Apple Authorized Service Providers (previously called Apple Specialist Resellers) are independent companies which are certified by
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...
, which carry out in-warranty or out-of-warranty repairs of Apple products as part of the company's
AppleCare
AppleCare+ is Apple's brand name for extended warranty and technical support plans. It allows the customer unlimited incidents of accidental damage with a deductible (which, like the price of the plan, varies by device). AppleCare+ is available fo ...
program. Apple provides retailers and repairers with tools, training, and service manuals. All technicians working on these repairs must be
Apple Certified Technicians. Examples of Apple Authorized Service Providers include
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was r ...
and
Simply Mac
GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). The brand is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operated 3,203 stor ...
.
History
The concept of the service originated with Richard Haddock, who was friends with
Dr. Gil Amelio, then
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of Apple, and recommended that they form a reseller channel designation. Dr. Amelio assigned Paddy Wong and Loretta Flores of Apple the task of designing the program, with input from a few resellers.
Apple rolled out the Apple Specialist Program in December 1996. It continued under that name through 2016. Apple has since disbanded the Specialist Program and moved on to Premier Partners. This program involves meeting higher quality standards. Service providers who are unable to meet these standards are dropped to a
Value-added resellers.
In 2019, Apple introduced a similar program to the Apple Authorized Service Provider Program, the Independent Repair Provider Program, which allows for independent businesses to do out-of-warranty service. The program was criticized by
Motherboard
A motherboard, also called a mainboard, a system board, a logic board, and informally a mobo (see #Nomenclature, "Nomenclature" section), is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in general-purpose computers and other expandable systems. It ho ...
as "invasive" for unannounced inspections by Apple and required telemetry being required to join the program.
See also
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Apple certification programs
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Right to repair
Right to repair is a legal right for owners of devices and equipment to freely modify and repair products such as automobiles, electronics, and farm equipment. Right to repair may also refer to the social movement of citizens putting pressure on ...
*
MFi Program
Apple Inc.'s MFi Program, referring to "Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad", is a licensing program for developers of hardware and software peripherals that work with Apple's iPod, iPad and iPhone. The name is a shortened version of the long-form Made fo ...
*
References
Apple Inc. services
Computer-related introductions in 1996
2016 disestablishments
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