Apple will supply parts to independent repair shops for first time
蘋果將首次向獨(dú)立維修店供應(yīng)零部件
Apple said on Thursday it will begin selling parts, tools and repair guides to independent shops to fix broken iPhones, a major change after years of lobbying against laws in some US states that would have compelled it to do just that.
蘋果公司(Apple)周四表示,將開始向獨(dú)立維修店銷售修理破損iphone的零部件、工具和維修指南。多年來,該公司一直在游說美國一些州的法律,反對迫使其這么做的法律。
Apple said the program, which should help ease heavy demand on Apple and its authorized partners to fix millions of cracked screens and fried charging ports, will launch in the United States before being rolled out to other countries.
蘋果表示,該計劃將在推廣到其他國家之前在美國推出,該計劃將有助于緩解蘋果及其授權(quán)合作伙伴,以修復(fù)數(shù)百萬個破裂屏幕和受損充電頭的巨大需求。
The reversal means that independent repair shops will be offered official parts for out-of-warranty repairs at the same price offered to authorized service providers, such as Best Buy, which perform warranty work.
這一逆轉(zhuǎn)意味著,獨(dú)立的維修店將以向授權(quán)服務(wù)提供商(如執(zhí)行保修工作的百思買)提供的相同價格,為超出保修期的維修提供官方零件。
Ben Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies, said the move could create more opportunities for Apple to sell services or accessories if it encourages iPhone owners to hand down used phones to friends and family.
Creative Strategies策略分析師本?巴賈林(Ben Bajarin)表示,如果蘋果鼓勵iPhone用戶將二手手機(jī)交給朋友和家人,此舉將為蘋果提供更多銷售服務(wù)或配件的機(jī)會。
“That helps them get the product more affordably into the hands of more customers and increases the base,” Bajarin said. “Every data point seems to say, if you get someone into the Apple ecosystem, they generally don’t leave.”
巴賈林說:“這有助于他們以更經(jīng)濟(jì)的方式將產(chǎn)品送到更多的客戶手中,并增加了基數(shù)。”“每一個數(shù)據(jù)點似乎都在說,如果你進(jìn)入蘋果生態(tài)系統(tǒng),通常就不會離開。”
Apple’s iPhone sales have declined in the past two fiscal quarters, but sales of accessories such as its AirPods wireless headphones and the Apple Watch, along with paid services like Apple Music, have helped make up for some of the revenue falls.
過去兩個財政季度,蘋果的iPhone銷量有所下降,但其Airpods無線耳機(jī)、Apple Watch等配件以及蘋果音樂等付費(fèi)服務(wù)的銷售,彌補(bǔ)了部分收入下降。
Independent shops have long complained that the high purchase volumes required by Apple to become an authorized service provider priced them out of the repair market.
長期以來,獨(dú)立商店一直抱怨稱,蘋果成為授權(quán)服務(wù)提供商所需的高購買量,使它們無法進(jìn)入維修市場。
The tech giant had previously lobbied against “right-to-repair” bills to supply independent businesses in several US states, including New York and California, citing concerns about maintaining a high service standard. It earlier this year allowed all US Best Buy stores to handle warranty work.
此前,這家科技巨頭曾游說反對在紐約和加利福尼亞等美國幾個州為獨(dú)立企業(yè)提供“修理權(quán)”法案,理由是擔(dān)心維持高服務(wù)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。今年早些時候,它允許美國百思買所有門店處理保修工作。
However, the unofficial repair industry that sprang up, using mostly aftermarket parts supplied by third parties, was often unreliable.
然而,新興的非官方維修行業(yè),大多使用第三方提供的售后配件,質(zhì)量無法保證。
Apple said it tested the new repair program for a year with 20 businesses across North America, Europe and Asia. It did not give a timetable for the international launches.
蘋果表示,它在北美、歐洲和亞洲的20家企業(yè)中對新的維修計劃進(jìn)行了一年的測試。它沒有給出國際發(fā)送的時間表。
The program will allow independent stores to set their own prices for repairs and also offer cheaper aftermarket parts. They will be required to return any collected broken Apple parts to the company for refurbishment or recycling.
這項計劃將允許獨(dú)立商店自行制定維修價格,并提供更便宜的售后配件。但要求他們將收集到的破損蘋果零件歸還給公司進(jìn)行翻新或回收。
The program will be free for shops to join, but they will be required to have an Apple-certified technician who has taken a free 40-hour training course and test provided by the company.
該計劃是免費(fèi)的商店加入,但要求有一個蘋果認(rèn)證的技術(shù)人員,必須免費(fèi)參加了由公司提供的40小時的培訓(xùn)課程和測試。