Apple Tells Congress It Hasn't Been Profiting From Repairs in Response to Antitrust Probe

As part of an antitrust probe, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Apple in September with questions about its policies for the App Store, product repairs, and more. Apple has since responded, and while many of the responses are predictable, the letter reveals a few noteworthy details.

repair mac
For example, when asked to identify the total revenue that it has derived from repair services since 2009, Apple said "the costs of providing repair services has exceeded the revenue generated by repairs" in each year over that period.

Apple also said it has invested "billions of dollars" in Apple Maps since the app was released in 2012. Apple is currently in the process of revamping its Maps app with much more detailed mapping data, with the improvements now available in 27 states fully and another six states partially.

Apple defends many of its policies throughout the letter. For example, Apple says third-party web browsers on iOS devices must use its WebKit framework due to user privacy and security considerations. Apple gives a similar explanation for why third-party apps cannot be set as default on iOS devices.

The full letter can be read here.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumors Allegedly Refer to 'iPhone 17 Ultra' Model

Friday March 14, 2025 7:56 am PDT by
If you've been following iPhone rumors over the last few years, you may remember reading reports that Apple flirted with the idea of introducing a super high-end "Ultra" model that would either replace its Pro Max device or sit above it in Apple's smartphone hirearchy. These reports appeared in the pre-launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 rumor cycles, but ultimately came to nothing. Now though, the...
ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
apple surveyor app

Apple Launches 'Surveyor' App for Apple Maps Data Collection

Friday March 14, 2025 10:38 am PDT by
Apple today launched a new app called Surveyor, which is designed to allow users to collect data like images of street signs and roadside details to improve Apple Maps. The app is not public facing and appears to be for use with companies that Apple partners with to assign mapping tasks. Downloading the app and opening it up directs users to "Open Partner App" to choose a task. Tapping on...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

Ultra-Thin 'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Include These 12 Features

Saturday March 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the "iPhone 17 Air" sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
Apple Intelligence Comes Under Fire Feature

Apple Reassures Siri Team Members Feeling Disappointed and Embarrassed by Apple Intelligence Delay

Friday March 14, 2025 11:45 am PDT by
Apple is reassuring employees on the Siri team who may be feeling demotivated by the recent Siri delays and the bad press surrounding the company's decisions, reports Bloomberg. In a Siri team meeting, Apple senior director Robby Walker acknowledged that employees might be feeling "angry, disappointed, burned out and embarrassed" following the Siri delay, but he praised the hard work of...
Sad Siri Feature

Kuo: Cook Should Personally Address Siri Apple Intelligence Failure

Thursday March 13, 2025 4:02 pm PDT by
Apple made a major misstep with the way that it handled the delay of Apple Intelligence features for Siri, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. Announcing the delay through a press statement was a bad decision, and Apple should instead have gone through official channels. Kuo referenced the well-known "Antennagate" PR crisis when the iPhone 4 launched in 2010, and the way that then Apple...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

iOS 19 to Have Some of the 'Biggest' Design Changes in iPhone's History

Sunday March 16, 2025 10:35 am PDT by
Apple is planning some of the "biggest iOS and macOS redesigns in its history," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman reiterated that iOS 19 will have a visionOS-like design with more transparent interfaces:The new interfaces will adopt the design principles introduced in visionOS, the software for Apple's Vision Pro headset. That includes greater...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...

Top Rated Comments

calzon65 Avatar
70 months ago
Like I'm going to believe Apple is going to do something at a loss :rolleyes:
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redheeler Avatar
70 months ago
Maybe if you include in-warranty repairs, like all the Butterfly keyboard top case replacements that have happened since 2016. The problem is that the cost of some of the out-of-warranty repairs is absurd.

$169 for a new screen on an iPhone 6s Plus, the entire device is worth barely $200 on the used market. Some people will choose to buy a new iPhone at that point, and this is a way Apple indirectly profits from high repair costs that can't be easily measured.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brian Y Avatar
70 months ago
As someone who has worked as a Genius - I call BS.

Sorry, but charging more than the cost price of an iPhone to repair a minor fault, which they then repair and send back out - is profit making.

Also - the prices of some of the service parts are atrocious. We used to charge like £350 for a failed iMac HDD.

Effectively what they do is charge far more than (new) retail for refurb parts, and only warranty them for 90 days. labour costs are minimal considering most geniuses make < £10/hour.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BGPL Avatar
70 months ago
This is more than a little hard to believe, with their cost of fixing a display. And third party "fixit" stores are selling displays and doing the repairs for cheaper, and still making money - and they don't have access to Apple's supply lines. It doesn't make any sense, I'm calling rubbish.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xizdun Avatar
70 months ago
Lies, Apple! The same way Apple did not benefit from throttling iPhone batteries? What utter lies, Apple. Shame on you, Tim Cook.

Does Apple not profit from selling AppleCare+ insurance by selling poorly protected hardware? Which other tech company sells its own-brand insurance alongside its hardware [as prominently as Apple]?

Apple benefits from making hardware more difficult to repair and easy to damage (with dust and spills). Customers opt to purchase new hardware instead of repairing their existing Apple hardware.

My wife spilled water onto the keyboard of her MacBook Air a couple months ago, and the MBA turned off within seconds. While researching the issue online, I discovered Louis Rossmann on YouTube and follow him closely now. I took the device to Rossmann based on his transparency.

He makes no secret of his hate for Apple and how difficult, and sometimes impossible, Apple has made it for independent repair/service providers to fix Apple hardware, namely MacBooks.

Watch and learn: How Apple is shaping the future of repair.

Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
70 months ago
That repair costs exceed repair revenue doesn't surprise me at all.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)