Because components are too slow to catch up, users are allowed to take their hardware with them if it is still partially working. If there is a replacement, it will be repaired.
Apple not only has delivery problems for new devices such as Macs, but there also seem to be difficulties with the supply of spare parts. According to a report, at least in the USA, the group has now started sending customers whose devices are not catastrophically damaged back home with the defective hardware instead of leaving the devices in the repair depot.
Wait for the parts to come
As soon as the necessary spare parts or replacement components are available, Apple will contact customers, US media reports. This is said to have been confirmed by sources from the group’s service division. Apple wants to reduce frustration among customers so that they don’t have to do without their device for weeks.
Of course, the new strategy only applies to hardware that is not so defective that it can no longer be used at all . Devices that could be damaged if used again are also excluded. Apple therefore first looks at the hardware and checks how the supply situation with components is. Only then will the offer be made to take the device back with you.
More repairs instead of replacement
The change also has something to do with the fact that Apple now repairs more devices than they replace completely with new ones or exchange refurbished goods – something the group had done for many years. This has been changed for environmental and efficiency reasons. In addition, repair skills in Apple stores have increased, and more repairs are being made on site than before. But even if a full exchange is still pending: Apple apparently has delivery problems even here. The main reason is the supply chain situation in China, which is only slowly improving after long lockdowns in some regions.
The devices that Apple is offering to take back home for the time being include apparently including current MacBook Pro models. In certain regions it can take up to eight weeks for a display to arrive. Older devices such as the MacBook Pro M1 and the MacBook Air were also mentioned. The battery, keyboard and chassis are apparently affected here.
