美国国家公共电台 NPR--Even experienced technicians find Apple's Self-Repair program hard to navigate

Even experienced technicians find Apple's Self-Repair program hard to navigate¹

Transcript²

Apple's new Self-Service Repair program is not exactly the answer that many customers had hoped for. Apple maintains that its authorized³ providers are the safest and most reliable repair option.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

When your iPhone breaks - and I break mine a lot - you usually only have a couple options - take it to Apple to fix or buy a new one. Apple has been under pressure, though, to offer a third option - to let people fix their phones themselves. This spring, the tech giant caved and launched its Self-Service Repair program. But as NPR's Ziad Buchh reports, it's not exactly the answer people had hoped for.

ZIAD BUCHH, BYLINE⁴: Jessa Jones did what millions of iPhone users do every year - she dropped her phone. When she took her phone to the Apple store to get her screen fixed⁵, she was told she would have to upgrade her phone for $600. Jones repairs phones for a living, but didn't have access to Apple's own parts and tools. So when the company announced their Self-Service Repair program, she was excited to try it out. But the process wasn't easy.

JESSA JONES: Ugh. All right.

BUCHH: Jones struggled as she lifted Apple's tools onto her workbench, and there were a lot of tools - specialized⁶ screwdrivers⁷, suction cups, adhesive⁸ cutters. And then there was the bulky machinery⁹, like a display heater, a screen press and a battery roller. Combined, the two boxes contained almost 80 pounds' worth of tools.

JONES: I really feel like I should have hit my watch to see how many calories I burned doing that 'cause it definitely feels about the same as doing a set of squats¹⁰. Whoo (ph). All right.

BUCHH: Apple's self-repair program sounds straightforward¹¹ in theory - Apple provides you with the tools and the instructions. Just follow them. But even Jones, an experienced phone technician, found it difficult to understand their almost 100-page manual. And then there was a price - renting Apple's equipment and doing the repair herself actually cost her more than having Apple fix her phone. Jones came away from the program with a less-than-glowing conclusion.

JONES: The only purpose of it seems to be to check the box, yes, we offer a repair program, but they don't intend for anyone to actually use this.

BUCHH: Self-repair is one of the cornerstones of the right-to-repair movement. The idea is simple. If I own a product, I should be able to repair it. Apple has been one of the movement's staunchest opponents, but the tech giant faced increasing pressure in the last year. Last July, President Biden signed an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on companies that restrict repair. More than 25 states have introduced right-to-repair bills. Nathan Proctor leads the right-to-repair campaign for U.S. PIRG, a nonprofit advocacy group. Proctor says Apple's current repair system pushes consumers to buy new phones over small, fixable issues.

NATHAN PROCTOR: If you've had an experience taking something to an Apple authorized provider, there's a really good chance you've been told that they have - there's no way to fix it, and you have to upgrade.

BUCHH: Apple says it's going to expand its self-repair program later this year. But still, they maintain that their authorized providers are the safest and most reliable repair option. Analyst¹² Gene¹³ Munster agrees.

GENE MUNSTER: They have a view that they want to keep things simple for people and really take the friction¹⁴ out of using tech.

BUCHH: He says a self-repair process is too complicated for most consumers. Right-to-repair activist¹⁵ Nathan Proctor doesn't necessarily disagree.

PROCTOR: Right to repair is really about giving options to consumers, right? So not everybody will feel comfortable fixing their phones themselves, but we deserve the option.

BUCHH: For Jessa Jones, it's also a lot bigger than that. She has twin 11-year-old daughters. She says they grew up helping¹⁶ her open up electronics.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JONES: Good job, girls.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: We did it. We did it.

BUCHH: Earlier this year, they won eighth place in an international engineering competition.

JONES: Because how else are they going to be able to be our next generation of innovators if they never look under the hood¹⁷?

BUCHH: Ziad Buchh, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

7 screwdrivers   

n.螺丝刀( screwdriver的名词复数 )；螺丝起子；改锥；伏特加橙汁鸡尾酒

参考例句：

• No, I have everything: hammer, screwdrivers, all that stuff. 不用了，我什么都有了：锤子、螺丝刀，全套家伙。 来自休闲英语会话
• Aussies are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers. 每年有58个澳洲佬因使用锋利的刀子来代替螺丝刀而受伤。 来自互联网

8 adhesive   

n.粘合剂；adj.可粘着的，粘性的

参考例句：

• You'll need a strong adhesive to mend that chair. 你需要一种粘性很强的东西来修理那把椅子。
• Would you give me an adhesive stamp?请给我一枚带胶邮票好吗？

9 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

10 squats   

n.蹲坐，蹲姿( squat的名词复数 )；被擅自占用的建筑物v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的第三人称单数 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• The square squats in the centre of the city. 广场位于市中心。 来自互联网
• Various squats, lunges, jumps and sprints are incorporated for the humans. 主人们还要进行下蹲、弓步、跳跃和短跑等各项训练。 来自互联网

11 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

14 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

15 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。