Whereas Apple’s Self Service Restore program is much from sensible, the instruments which might be rented out by this program are fairly fascinating. They’re enormous and costly, however they accomplish easy duties that basically don’t require particular tools. So, iFixit spent a couple of thousand {dollars} to buy and tear down Apple’s Self Service Restore instruments.
Beforehand, iFixit rented a bunch of Self Service Restore instruments to search out all the professionals and cons of Apple’s new program. One of many group’s conclusions (and the consensus amongst Evaluate Geek writers) is that the instruments are overkill and can intimidate clients (maybe deliberately). These instruments can also clarify why Self Service Restore affords solely middling value financial savings—it’s about the identical value as a visit to the Apple Retailer.
However these instruments are value investigating and documenting. They’re the identical instruments that Apple workers use behind the Genius Bar, and notably, they don’t include service manuals or different necessary paperwork. Oh, and naturally, these items is simply enjoyable to take a look at.
In its detailed teardown video, iFixit takes aside three Apple restore instruments—the show press, the battery press, and the heated show elimination fixture. These instruments aren’t needed for an iPhone restore, however they’re fairly exact.
The show press, for instance, can restore IPX water resistance to an iPhone after a display screen substitute. And the battery press … effectively, iFixit calls it a “polished lawsuit prevention system,” which is smart, as Apple can’t precisely inform clients or workers to press on batteries with their fingers.
Arguably essentially the most factor about these instruments is the way in which they’re engineered. They include off-the-shelf elements, together with shows and processors, and there’s every kind of mechanical goodness hiding in every software. Look out for ball bearings, exact spring tensions, and intelligent security methods in iFixit’s teardown video.
You possibly can view the iFixit teardown video above or at YouTube. Simply understand that these instruments aren’t needed for an iPhone display screen restore. The gang at iFixit sells much cheaper parts for display screen replacements and publishes repair guides for each iPhone.
Supply: iFixit