Apple announced Thursday that it was expanding its self-repair program to allow users to service their M3 MacBook Pros and iMacs. That means if you have an issue with your M3 iMac or MacBook Pro, M3 Pro MacBook Pro, or M3 Max MacBook Pro, you can repair the device yourself without taking it to an Apple Store or third-party repair shop.
Apple said it would make Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair for these M3 Macs available starting early March. This tool allows you to run diagnostics on your machine to test parts in your device, and figure out where an issue might be stemming from. Some problems are obvious, of course: A cracked screen is a cracked screen. But if your Mac is giving you issues that don’t have an obvious cause, Apple Diagnostics could help sort it out.
In addition to these changes, Apple announced Mac users will not need to reach out to the company’s Self Service Repair support system to finalize a repair, as part of an update to the System Configuration process. Previously, you needed to contact this support team to run the final step of any given Mac repair, a hurdle that was a bit at odds with the concept of “self repair.”
These changes signify Apple’s slow and incremental adjustment to a greater demand for “Right to Repair,” a movement dedicated to allowing users to repair their own property. The company is notorious for controlling repairs from start to finish: Apple would keep genuine Apple parts and device schematics away from users or unauthorized third-party repair stores, forcing users to go through Apple itself, or one of its authorized third-parties. And if you tried repairing your device with “non-genuine Apple parts,” the software could block certain functions from working.
While the changes in the past couple years have been a huge improvement, the situation still isn’t perfect. You still need to buy your parts through Apple’s proprietary website (which looks nothing like an Apple website, by the way), and the cost of parts can be quite high. It’s still a very “Apple” solution, but considering where the Right to Repair movement was a few years ago with the company, it’s all heading in a positive direction.
