The real issue: a small bug. Apple developer: we'll need to rewrite this service from scratch.

Must've been a Rust developer working undercover

> It makes me think of the unnecessary logic board replacements their experts (“geniuses”) at apple stores always want you to do

I've literally never heard of this, and I've had several repairs via the genius bar.

not the OP, but my logic board of my 2020 MBP has been replaced twice already to solve problems. Always under warranty, so I did not pay myself, but I can attest that they do like to suggest these replacements if they can't solve it any other way.

Independent repair shop fixes Apple laptop at a low price https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1346591299727 "Louis Rossmann, the owner of a repair shop in New York City who teaches millions to fix Apple products on YouTube, repairs a MacBook Pro at a much lower cost than an Apple Store in Toronto estimated."

'Complete control': Apple accused of overpricing, restricting device repairs https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/complete-control-apple-a... "CBC News used a hidden camera to verify reports that Apple customers are often told their malfunctioning computers are not worth fixing, even when minor repairs could remedy the problem. When presented with a MacBook Pro laptop that had a common issue where the screen was not displaying properly, an employee at the Apple Store responded by saying the device would need significant repairs at a cost of more than $1,200."

Wasn't Louis the impetus for the "right to repair" movement? I have always thought he was a primary driver in getting these companies to allow people to repair their own devices for a long time.

Am I right to assume, he's always been the most vocal about this?

> Wasn't Louis the impetus for the "right to repair" movement?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_repair#History_of_the...

He's a relatively recent proponent. The movement's roots are automotive and agriculture (where John Deere is their Apple).

I went to an Apple store to get the (under warranty) battery in my perfectly functional Macbook Air replaced. The "genius" tried to convince me that the computer had water damage and I should buy a new one. I stood my ground and demanded the battery I was entitled to and he acted like he was doing me a huge favor by ignoring the supposed water damage and giving me the battery. He also commented on my android phone and told me I should buy an iphone. I went there for warranty service, not a sales pitch.

I've read elsewhere that claiming water damage is a common tactic by their employees to avoid honoring the warranty.

IIRC there are moisture indicator stickers scattered around on the internal components, so I don't know how they get off claiming this without using these as proof -- but I've seen myself from other laptop dissections that these can change color if they're old, possibly from gradual ambient humidity?

>I went there for warranty service, not a sales pitch

This changed when Steve Passed away and Tim Cook decided to look at Apple Store as a cost centre and revenue generation rather than Customer Experience and Support.

I have been stating this on HN when their Apple Retail's KPI changed over the years. But every time someone will downvote the comment.

I had this on a mid-2012 MBP (bought new in 2015). Somewhere around Apple's 4th or 5th repair of the machine. Replacement logic board didn't solve the issue, but it sure made macOS complain loudly that my machine appeared to have been stolen.

(Real problem was Apple's flaky SATA flex cables, notorious for breaking on this model. Been replaced 6 times by Apple. I still have the machine - I'm typing on it now - but I do my own repairs. And of course I switched years ago to Windows on a Thinkpad X1 as my daily driver after that Apple experience.)

DTS and engineers. It’s similar to a second set of WWDC labs.

What is a DTS?

Developer Technical Support: https://developer.apple.com/support/technical/

Usually interns or juniors. The product managers rarely show up.

Glad of that actually. As a software developer, I would rather talk to the developers.

MB failures were a thing back in the oughts; I think it was some new mandated lead free environmentally friendly solder used at the time in the BGA slots for their GPUs and at least some CPUs...granted, they either replaced the MB or the entire computer for free for me...

Some studies suggest lead-free solder has lower stability long term than leaded does.