Apple announced big changes to its repair policy today, saying that select iPhone repairs can be completed with used genuine parts for the first time.
One controversial repair practice that remains in place, however, is parts pairing.
Apple has employed this practice for years, though it has never explicitly referred to it as “parts pairing.” It’s also something that has been heavily criticized by iFixit and is the target of multiple pieces of legislation.
In today’s interview, Ternus addressed the “negative connotation” of parts pairing: “I think it’s led people to believe that we somehow block third-party parts from working, which we don’t.
One, we need to authenticate that it’s a real Apple biometric device and that it hasn’t been spoofed or something like that.
… Calibration is the other one.” These efforts, Ternus said, ensure that the user is getting the best experience possible: “Parts pairing, regardless of what you call it, is not evil.
Why’s that a bad thing?” Regardless of Apple’s beliefs, it could be forced to make changes to its “parts pairing” practices anyway.
Recent legislation passed in Oregon specifically outlawed parts pairing, but it’s unclear how Apple will comply and how the law will be enforced.
Today, Apple declared significant modifications to its repair guidelines, allowing some iPhone repairs to be finished for the first time using used original parts. Parts pairing is one contentious repair method that is still used today.
Senior vice president of Hardware Engineering at Apple, John Ternus, defended the practice in a recent interview with TechCrunch, saying it “is not evil.”. “.
Recall that parts pairing is the process of digitally matching an iPhone component’s serial number to the device’s serial number. An example of this would be the pairing of a screen. Although it has never been referred to as “parts pairing,” Apple has been using this technique for years. It’s also the subject of numerous legislative proposals and has drawn harsh criticism from iFixit.
In the interview today, Ternus talked about the “negative connotation” associated with part pairing.
People may have concluded—incorrectly, in my opinion—that we in some way prevent third-party components from functioning. From one perspective, there are several reasons why we require the device’s part number. First, we have to confirm that the biometric device is a genuine Apple product and hasn’t been spoof or otherwise compromised. The other is called calibration. “.
According to Ternus, these initiatives guarantee the user has the greatest experience possible.
Regardless of the term, parts pairing is not bad. In essence, what we’re saying is that we can guarantee optimal quality when you install our module in a new phone, provided we know which module is installed. “Why is that a bad thing?”.
Apple might still have to modify its “parts pairing” procedures, regardless of its beliefs. Parts pairing was expressly forbidden by recent Oregonian legislation, though it’s unclear how Apple will abide by the law and how it will be applied.
