(Reuters) – Apple Inc’s new iPhone 14 base mannequin appears just like its predecessor however is redesigned on the within, making it a lot simpler to restore cracks within the again glass, restore agency iFixit stated in weblog put up Monday.
Glass backs returned to iPhones in 2017, however the best way they had been hooked up made them troublesome to switch. Apple charged as much as $599 to restore the again glass on some fashions, although a lot much less for patrons with AppleCare+, Apple’s system insurance coverage program.
IFixit, which assesses the reparability of shopper electronics, stated on Monday Apple has made main modifications to the iPhone 14 base mannequin. Earlier iPhones had again glass glued to the telephone’s body and buried beneath different parts, that means the system needed to be virtually completely disassembled to repair it.
Within the iPhone 14, the again glass is held in place by simply two screws one connector, making it simple to take away.
Apple didn’t point out the inner redesign when it introduced the iPhone 14 earlier this month. It didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Given the price of earlier repairs “everybody was simply residing with telephones with tape on the again,” iFixit Chief Government Kyle Wiens informed Reuters. “This offers folks a shot at getting them mounted. It additionally creates alternatives for native restore outlets.”
The more expensive iPhone 14 Professional and Professional Max nonetheless have the older model of glued-in glass again. Apple’s telephones have lengthy been a goal of restore trade critics who argued the gadgets had been so laborious to repair that customers had been extra prone to discard them and purchase a brand new system.
Apple has slowly began to embrace the restore trade in recent times as a part of its environmental sustainability efforts. In 2019, Apple began promoting instruments, elements and manuals to impartial restore outlets. Final 12 months, Apple started providing these gadgets to most of the people.
Reporting by Stephen Nellis; Enhancing by Richard Chang
