Let's compare two procedures forreplace the batteryof your MacBook Pro 14″: the first consists of going to an Apple Store (after making an appointment in advance), paying around 200 euros and entrusting your machine to a technician for several days for troubleshooting. And this without a replacement computer, the operation could take a few weeks.
It’s clear: it’s not optimal. There is therefore an alternative, the “self-service” repair program, available on iPhone for some time andnow also available for Macs. Except that this one will ask you to invest almost575 euros, with a 162-page guide to follow to the letter so as not to void the warranty... So it's not better, far from it.
Bad will?
According toiFixit, who was able to look into the case of the manual in question, Apple would thus be showing bad will by not really encouraging people to use its new independent repair program. Especially when we know that the price difference is explained by a single battery component provided by the Apple Store, where the tutorial requires purchasing acomplete module where the component is attached to the chassis, with many other parts soldered to itthem too... Impossible to buy the battery alone through an official store, even if the manufacturer specifies that this will be the case in the future.
And to the basic 527 euros that this module costs, we must add around fifty euros torent the tool kitrecommended by Apple. It is not obligatory, but strongly recommended. Finally, please note that this same suitcase must be returned… within fourteen days. You therefore have no room for error with the guide, which details step by step how to dismantle all the other components blocking access to the battery. To the tune of more than ten pages per day, therefore.
To qualify
Good to know, however: although his arguments are correct,iFixitis not the most neutral in history, since the blog renowned for its proper disassembly and repairability notesbefore timesells its own tools to carry out the maneuver at home.
Furthermore, with its self-service repair program, Apple still offers us an offerawaited for a very long time. It is also a way to comply with the new regulations that legislators are preparing to combat obsolescence.
