Apple iPad: Overpriced spare parts intended to pressure customers into upgrading instead of repairing

Since May, Apple has been offering authentic replacement parts for the iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro via the official Apple Self-Service Repair Store. As an iFixit teardown shows, newer iPad models are also much easier to repair than they were a few years ago, even though the display, which is glued into the case, can still pose a challenge.

For years, Apple-authorized service partners were not allowed to offer iPad repairs at all, which has now changed. However, independent repair technicians recently informed 404media that Apple deliberately offers iPad replacement parts at such inflated prices that repairs are not worthwhile, forcing users to buy a new iPad instead. This is understandable when Apple charges just over $150 for a new USB-C port and in some cases even over $700 for a replacement display. Here is an excerpt of the current spare part prices from the Self-Service Repair Store:

iPad (Apple A16)

• Battery: $119
• Display: $249
• USB-C port: $151.24
• Rear camera: $199
• Front camera: $199

iPad Pro (13-inch, Apple M4)

• Battery: $199
• Display: $749
• USB-C port: $250.04
• Rear camera: $329
• Front camera: $329

Jonathan Strange, founder of XiRepair, believes that Apple does not set spare part prices based on what they cost to produce. Instead, Apple's replacement part prices are based on the list price of the respective iPad, ensuring that repairs are always expensive enough to make upgrading to a new tablet the more attractive option. The fact that Apple offers spare parts and allows iPad repairs at all is solely to comply with "right to repair" laws, while simultaneously making repairs pointless for customers.