Apple world to make such repairs. Apple’s theory behind these rules was to guarantee that all repairs were done with quality replacement parts (supplied by Apple) and that the quality of the work met with Apple’s rigorous standards, and to a degree that was true, but the underlying factor of channeling all repair work to Apple-related entities to capture incremental revenue, was hard to ignore.
Last year Apple agreed to loosen it’s strangle hold on the repair of Apple products, as we mentioned in our 04/28/22 note which indicated the availability of Apple repair manuals, tool kits, and parts, allowing almost anyone willing to pry open their iPhone, a shot at fixing a dead battery, replacing the cracked screen or other more complex repairs if their warranty has expired and it seems that Apple really took the idea to heart with the iPhone 14 family, which has been completely redesigned to be ‘repair friendly’, although that only applies to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the upper-end of the iPhone 14 line.
Recent teardowns of the new iPhone 14 family have revealed that Apple completely redesigned the interior of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, making them almost modular in that the two high-end models can be opened from the back of the device (last one that had that option was the iPhone 4s, released in October 2011), rather than prying open the device from the front. The display and glass panel (rear) are held by only two screws and two connectors and are not glued to the frame or other panels or held by a number of oddly shaped screws, some of which have been hidden, causing the necessity of removing other components.
iPhone 14 repair documents indicate that the iPhone Pro and Pro Max are essentially 3 layer ‘sandwiches’ consisting of the display, a mid-frame that contains most of the internal components, and the rear glass panel. This means that the cost of repairing a cracked rear glass cover becomes far less expensive, and screen replacement should similarly be less costly. Whether Apple passes that savings on to customers remains unknown as the company likely received considerable grief from its authorized repair members who no longer have the exclusive rights to repair Apple devices. That said, the internal changes do not extend to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14+.
While perhaps not as altruistic as it might seem on the surface, we certainly give Apple credit for making these changes and following through on its promise to make repairs easier and more accessible. Hopefully they follow through further next year with a similar redesign of the interior of the lesser priced iPhone models, but progress is progress and is worth commendation.
What the Matter with Matter?
We have written about the upcoming “Matter” connectivity standard a number of times over the last few years as it has the ability to be a unifying force between brands that will jump start the on-again/off-again smart home industry, which is in dire need of a reason for existence, other than to add to the human desire to become part of the living room couch for the bulk of the day.
The Matter platform, which is supported by literally hundreds of CE and associated companies, from Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG) and Samsung (005930.KS), to Ikea (pvt), Vodaphone (VOD), and Shenzhen SEI Robotics (pvt), will allow all devices that are certified by the Matter organization to interoperate. In theory this would allow smart home devices, most of which operate on proprietary networks and protocols, to essentially control each other, giving consumers the ability to cherry pick products that fit their requirements, rather than have to stay with a particular brand for all.
We say ‘in theory’ because the Matter standards were due out last year, and again at CES early this year, but to data have not been launched. Not surprisingly, there are rumors of infighting between members and factions over where the standards will go in the future, and despite the fact that lead members Amazon and Google have pledged to upgrade products to the Matter standard many companies are still promoting their own proprietary smart home platforms.
The Matter undertaking is a large one, with hundreds of product types, models, and flavors in the smart home market, few of which are compatible. Which forces consumers to have a proprietary system for dimming the lights and another for programming the washer/dryer, which along with the increased R&D a system development cost, is the primary reason why the smart home business has not taken off, especially during the COVID pandemic.
In fact it seems that the delays involving Matter have put such pressure on some smart home brands that a company like Lenovo (992.HK), a well-known laptop brand, seems to have decided to shut down its smart home products business. Lenovo’s smart home products are smart plugs, smart power strips, smart clocks, and smart LED lightbulbs, along with a number of 3rd party products, which it has been promoting since 2017, but word from retailers is that the company is moving out of smart home products given the lack of traction in the space.
There are certainly a portion of the global population that could find significant value in smart home devices, as the simple tasks that smart home devices can accomplish are not easy for the disabled, but this is a relatively small market that is only attractive to niche brands. For the industry to see real momentum it must be easy for consumers to use. No separate controls for each device, no hubs for each system, and no high prices, all of which could become a reality if Matter or a similar unifying protocol becomes the way of the world. But human nature seems to have taken hold in the CE space once again and put proprietary interests above those of the target audience, leaving those without strong financial support and R&D financing to slowly walk away from the space. This is not the first time bickering between parties has stymied the smart home business, but the early momentum behind Matter was so strong that it seemed to be a possible solution for the smart home industry. Now we just have to wait and see if the standard will actually be released before the current generation of potential smart home customers gives up.
Last year Apple agreed to loosen it’s strangle hold on the repair of Apple products, as we mentioned in our 04/28/22 note which indicated the availability of Apple repair manuals, tool kits, and parts, allowing almost anyone willing to pry open their iPhone, a shot at fixing a dead battery, replacing the cracked screen or other more complex repairs if their warranty has expired and it seems that Apple really took the idea to heart with the iPhone 14 family, which has been completely redesigned to be ‘repair friendly’, although that only applies to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the upper-end of the iPhone 14 line.
Recent teardowns of the new iPhone 14 family have revealed that Apple completely redesigned the interior of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, making them almost modular in that the two high-end models can be opened from the back of the device (last one that had that option was the iPhone 4s, released in October 2011), rather than prying open the device from the front. The display and glass panel (rear) are held by only two screws and two connectors and are not glued to the frame or other panels or held by a number of oddly shaped screws, some of which have been hidden, causing the necessity of removing other components.
iPhone 14 repair documents indicate that the iPhone Pro and Pro Max are essentially 3 layer ‘sandwiches’ consisting of the display, a mid-frame that contains most of the internal components, and the rear glass panel. This means that the cost of repairing a cracked rear glass cover becomes far less expensive, and screen replacement should similarly be less costly. Whether Apple passes that savings on to customers remains unknown as the company likely received considerable grief from its authorized repair members who no longer have the exclusive rights to repair Apple devices. That said, the internal changes do not extend to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14+.
While perhaps not as altruistic as it might seem on the surface, we certainly give Apple credit for making these changes and following through on its promise to make repairs easier and more accessible. Hopefully they follow through further next year with a similar redesign of the interior of the lesser priced iPhone models, but progress is progress and is worth commendation.
What the Matter with Matter?
We have written about the upcoming “Matter” connectivity standard a number of times over the last few years as it has the ability to be a unifying force between brands that will jump start the on-again/off-again smart home industry, which is in dire need of a reason for existence, other than to add to the human desire to become part of the living room couch for the bulk of the day.
The Matter platform, which is supported by literally hundreds of CE and associated companies, from Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG) and Samsung (005930.KS), to Ikea (pvt), Vodaphone (VOD), and Shenzhen SEI Robotics (pvt), will allow all devices that are certified by the Matter organization to interoperate. In theory this would allow smart home devices, most of which operate on proprietary networks and protocols, to essentially control each other, giving consumers the ability to cherry pick products that fit their requirements, rather than have to stay with a particular brand for all.
We say ‘in theory’ because the Matter standards were due out last year, and again at CES early this year, but to data have not been launched. Not surprisingly, there are rumors of infighting between members and factions over where the standards will go in the future, and despite the fact that lead members Amazon and Google have pledged to upgrade products to the Matter standard many companies are still promoting their own proprietary smart home platforms.
The Matter undertaking is a large one, with hundreds of product types, models, and flavors in the smart home market, few of which are compatible. Which forces consumers to have a proprietary system for dimming the lights and another for programming the washer/dryer, which along with the increased R&D a system development cost, is the primary reason why the smart home business has not taken off, especially during the COVID pandemic.
In fact it seems that the delays involving Matter have put such pressure on some smart home brands that a company like Lenovo (992.HK), a well-known laptop brand, seems to have decided to shut down its smart home products business. Lenovo’s smart home products are smart plugs, smart power strips, smart clocks, and smart LED lightbulbs, along with a number of 3rd party products, which it has been promoting since 2017, but word from retailers is that the company is moving out of smart home products given the lack of traction in the space.
There are certainly a portion of the global population that could find significant value in smart home devices, as the simple tasks that smart home devices can accomplish are not easy for the disabled, but this is a relatively small market that is only attractive to niche brands. For the industry to see real momentum it must be easy for consumers to use. No separate controls for each device, no hubs for each system, and no high prices, all of which could become a reality if Matter or a similar unifying protocol becomes the way of the world. But human nature seems to have taken hold in the CE space once again and put proprietary interests above those of the target audience, leaving those without strong financial support and R&D financing to slowly walk away from the space. This is not the first time bickering between parties has stymied the smart home business, but the early momentum behind Matter was so strong that it seemed to be a possible solution for the smart home industry. Now we just have to wait and see if the standard will actually be released before the current generation of potential smart home customers gives up.
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