Apple: Difference between revisions

{{Wplink|Apple Inc.|'''Apple'''}} is an American technology company that was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services.  

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==Incidents==

===Repairability of Apple products in the 2000's===

===Hardware design issues in the 2010's===

Apple had numerous hardware design issues in the 2010's, often poorly acknowledged by the company and frequently charging exorbitant amounts for repair.  

====Recent attempts to do better====

===Operating system downgrades===

It is not possible to upgrade or downgrade an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc. to an Operating System (OS) version other than the most recent. On Macs with T2 chip or Apple Silicon, the user can select from three modes of secure boot:<ref>https://support.apple.com/102522</ref>

===Class action lawsuit===

Apple was the defendant of a class-action lawsuit with claims dating back to 2017 where users noticed their phones were being artificially slowed down. Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit for up to $500 million USD.<ref>CNET Article: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/</ref> Apple claimed that this change was to benefit users who have old failing batteries, and that it wasn't for planned obsolescence. They later published software updates and an article explaining how users can opt out of this new "performance management" mode.<ref>Apple battery performance management https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575</ref>

Many parts are not available directly from Apple. Those that are available directly from Apple may be more expensive than paying Apple to repair your device. Parts available to certified repair centers are extremely limited. Apple does not stock current generation iPad parts within GSX (See Certified Repair Centers). A limited selection of iPad parts are available from iFixit, however this can exclude some flex PCBs necessary for repairing headphone jacks.

If an Apple iPhone has GPS calibration issues and or {{Wplink|Bluetooth}} connectivity issues, Apple will do their own diagnostics. You explain to the Apple employee how and when the issues occur and you explain in detail your methods to reproduce the issues. The issues occur when your phone is in your pocket while using navigation and when you hold your phone upside down while using your Apple Beats wireless headphones. After Apple runs their diagnostics and they are not able to detect the issues, they will move onto the next step which is fully resetting your device. This is considered a standard troubleshooting procedure. When you ask the Apple store manager if they would be willing to exchange your device for a similar model if they cannot fix your device they respond with "No, because these phones are designed to be fixed". After the software reset fail, Apple will require you to leave your phone with them so they can send it to their offsite repair facility for further diagnostics. After a few days, Apple will come to the conclusion that your phone requires an entire new midsection. When asked what was replaced, Apple will inform you that the entire inside has been replaced — essentially giving you a new phone (with a new IMEI, EID, etc.) apart from the casing and screen.

===Diagnostic software availability===

Calibration software for some Apple devices has only recently become available to end users. End user calibration tools have only become accessible in iOS 18. Similar calibration tools have been available to Certified Repair Centers, but are generally limited as many parts are serialized, i.e. lid sensors on Mac Books.

===Certified repair centers===

Certified Repair Centers have some limited access to Apple's proprietary backend (GSX2). GSX contains many tools necessary to repair devices such as diagnostic tools, calibration tools, parts catalog, and device repair history. GSX is only accessible to repair centers Apple deems certified. GSX does not stock parts for iPads. It does not allow the calibration of parts such as lid sensors for a device, if that device does not have an open repair and purchased parts. The new iOS 18 calibration tool is very similar to Apple's ASU (GSX's diagnostic/calibration tool). Some videos of GSX can be found online. See: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy8bS1AgxcY GSX - How to Gain GSX Apple Access - iOSGenius]

==Products==

==See also==

{{Reflist}}