54 MACWORLD OCTOBER 2019
iOSCENTRAL APPLE SENDS ‘GENUINE’ PARTS TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPSsame high-quality parts that you’d get
from the Apple Store.
That’s a big change. Previously, Apple
kept its tools under lock and key, but
under the new program, it’s promising “the
same genuine parts, tools, training, repair
manuals and diagnostics” as an Apple
Authorized Service Provider. The
program is limited to out-of-warranty
iPhone repairs at launch.
That means repair shops big and small
will be able to take advantage of the new
program without going through Apple’s
rigorous certification to become an
Authorized Service Provider. However,
there are still limitations on who can join
the new program. Most notably,
businesses need to have an Apple-
certified technician (go.macworld.com/cert)
who can perform the repairs, which
requires a passing grade on both the
Apple Service Fundamentals Exam and
ACiT 2019 iOS Service Certification Exam.
Additionally, shops must be located in a
commercially zoned area, so people
won’t be able to run Apple-backed repair
shops out of their garages.
Otherwise, there is no cost to join the
independent repair program. While the
program is limited to the U.S. at launch,
Apple said it has been working with 20
independent repair businesses in Europe
and Asia as well as North America over the
past year as a pilot. ■