"Apple spokesperson Nick Leahy told The Verge that the program 'has been in development for well over a year'."[0]
[0]https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/17/22787336/apple-right-to-...
Development can mean anything from actually addig SKUs to the webshop to talking about expansion of the service network...
It is called a spin? Or you could call that a lie.
If you count the programme started when they were opening up to 3rd party repair it is well over a year.
That is the same as Apple ( or specifically Tim Cook ) spoke on record, under oath, in court, that their 15% App Store Small Business Services discount idea started well before the trial.
And Apple has been caught many times doing this. From Qualcomm trial to IMG PowerVR Trial. Either lying by omission or spinning.
I don't think so. Repairability is already something they have to consider because their stores conduct repairs. They ship tools and replacement parts to stores and to thousands of Authorized Service Providers already. And they already make manuals, tutorial videos, and repair guides available.
They also provide all the tools and repair resources (including software) to large companies and institutions - which is why universities can repair students' MacBooks on campus, and why companies can have an internal IT help desk that can perform repairs.
Adapting this for self-service is just a question of sorting out the legalities around warranty and liability - but their terms and conditions are so broad that it couldn't have been too difficult. And it's not too time-consuming for them to film a new tutorial video for display, battery, and camera replacements aimed at DIYers - perhaps their existing videos are already sufficient for this.
This is absolutely in response to antitrust and environmental criticism.