Apple just told us why its products stay useful for longer

Apple’s products have and always have had a great reputation for being useful for far longer than those from competing manufacturers. Now the company has published a white paper to explain why…

Because they are designed that way

The paper was published alongside news that the company is making its Diagnostics for Self Service Repair tool available in more countries. Originally introduced in the US, the tool to troubleshoot issues and test components is now available in 32 European countries, including the U.K., France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

When it comes to repairs, Apple claims that there has been a 38% decline in out-of-warranty service rates between 2015-2022. Accompanying the release, the company stressed that the “best type of repair for customers and the planet is one that is never needed”, and published a whitepaper to explain its position.

What Apple said

“Designing the best, longest-lasting products in the world requires striking a balance between durability and repairability, while providing ongoing software updates and we’re constantly looking for new and innovative ways to accomplish that mission,” John Ternus, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering said in the introduction to the paper.

Things to think about

The impact of longevity is that iPhones retain at least 40% more value than other smartphones
There are hundreds of millions of iPhones still in active use that are five or more years old – and that number continues to grow, in part because its devices are so long lasting.
Many of these may have lasted so long on strength of the introduction of liquid ingress protection with iPhone 7, which reduced repairs for liquid damage by 76%.

Apple also pointed to a UL Solutions report that claimed 88% of third-party phone batteries sold as aftermarket replacements failed to comply with safety requirements to the extent they caught fire or exploded during tests.

That last point was just one of several justifications Apple made for maintaining tight control of some components that may at times need to be repaired, principally the Secure Enclave on its chips and the Touch/Face ID sensors. The company warns that cheap replacement components for these may well threaten user safety.

“Apple uses parts pairing to make access to repair easier and more transparent to customers while also ensuring that every device, and the data stored on it, remains secure and performs optimally,” the company explains.

You can read the white paper here.

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