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Apple is launching its Independent Repair Provider programme in South Africa and several other markets around the world starting this week.
The programme offers repair companies access to genuine Apple parts, tools, repair manuals and diagnostics for out-of-warranty repairs, Apple said in a statement late on Monday.
The programme, which Apple intends to expand to “nearly every country where Apple products are sold” by the end of the year, is open for applications from this week in South Africa, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu and Vietnam.
The programme was launched originally in 2019 and was expanded to Europe and Canada last year. There are about 1 500 Independent Repair Provider locations serving customers across the US, Canada and Europe.
“All participating repair providers in the programme have access to free training from Apple and the same genuine parts, tools, repair manuals and diagnostics as Apple Authorised Service Providers (AASPs) and Apple Store locations,” the company said.
No cost
There is no cost to join the programme. To qualify, repair providers must have at least one Apple-certified technician to perform the repairs. Qualifying repair providers can purchase genuine Apple parts and tools at the same price as AASPs and receive free access to training, repair manuals and diagnostics, Apple said.
Later this year, the programme will be launched in markets across the world, bringing the total number of countries where it’s available to more than 200. Other markets in Southern Africa that will be added later this year include Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
A spokeswoman for Core Group and its iStore retail chain, which run an Apple-certified repair programme in South Africa, said they should be in a position later on Tuesday to comment on the significance of the developments for the local market. — © 2021 NewsCentral Media
