苹果“自助维修”计划——180度大转弯

Business

商业

Electronic Waste -- iMac, iPhone, iRepair

电子废弃物——iMac, iPhone, iRepair

Apple performs an unusual U-turn

苹果进行了一个不寻常的180度大转弯

Apple’s purpose has always been to empower the users of its wares.

苹果的目的一直是让用户能够充分使用其产品。

“People are inherently creative. They will use tools in ways the toolmakers never thought possible,” once opined Steve Jobs, the computer maker’s late co-founder.

“人天生就有创造力。他们会以工具制造者从未想过的方式使用工具，”这家电脑制造商已故的联合创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯曾这样说。

So it was always odd that the firm went to great lengths to stop customers fixing its products.

因此，该公司竭尽全力阻止客户修理其产品总是令人感到奇怪。

Repair manuals were kept secret; genuine replacement parts were hard to come by; and, most recently, replacing the screen of the latest iPhone disabled the gadget’s facial-recognition feature.

维修手册是保密的；原装的替换零件很难获得；并且最近，为最新款的iPhone更换屏幕会使它的面部识别功能失效。

No longer.

情况不再如此。

In a series of moves that surprised many, Apple earlier this month promised a software fix to make the new iPhone model more repairable, and on November 17th announced that it will allow individuals to mend their devices and provide manuals, tools and parts.

苹果做出了一系列令众人吃惊的举措，本月早些时候它承诺进行软件修复，使新款iPhone更具可维修性，并在11月17日宣布，它将允许个人维修自己的设备，并提供手册、工具和零部件。

Even its critics applauded, especially the leaders of a growing global “right-to-repair” movement including Kyle Wiens, the boss of iFixit, a website that sells parts and publishes free repair guides.

就连它的批评者也对其大加赞赏，尤其是日益壮大的全球“修理权”运动的领导者们，其中包括凯尔·维恩斯，他是iFixit的老板，iFixit是一家销售零件并发布免费维修指南的网站。

Yet the likely impact of the “Self Service Repair” programme is unclear.

然而，“自助维修”计划可能产生的影响尚不清楚。

A new online store will open from early next year.

一家新的网上商店将于明年初开始营业。

Owners who return used parts for recycling will get credit toward a purchase.

将废旧零件返还用于回收的用户将获得购买积分。

Independent repair shops can join in, without signing onerous agreements with Apple.

独立维修店业可以加入进来，无需与苹果签署繁琐的协议。

And, crucially, repairs by individuals will no longer void the warranty (damage done while tinkering is not covered).

更重要的是，个人修理将不再使保修无效（维修过程中造成的损害不在保修范围内）。

But the toolmaker is ceding less ground than first appears.

但这家工具制造商作出的让步比最初看起来要少。

Apple’s replacement parts, like its premium devices, cost a pretty penny.

苹果的替换部件，就像它的高端设备一样，价格不菲。

A new screen for the iPhone 12 is priced at $268.

iPhone12的新屏幕售价为268美元。

Nor is it clear to what extent Apple will make its devices easier to repair.

目前也不清楚苹果将在多大程度上使其设备更易维修。

Because even swapping a battery requires removing the easily breakable screen, not many will try this at home.

因为即使是更换电池也需要先移除易碎的屏幕，所以没有多少人会尝试在家里这样做。

Still, if Apple went further, its repair programme could become a model for the smartphone and, perhaps, the wider electronics industry.

不过，如果苹果能更进一步，其维修计划可能会成为智能手机乃至更广泛的电子行业的典范。

Even its current form will push rival device-makers to follow suit.

即使是目前的形式，也会促使竞对设备制造商效仿。

“When it comes to repairs, Samsung Electronics is doing even worse than Apple,” says Mr Wiens.

维恩斯表示：“在维修方面，三星电子做得甚至比苹果还差。”

Apple’s move, he adds, has in one fell swoop given the lie to many arguments that electronics firms use against making gadgets easier to repair, such as that people might hurt themselves.

他补充说，苹果的这一举措一下子揭穿了许多电子公司反对让电子产品更容易维修的说法，比如人们可能会伤到自己。

Apple has also managed to get ahead of the regulatory trend, says Nabil Nasr of the Rochester Institute of Technology, who is working on a study for the Group of Seven (G7) wealthiest democracies about the life cycle of consumer-electronics products.

罗彻斯特理工学院的纳比尔·纳斯尔正在为七国集团中最富有的民主国家进行一项关于消费电子产品生命周期的研究。纳斯尔说，苹果也成功地走在了监管趋势的前面。

Regulators, he explains, are tackling the problem of e-waste—it may soon become difficult for firms to comply with all the mandates.

他解释说，监管机构正在处理电子废弃物的问题——公司们可能很快就会难以符合所有的规定。

In America, for instance, legislatures in 27 states are now discussing right-to-repair bills.

例如，在美国，27个州的立法机构正在讨论维修权法案。

The European Union is also moving towards passing such rules.

欧盟也在朝着通过此类规定的方向迈进。

Apple-watchers wonder if the firm will try the same strategy elsewhere in its business.

苹果观察人士想知道，该公司是否会在其业务的其他领域尝试同样的策略。

It could make pre-emptive concessions, for example, in the heated controversy about how it governs the app store on the iPhone.

例如，在关于它对iPhone应用商店的管理方式的激烈争议中，它可以先发制人地做出让步。

On November 9th a federal judge in California denied Apple’s request to stay part of a recent ruling.

11月9日，加州一名联邦法官驳回了苹果公司要求继续参与最近一项裁决的请求。

This requires it by December 9th to allow app developers to inform their users how they can pay them directly and avoid Apple’s fees of up to 30% of the purchase price.

这要求苹果在12月9日之前允许应用程序开发商告知用户如何直接向其支付，从而避免苹果收取高达购买价格30%的手续费。

Perhaps Apple might loosen up there, too.

或许，苹果在这方面的限制也会放宽。