Report: Apple Stores Will Soon Repair iPhone 5S and 5C

News
By Jane McEntegart
published

Apple Store locations could soon have facilities to repair iPhone 5S and 5C units.

A cracked smartphone screen is not an unusual sight. People drop their phones all the time. It's the whole reason why sites like iFixit exist. However, it seems Apple may be out to get a slice of the iPhone repair pie. Rumor has it, the Apple Store might soon be replacing iPhone 5S screens among other things.

According to a report over on 9to5 Mac, Apple will soon be repairing some models of iPhone in-store. The Apple site quotes sources as saying Apple will replace certain parts of iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C as opposed to simply replacing damaged devices. This follows on from Apple's repairing iPhone 5 screens in store, which 9to5Mac reports the company started doing earlier this year.

Repairs will be done free if the device is under AppleCare warranty. If not, screen replacements will cost $149. Prices regarding other repairs were not mentioned but 9to5Mac's sources say stores will also be able to replace the home button on the iPhone 5C, the volume buttons, the speaker system, the rear camera and the vibrating motor.

Apple will apparently be providing stores with special equipment to replace touchscreens and is already sending out training material for staff members, though it's not clear when the program is going to launch. Given how hard it is to repair an iPhone 5S or 5C at home, we're sure Apple will get a lot of business.

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Jane McEntegart
9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • velocityg4
    Jeez $149 for a screen replacement. I can find a replacement glass, screen and digitizer assembly for $30 on eBay for the 4s. I couldn't imagine it costing Apple any more than that for the slightly wider iPhone 5, 5s and 5c screens given the volume they purchase them at. That means paying $120 for labor that takes less than an hour for someone making about $10 per hour. Given what I've seen of the teardowns. For someone that does this frequently it couldn't take more than 10 to 15 minutes.
    Reply
  • mgolus
    While $149 does seem high, the $30 screen/digitizer assemblies from eBay/Amazon are typically far poorer quality than original Apple parts. The glass has a slightly different texture and seems to lack the oleophobic coating so the screen smudges a lot easier. The colors on the LCDs are typically far less vivid and the contrast isn't as good. You can purchase higher quality screens for $80 - $100 on Amazon which are far more comparable to original Apple parts.
    Reply
  • teh_chem
    Wonder if the 5C screens are less-prone to breaking, now that the phone chassis/enclosure is plastic, which is better at absorbing/re-distributing shock than aluminum or aluminum+glass.
    Reply
  • inthere
    No. The 5C screens are just as fragile as previous generation screens. The 5S has Gorilla Glass 1, but Gorilla Glass is up to 3 now.
    Reply
  • dsolom3
    Not even a month out and need repairs already. Some quality one gets for an overpriced gadget.
    Reply
  • teh_chem
    11894621 said:
    No. The 5C screens are just as fragile as previous generation screens. The 5S has Gorilla Glass 1, but Gorilla Glass is up to 3 now.

    I'm shocked. I would have assumed that the plastic chassis would have fared better. Just looked up some breakage reviews among the major phones, and the 5C did the worst, lol.
    Reply
  • mynith
    This service is going to cost an arm and a leg, you know that, don't you. Repairs done by Apple themselves have never been cheap. I had a 2007 MacBook Pro once, and they said they'd charge me 300 euros to find out what's wrong with it, which I knew already, and then 1500 to replace the logicboard, if it turned out to be the graphics card, which it was. Seeing as that was more than I bought it for (second hand, mind you, but still) I kindly refused and bought a Dell L702x. Truth be told, though, having your iPhone repaired is still better than trying it yourself because, even though I'm not that incompetent, I've never managed to open an iPod without damaging it in some way.
    Reply
  • CommentariesAnd More
    " Given how hard it is to repair an iPhone 5S or 5C at home."
    An enthusiast said that ? lol what.
    But lets be serious ,its tough and your lazy guys will just replace or repair. But I'd prefer the DIY route , its fun.
    Reply
  • cats_Paw
    Well... if you buy a device that is clearly fragile, costs that much, and you still drop it, you should pay that money. Perhaps then you will learn to take care of your stuff.

    Sorry for beeing so harsh, but nowdays it almost seems that you are allowed to be stupid, but get upset when you are treated like one. Please people, some consistency.
    Reply