CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" xml:lang="en"> <head profile="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <title>Apple Putting Screen-Replacing Robots In Some Best Buy Stores – Consumerist</title> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /><meta name="google" content="notranslate" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Apple Putting Screen-Replacing Robots In Some Best Buy Stores"> <meta name="twitter:site" content="https://consumerist.com/2017/06/07/apple-putting-screen-replacing-robots-in-some-best-buy-stores/"> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@consumerist"> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Smartphones are great, sure. But the problem with your modern smartphone is that the outside is made of glass -- and humans are, well, kind of klutzes, by and large.…"> <meta name="twitter:image:src" content="../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/crackedspiderwebiphone5scre.jpg?w=1060"> <meta name="google-site-verification" content="9LN2ANQdloei4Y0cgQLG83NVGd5Dd2eDPH2g0s2Gal8" /> <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="E2E5B3AF87A11A875597CF4E8B412F6E" /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-0-1' href='../../../../s0.wp.com/_static/static0.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='fontawesome-css' href='https://netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.0.3/css/font-awesome.css?ver=4.9.5' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-2-1' href='../../../../s1.wp.com/_static/index.html%3F%3F-eJx9j+EOgjAMhF%252FI0UBAfxmfZcwyarqVrANeXxCNEhP+3V37XXIwD8ZJzBgz5B4DKkw0wBLpGDCR5gqcKrBE30kKRaBYLMEJfsAwmoFHT1FhprvHrKDiyLKhtWhnNpggSt6OH3HU6lEMi7OZJO6M6dhSOkITtix+kf6142v%252FoPf8vgbP0lpeH27hWjZlVZfnS9U8nlVpb+w=%3Fcssminify=yes.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type='text/javascript' src='../../../../s0.wp.com/_static/index.html%3F%3F-eJyFjssKwkAMRX%252FI6VitYBciLrtz5b7WWDN2Hk4yLfr1pqALsSgEAjcnJ9FDUOiaLp2AtJG6JYj3V8sMzfQvQFlsY82QWXRvuPGOwfHIWn%252FEDlQiiHUrmYjOfoILntgCkUAT08+X0PUIw1%252FMAIe6uaoIhI8vK19A7ukeg5aIkoWIxItRc0BC9nG3r2Rpazd5US7LeZGv1uYJsM1voA=='></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='../../../../s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/consumerist2/js/fonts.js%3Fm=1360207792h'></script> <link rel="canonical" href="https://consumerist.com/2017/06/07/apple-putting-screen-replacing-robots-in-some-best-buy-stores/" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Apple Putting Screen-Replacing Robots In Some Best Buy Stores" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://consumerist.com/2017/06/07/apple-putting-screen-replacing-robots-in-some-best-buy-stores/" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Smartphones are great, sure. But the problem with your modern smartphone is that the outside is made of glass — and humans are, well, kind of klutzes, by and large. So cracked screens happen.…" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2017-06-07T20:01:24+00:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2017-06-07T21:04:20+00:00" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Consumerist" /> <meta property="og:image" content="../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/crackedspiderwebiphone5scre.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1060" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="596" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@consumerist" /> <meta name="twitter:text:title" content="Apple Putting Screen-Replacing Robots In Some Best Buy Stores" /> <meta name="twitter:image:src" content="../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/crackedspiderwebiphone5scre.jpg?w=640" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@consumerist" /> <meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/WordPresscom" /> <meta name="msapplication-window" content="width=device-width;height=device-height" /><meta name="msapplication-task" content="name=Subscribe;action-uri=https://consumerist.com/feed/;icon-uri=https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/498da4a1827c0de26bc1854d0c809a17?s=16" /><style type="text/css" id="syntaxhighlighteranchor"></style> </head> <body class="post-template-default single single-post postid-10280352 single-format-standard mp6 customizer-styles-applied custom-header header-full-width longform-post news-red longform-v1 full-width-content"> <span class="no-css-warning" aria-hidden="true" style="background-color:red;font-size:larger;speak:none">Whoops! It looks like portions of our site are being blocked! Check your browser settings or contact your network administrator.</span> <div id="header"><div class="wrap"> <header class="lf-header clearfix"> <div class="lf-logo"> <a href="/"><img src="../../../../s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/consumerist2/images/logo-small.jpg" /></a> </div> <h1 class="lf-title"><a href="index.html">Apple Putting Screen-Replacing Robots In Some Best Buy Stores</a></h1> </div> </header> </div></div><div id="wrap"><div id="fb-root"></div> <div id="notification-area" class="black hidden"> <div class="notification-modal"></div> <div class="wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <div class="tag-wrap"> <a class="remove-notice" href="index.html#" id="remove-notice" rel="10293012" data-nonce="d046da12ed">×</a> </div> </header> <h3 class="notice-title">Welcome to the Consumerist Archives</h3> <p>Thanks for visiting Consumerist.com. As of October 2017, Consumerist is no longer producing new content, but feel free to browse through our archives. Here you can find 12 years worth of articles on everything from how to avoid dodgy scams to writing an effective complaint letter. Check out some of our greatest hits below, explore the categories listed on the left-hand side of the page, or head to <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CR.org</a> for ratings, reviews, and consumer news.</p> <p class="full-width"><a class="notice-cr-logo" href="https://www.consumerreports.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.consumerreports.org/etc/designs/cr/images/common/footer-logo.svg" alt="Consumer Reports" /></a></p> <div class="clear"></div> </div>  </div>  <div id="inner"><div class="wrap"><div id="content-sidebar-wrap"><div id="content" class="hfeed"> <article class="lf-post"> <header class="lf-post-header" style="background-image: url('../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/crackedspiderwebiphone5scre.jpg');"> <h1> <p class="lf-post-tags"> <a href="../../../../tag/right-to-repair/index.html" class="post-tag" rel="tag"> right to repair </a> </p> <span>Apple Putting Screen-Replacing Robots In Some Best Buy Stores</span> </h1> <span class="lf-credit">Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/msvg/8109724310/">Michael Gil</a></span> </header> <div class="article-wrap"> <div class="lf-post-meta"> <p><span class="date published time" title="2017-06-07T16:01:24+00:00">6.7.17</span> <span class="date published time" title="2017-06-07T16:01:24+00:00">4:01 PM EDT</span> By <span class="author vcard"><span class="fn"><a href="../../../../author/kcoxconsumer/index.html" title="Posts by Kate Cox" class="author url fn" rel="author">Kate Cox</a><a href="https://twitter.com/kcoxdc" title="kcoxdc" class="twitter"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i>@kcoxdc</a></span></span></p><p class="lf-post-tags lf-post-header-tags"><a href="../../../../tag/right-to-repair/index.html" rel="tag">right to repair</a> <a href="../../../../tag/apple/index.html" rel="tag">apple</a> <a href="../../../../tag/iphone/index.html" rel="tag">iphone</a> <a href="../../../../tag/glass/index.html" rel="tag">glass</a> <a href="../../../../tag/cracked-screens/index.html" rel="tag">cracked screens</a> <a href="../../../../tag/best-buy/index.html" rel="tag">best buy</a></p> </div> <p>Smartphones are great, sure. But the problem with your modern smartphone is that the outside is made of glass — and humans are, well, kind of klutzes, by and large. So cracked screens happen. A lot. Now, Apple is making it easier for iPhone owners to get their screens properly repaired — but it’s also a tactic to help the company avoid laws requiring them to let you fix your own phone.<span id="more-10280352"></span></p> <p>In its own stores, Apple uses a specialized, proprietary machine to repair your spiderwebbed screen. Now, as <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-repair-exclusive-idUSKBN18Y0BF" target="_blank">Reuters reports</a>, it’s sharing those machines with certain other stores worldwide.</p> <p>Here in the U.S., the first authorized third party to get one of these Horizon Machines is Best Buy, which already has one of the screen repair machines at a store in the Miami area and is getting another one soon in California.</p> <p>The eventual plan is to have Horizon Machines in about 400 third-party locations worldwide by the end of the year, Apple told Reuters. There are also some pilot tests of the repair machines going on in the greater San Francisco area, London, Shanghai, and Singapore.</p> <p>If you’ve strolled through any mall, strip mall, or city street in the last several years, you may even be wondering why these machines are necessary. After all, we seem to have “Repair 4 U” style kiosks and storefronts popping up all over. </p> <p>These third-party repair shops are fine for some screen repairs, Apple confirmed to Reuters, but not for all. If your phone’s fingerprint sensor is damaged when the screen is cracked, a replacement from something other than one of Apple’s Horizon Machines can render it inoperable — basically, turn it into a brick.</p> <p>That’s for security purposes, Reuters says — that way you know that the replacement sensor is actually authorized, and someone’s not trying to break into and access things they shouldn’t on a stolen phone.</p> <p>But as Reuters also notes, it’s probably not just a desire to shorten waits at the Genius Bar that’s making Apple share its fancy robots at this particular time. </p> <p>Right now, there are eight separate states — Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Tennessee, and Wyoming — considering some kind of “right to repair” bill. These laws, basically, want to protect third-party repair shops’ right to keep existing, and consumers’ rights to choose who fixes their stuff.</p> <p>It’s not just phone companies that use the software embedded in their products to restrict third parties’ ability to repair or tinker with the devices they sell. Phone and electronic device-makers do it, sure, but so do makers of every other kind of machine — <a href="../../../../2015/04/22/john-deere-wants-to-be-able-to-file-copyright-claims-against-the-way-you-use-your-tractor/index.html">even tractors</a>.</p> <p><strong>Related: <a href="../../../../2015/01/22/4-ways-copyright-law-actually-controls-your-whole-digital-life/index.html">4 Ways Copyright Law Actually Controls Your Whole Digital Life</a></strong></p> <p>So the measures in these states would require manufacturers to let third-party shops and the general public acquire repair manuals, diagnostic tools, and genuine, authentic replacement parts — at fair prices. That would increase competition, and allow consumers more choice.</p> <p>Apple, however, <a href="../../../05/22/apple-fights-bill-that-could-make-fixing-iphone-easier-cheaper/index.html">is not a fan of these bills</a>. In Nebraska, Apple was among the companies that lobbied against the right to repair bill traveling through the state legislature — and it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/11/nebraska-farmers-right-to-repair-bill-stalls-apple" target="_blank">stalled out</a> shortly thereafter.</p> <p>Apple tells Reuters that its plan to get Horizon Machines into more locations is unrelated to “legislative pressure.” But legislators tend to want to fix problems that exist, and constituents complain about. If fewer people have to wait in line to get their Phones fixed, that’s probably fewer people who will agitate for more repair options.</p> <blockquote><p>Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization,<strong> <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank">Consumer Reports</a></strong>, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.</p></blockquote> <footer class="lf-post-footer"> <div class="lf-post-meta"> <p><span class="lf-post-footer--dates">6.7.17</span>By <span class="author vcard"><span class="fn"><a href="../../../../author/kcoxconsumer/index.html" title="Posts by Kate Cox" class="author url fn" rel="author">Kate Cox</a><a href="https://twitter.com/kcoxdc" title="kcoxdc" class="twitter"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i>@kcoxdc</a></span></span></p><p class="lf-post-tags"><a href="../../../../tag/right-to-repair/index.html" rel="tag">right to repair</a> <a href="../../../../tag/apple/index.html" rel="tag">apple</a> <a href="../../../../tag/iphone/index.html" rel="tag">iphone</a> <a href="../../../../tag/glass/index.html" rel="tag">glass</a> <a href="../../../../tag/cracked-screens/index.html" rel="tag">cracked screens</a> <a href="../../../../tag/best-buy/index.html" rel="tag">best buy</a></p> </div> </footer> </div> </article> <div class="wpcom-related-posts widget widget_related_posts" id="wpcom-related-posts-10280352"> <div class="widget-wrap cs-related clearfix"> <h3>Related</h3> <ul> <li> <a href="../../../../tag/okay-our-bad/index.html" class="cs-tag" rel="tag"> okay our bad </a> <a href="../../../../2016/11/21/apple-admits-some-iphone-6s-batteries-are-busted-will-fix-for-free/index.html"> <div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/iphones6s.jpg%3Fw=360&);"></div> <span class="cs-related-title">Apple Admits Some iPhone 6S Batteries Are Busted, Will Fix For Free</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="../../../../tag/its-really-your-fault/index.html" class="cs-tag" rel="tag"> It's really your fault </a> <a href="../../../../2016/11/18/apple-unveils-149-fix-for-so-called-touch-disease-blames-users-for-issue/index.html"> <div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/screen-shot-2016-08-24-at-8-42-44-am.png%3Fw=360&);"></div> <span class="cs-related-title">Apple Unveils $149 Fix For So-Called “Touch Disease,” Blames Users For Issue</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="../../../../tag/cant-touch-this/index.html" class="cs-tag" rel="tag"> can't touch this </a> <a href="../../../../2016/08/24/flaw-in-iphone-6-can-reportedly-render-some-devices-unusable/index.html"> <div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/screen-shot-2016-08-24-at-8-42-44-am.png%3Fw=360&);"></div> <span class="cs-related-title">Flaw In iPhone 6 Can Reportedly Render Some Devices Unusable</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="../../../../tag/new-year-new-phone/index.html" class="cs-tag" rel="tag"> new year... new phone </a> <a href="../../../09/12/heres-the-stuff-you-really-want-to-know-about-apples-new-iphones/index.html"> <div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/screen-shot-2017-09-12-at-1-57-37-pm.png%3Fw=360&);"></div> <span class="cs-related-title">Here’s The Stuff You Really Want To Know About Apple’s New iPhone 8 And iPhone X</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="../../../../tag/damaged-property/index.html" class="cs-tag" rel="tag"> Damaged Property </a> <a href="../../../../2016/02/05/report-apple-to-accept-newer-iphone-trade-ins-with-cracked-screens-other-dings/index.html"> <div class="cs-related-image-cover" style="background-image: url(../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/appleconf.png);"></div> <span class="cs-related-title">Report: Apple To Accept Newer iPhone Trade-Ins With Cracked Screens, Other Dings</span> </a> </li> </ul></div></div><div class="navigation next-previous-post"> <div class="alignleft"> <a href="../did-fda-illegally-delay-menu-labeling-rules/index.html"> <span class="pagination-previous-label">Previous </span> Did FDA Illegally Delay Menu Labeling Rules? </a> </div> <div class="alignright"> <a href="../1-in-4-families-dont-seek-medical-attention-because-of-financial-worries/index.html"> <span class="pagination-next-label">Next </span> 1-In-4 Families Don’t Seek Medical Attention Because Of Financial Worries </a> </div> </div><div class="after-post-ad"><div id="text-5" class="widget widget_text"><div class="widget-wrap"> <div class="textwidget"></div> </div></div> </div></div></div><script type='text/javascript'> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-10697639-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script> </div></div> <nav class="nav-article"> <div class="nav-article-item nav-article-next" data-track="Fixed Next Article Button"> <a href="../1-in-4-families-dont-seek-medical-attention-because-of-financial-worries/index.html" rel="prev"><span class="nav-article-title"><span class="nav-article-title-group"><span class="nav-article-label">Next Up:</span> <span class="nav-article-text">1-In-4 Families Don’t Seek Medical Attention Because Of Financial Worries</span></span></span><span class="fa fa-angle-right"></span></a> </div> </nav> </div><div id="footer-widgets" class="footer-widgets"><div class="wrap"><div class="footer-widgets-1 widget-area"><div id="black-studio-tinymce-6" class="widget widget_black_studio_tinymce"><div class="widget-wrap"><div class="textwidget"><p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10247868" src="../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/footer-logo.png%3Fw=300" alt="Consumerist" width="300" height="38" /></p> <p>Part of <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10254758" src="../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/consumer-reports-logo.png" alt="Consumer Reports" width="212" height="22" /></p> </div></div></div> </div><div class="footer-widgets-2 widget-area"><div id="black-studio-tinymce-2" class="widget widget_black_studio_tinymce"><div class="widget-wrap"><div class="textwidget"><p>Founded in 2005, Consumerist® is an independent source of consumer news and information published by Consumer Reports.</p> </div></div></div> </div><div class="footer-widgets-3 widget-area"><div id="nav_menu-3" class="widget widget_nav_menu"><div class="widget-wrap"><div class="menu-footer-menu-container"><ul id="menu-footer-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-10247861" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10247861"><a href="../../../../about-us/index.html">About Us</a></li> <li id="menu-item-10254867" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10254867"><a href="../../../../connect-with-us/index.html">Connect With Us</a></li> <li id="menu-item-10247864" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10247864"><a href="../../../../no-commercial-use/index.html">No Commercial Use Policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-10288226" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-10288226"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/customerservice/privacy-policy/highlights/index.htm">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-10247866" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10247866"><a href="../../../../user-agreement/index.html">User Agreement</a></li> <li id="menu-item-10247867" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-10247867"><a href="https://jobs-consumers.icims.com/jobs/search?pr=0">Work With Us</a></li> </ul></div></div></div> </div><div class="footer-widgets-4 widget-area"></div><div class="footer-widgets-5 widget-area"></div></div></div><div id="footer" class="footer"><div class="wrap"><ul id="menu-bottom-footer-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-10288225" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-10288225"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy-policy/highlights/index.htm">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-10287493" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-10287493"><a href="../../../../user-agreement/index.html">User Agreement</a></li> </ul> <div class="footer--copyright">© 2018 Consumer Reports </div> </div></div><script type='text/javascript' src='/s1.wp.com/_static/scripts-1.js'></script> <script type="text/javascript"> // <![CDATA[ (function() { try{ if ( window.external &&'msIsSiteMode' in window.external) { if (window.external.msIsSiteMode()) { var jl = document.createElement('script'); jl.type='text/javascript'; jl.async=true; jl.src='/wp-content/plugins/ie-sitemode/custom-jumplist.php'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(jl, s); } } }catch(e){} })(); // ]]> </script><script type="text/javascript">jQuery(document).ready(function($) { $(".ui-tabs").tabs(); });</script> </body> </html>