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As part of a shift to lower repair costs, Apple has begun replacing iPhone 5 screens at its retail locations. The new display replacement service is priced at $149 and can be purchased with or without AppleCare+.
Changes to Apple's repair policies first surfaced last month, where a town hall session revealed that Apple would begin in-house repairs of displays in June in an effort to save approximately $1 billion per year.
MacRumors heard from a tipster this morning that the new repair policy had been implemented and the changes have since been confirmed in a forum post from iPhone repair site Quick iFix. The repairs are available for cracked displays as well as screens that experience multitouch issues.
Quick iFix notes that Apple's $149 repair cost is competitive, causing the site to change its own repair costs. Quick iFix charged $174.99 for a display replacement in early May, but began offering repairs for $139.99 a few days later.
Apple's new display repairs are in line with AppleCare+ pricing, which costs $99 up front and then $49 for each replacement. The repair service is a more affordable alternative for iPhone users who opted not to purchase AppleCare+, as iPhone replacement previously cost $229.
Apple is expected to roll out additional in-house repair options in July, offering repairs of the iPhone's camera, sleep/wake buttons, and logic boards. Additional changes to AppleCare are also reportedly in the works, with Apple rumored to be switching to a subscription based plan tied to customers rather than individual devices.
Top Rated Comments
To be honest, the iPhone 5 displays are expensive as hell to purchase, so $150 is actually a pretty decent price. only a couple a weeks ago the displays were about $200 for the part alone. I own a repair shop, so this is how I know.
Which was for the old, cheaper screens, right? These new retina screens, it turns out, cost a tiny bit more than the old ones, and are in shorter supply.
Did you read the article? They quote the price from a reputable repair shop as being more expensive than this prior to Apple coming out with this pricing. Who with a guarantee offers this service for so much less, that $150 is "fecund expensive" ? Please, let the good people here know your source!
A new phone for $149? You buying a razr?
I'll spend $150 on a phone that I can turn around and sell for $500. Remember that they're $649 new before tax.
Also, if by "outdatated" you mean "still retailing for more than an iPad", then I agree
OK You may need to go read up on AppleCare. That is a full warranty for any issue INCLUDING the accidental damage (twice) for the additional $49. All other repairs are included for 2 yrs with no deductible. Also AppleCare would cover a full replacement due to water damage or fried main board , broken home button, fried wifi chip, etc. This repair is simply a one time broken display fix for $149. If you break it again you pay another $149.
I run a third party repair service... our only differentiator will be location. God bless us.