The program, which gives third-party repair providers access to genuine Apple parts, tools, repair manuals and diagnostics, was initially lunched in the U.S. in 2019, and expanded to Europe and Canada in 2020. This year, it will be available in more than 200 countries — "nearly" every country where Apple products are sold, Apple announced on Tuesday.

The repair providers that want to join the program can get free training from Apple, but they do have to commit to having an Apple-certified technician on duty (certification is also free). According to Apple, there are currently more than 1,500 Independent Repair Provider locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

I'll bet this is because of the heat around right-to-repair groups and accusations of monopolistic practices. But either ways it is a good thing for competition and boosting local economic development.

See https://mashable.com/article/apple-independent-repair-provider-program-global

#technology #apple #southafrica #righttorepair