Recently, Apple officially launched an official autonomous / self-service repair service for iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE 3 series users, which means that users can purchase repair tools and parts from the official store and repair the iPhone themselves.
Moreover, all the accessories that Apple will offer its users are no different from the original products. At present, Apple's official store has listed more than 200 kinds of repair tools and parts, including batteries, bottom speakers, cameras, screens, SIM cards and vibration motors.
As for how to repair it, Apple described the complete steps such as how to use the tool and how to replace it in the self-service maintenance manual, but the complexity is really not low. For example, the self-service repair manual for the iPhone13 Pro phone is more than eighty pages, and Apple also issued a prompt on the webpage, "Please be sure to read the manual carefully before repairing." ”
It is important to note that self-service repairs are not very cheap. According to Apple's official introduction, "the price of the iPhone12 battery accessory is $70.99 (about 466 yuan), and the iPhone 12 screen repair kit containing panels, screws, waterproof glue, etc. is priced at $269.95 (about 1772 yuan). "In this way, the total cost of self-maintenance by users will exceed the maintenance of offline stores." In addition, users can face damage to the equipment if they repair it themselves.
In addition, Apple also launched an iPhone-specific SIM card holder with a price of $4 (about 26 yuan) and an iPhone SIM card tray priced at $7.2 (about 47.74 yuan) in its self-service repair store, which attracted the attention of many netizens.
Figure | iPhone SIM card pin (Source: Apple)
Currently, the sim pick-up pin and card holder are sold for as little as less than $1 per person on the market. From the price point of view, Apple's iPhone SIM card pin and card tray launched this time are really high. So, what is the difference between Apple's SIM card pin and the ordinary card pin on the market?
Previously, it was reported that "the iPhone's card pin is made of 'liquid metal', which is very rare and extremely expensive." ”
However, this is not the case. The iPhone's SIM card holder manufacturer is called LiquidMetal, Chinese can be translated as "liquid metal company", which makes some people mistakenly believe that the SIM card needle is made of liquid metal.
In fact, the material used in the iPhone's SIM card pin is Amorphous Alloy. The material has the dual advantages of glass and metal, its hardness and strength are higher than titanium, 2 times and 3 times that of titanium, respectively, and has excellent gloss and corrosion resistance, suitable for the preparation of shells of metal products.
It is reported that although the price of amorphous alloys is not as high as that of liquid metals, the preparation process is extremely complex, it is difficult to achieve large-scale production, and it is currently only used in small items such as card needles and watch scales.
So far, Apple's self-service/ self-service repair service has only been available in the United States, so this $4 card pin is now only available for users in the United States to purchase.
Figure | iPhone SIM Cato (Source: Apple)
However, the price of Apple's official accessories is always higher than the market price, which seems to be a well-known thing for all Apple loyal users.
Previously, there have been Apple users who have not only wiped the screen more and more dirty when wiping the computer screen, but also damaged the screen. In this regard, Apple updated the help documentation on the official website and provided such suggestions, "Wet the lint-free soft cloth with water, wipe it clean after power off, and do not use alcohol, etc., because it will hurt the computer screen coating." ”
Not long ago, Apple put on the official store a "sky-high" wipe cloth dedicated to wiping the screen of iPhone, iPad or notebook, which sold for 145 yuan and was hotly discussed by netizens.
According to Apple's official introduction, "the screen wipe cloth launched by it is soft and can safely and effectively clean various Apple displays, including Nano-texture nano textured glass panels."
Although this wiping cloth is indeed very good in terms of quality and materials, its actual value is only as a cleaning tool for wiping dust and stains on mobile phones, tablets and laptop screens, and the price of 145 yuan is still too expensive.
Now, most people will choose to make a film on their mobile phones, laptops and flat panels, which can not only protect the screen from scratches, but also wipe the screen with ordinary paper towels and spectacle cloths, which will not cause damage to the screen itself. In addition, the professional mobile phone cleaning wipes on the market are less than 1 yuan per piece on average.
In terms of cleaning effect and cost, Apple's screen wipe seems to have little advantage, and in addition to the soft texture, it has no more special functions and uses. In this way, the sales of this wiping cloth after the sale should be relatively bleak.
However, to everyone's surprise, the wiper sold out quickly after the launch of Apple's official store, and more users continued to place orders on the official website and were willing to wait for weeks of shipping time.
Undoubtedly, many of the products launched by Apple have brought refreshing and excellent technology experiences to users around the world. However, Apple's goods are often expensive, from the 145 yuan screen wipe to the 26 yuan card needle, which can be seen.
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reference:
https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/27/23044301/apple-iphone-diy-repair-self-service-program-spare-parts-12-13