Apple Under Fire: Accusations of Excessive Pricing on iPad Parts Surge

Apple has reluctantly succumbed to public demand and various governmental pressures by introducing an individual repair program for its devices. Until recently, iPads were excluded from this initiative as they were deemed “impossible to open.” Though parts for newer models are now available, several independent repairers interviewed by 404media unanimously criticize Apple for the exorbitant prices charged.

Even Forbes highlighted the issue, featuring an article titled “Save Money, Make Your iPad Last Longer.” But at what cost? According to Brian Clark, the owner of iGuys Tech Shop, the cost is far too high:

For years, Apple considered iPads as irreparable. They provided no repair options for iPads, and Apple Authorized Service Providers were not allowed to fix these devices. This is a significant shift in their approach to iPads. I was excited until the day I got the parts and saw the outrageous prices they were asking for them. I was really, really disappointed. It sends a message that they don’t want iPads to be repaired.

And it’s hard to argue with him… take for instance the 11-inch iPad Pro M4. A screen? 588 euros after returning the faulty part. A battery? 155 euros. Even more astounding? The rear camera costs 285 euros (whereas the more complex iPhone 15 Pro Max camera is only 227 euros), and the peak of absurdity is the USB-C connector priced at 285 euros!

Adding to this the complexity of the repair process, and the risk of breaking the screen (considering that to reach any part, the entire screen, which is well glued and significantly larger than that of an iPhone, must be removed first), what incentive is there to perform the repair oneself, or for a small shop to offer it using original Apple parts? As Brian Clark points out, a USB-C connector can be found for 20 dollars from a third-party seller. Why is it over ten times more expensive at Apple?

Another industry professional, Jonathan Strange, founder of XiRepair, quickly crunched some numbers and concluded that over a third of the parts Apple offers for iPad repairs are priced in a way that makes the repairs economically unfeasible for independent repairers. His calculation method is straightforward: add the cost of the part, 85 dollars for labor, and a 10 percent margin. If the total exceeds half the price of a new device, then the repair is not worth it. According to him, Apple bases its pricing not on the manufacturing cost plus a small margin, but on the value of replacing the device:

I don’t think Apple’s pricing is based on the manufacturing cost plus a margin, but rather on the cost of replacing the entire device. Apple seems to have priced repairs in such a way that, once labor and margin are added, the cost is about 50% of a new device’s price. I think they do this to discourage repairs. […] It doesn’t cost 250 dollars or even 100 dollars to make a USB-C port, but I think Apple offers this price because they know no one will buy it at that rate. They’re required by law to provide parts for the right to repair, but they set the prices to make them inaccessible.

Jonathan Strange, along with Nathan Proctor (head of the right to repair at the consumer advocacy group US PIRG), still sees some hope: less than a year ago, iPads were considered non-repairable, and the efforts in redesigning the device show that things are moving in the right direction. For now, Apple maintains high prices to avoid direct competition with small repair shops that could fix an iPad in a day, whereas an Apple Store might say the device needs to be sent to a repair center, thus taking much longer. But Strange believes Apple cannot maintain this balance indefinitely:

Imagine a customer who breaks their iPad, goes to the local Apple Store only to be told that their device needs to be sent to a repair center, which will send a replacement. Meanwhile, a friend tells them that a local Apple partner shop can fix it in one day.

Time will tell if he’s right to be hopeful, but for now, iPad repair exists on paper… but very little in the real world.