Apple undoubtedly places customer satisfaction and innovation as top priorities, and the fact that it offers great repairs takes customer satisfaction to a whole new level. The company has been very secretive about the machines it uses for the repairs, but a recent image leak just revealed some details on these unsung Apple heroes.
How the calibration machine helps Apple in repairs
Apple’s repair system has been in the news since for some time, thanks to Jason Koebler of Motherboard. The latest update from Koebler is an image of Apple’s secret repair machine that replaces damaged Touch ID sensors on iPhones. According to Koebler, before handing over the device to the owner, Apple makes sure that it has been calibrated to factory standards using the iPhone calibration machine.
A former Genius worker told Motherboard, “It was a big clunky machine that honestly looked like someone built it in their backyard. There were different ‘moulds’ that different iPhone models would go into before going in the machine, and it would take around 30 minutes.… there was some weird liquid that needed to be placed in the machine that we would have to wear gloves with to fix it.”
Such repair machines from Apple offer the utmost security safeguards to owners and ensure consistent repair experiences among users and stores. However, such experiences are being threatened because of the so-called “right to repair” bill. If the bill is passed, it could force the iPhone maker to make public its manuals, parts and specialized iPhone machines.
Could help third-party repair shops
This machine not only allows technicians to change screens and calibrate the devices, but it also allows replacement of the Touch ID home button. Also a newly-installed fingerprint sensor on a device can be validated using the repair machine. To do this, it has to be connected to a Mac, notes AppleInsider.
A number of iPhones were rendered unusable in 2015 because of the “Error 53” code after owners got them repaired by third parties. This code is an iOS security message, and is displayed on the devices that have been through unauthorized Touch ID repairs. So this new image could be a big help for third-party repair stores which seek to lure iPhone owners by offering repairs at lower prices but haven’t been able to offer similar repairs, notes BGR.
Head over to the Motherboard article to see the picture of this calibration machine.
