September 20, 2022
According to IFixit, which analyzes the repairability of consumer electronics, Apple has made significant changes to the iPhone 14 base model. Although the base model looks similar to its predecessor, it is refitted on the inside, making it much easier to repair cracks in the back glass.
After the return of glass backs to iPhones in 2017, the rear glass of the phone was glued to the frame and buried under other components, making the device almost entirely dismantled to repair it. However, the iPhone 14 rear glass is only held in place by two screws and a connector, making it easy to remove it, an update that Apple did not mention when announcing the iPhone 14.
Although the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max retain the older style of the glued-in glass back, the phones have been a target of repair industry critics who say the devices are so hard to repair that customers are more likely to give them up and buy a new device.
Given the cost of previous repairs, everyone lived only with phones that had tape on the back, according to iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens. The new update gives people a chance to have them repaired. It also opens up opportunities for local repair shops and cheaper alternatives to Apple’s $599 fee for repairing the back glass on some models. Apple, on the other hand, charges much less for customers who have AppleCare +, Apple’s device insurance program.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.
