Apple M1 Macs and Studio Display now benefit from DIY repairs
Apple has expanded its self-repair program to include more devices, opening it up to include some M1-powered Macs and the Apple Studio Display.
The self-service repair scheme allows device owners to carry out their own repairs, providing the relevant parts, instructions and tools to do so. However, you will need to be very confident in tinkering with devices to perform these repairs in the head.
As Six Colors (opens in new tab) spotted (via The Verge (opens in new tab)), from now on users will be able to restore the iMac (M1), Mac mini (M1) and Mac Studio, as well as the Apple Studio Display themselves, along with the devices that were already included in the scheme (namely MacBooks and iPhones) .
As you may recall, Apple recently expanded the horizons of the self-repair program to Europe (including the UK), since it was first a US company. Unfortunately, the new devices detailed above are not covered in Europe, and only US citizens can take advantage at this time.
Analysis: Many more options (but some expensive repairs)
This obviously represents a positive step forward on the PC front for Apple, because as noted, in terms of PCs, only MacBooks were previously covered by the scheme.
Presumably it will only be a matter of time before Apple expands coverage for these various Macs (and the display) to Europe. It took just over half a year for the self-healing scheme to arrive in Europe, so we can hopefully look forward to this expansion coming into effect in a shorter time frame than that.
As we touched on above, this is definitely aimed at tech-savvy Apple device owners, as some of the procedures are going to be quite difficult indeed, even with complete instructions and the correct tools provided. (Those tools can be rented to you, by the way, you don’t have to buy them). For many people, the most sensible route would be to have Apple repair (or an authorized service provider).
Some DIY repairs can also be expensive. As The Verge points out, if it’s the screen on your Studio display that needs replacing, a new one will run nearly $970, though you’ll get a hundred bucks of that back for returning the broken screen to Apple afterward. Also worth noting is that it appears to be possible to replace a tilting stand with a tilt-and-height adjustable model, or at least the Studio Display repair manual describes the procedure for this (or to replace one of them for a VESA mount or screw to convert. vice versa).
