Repair services can’t be cheap, especially for a company like Apple. And it turns out the company is certainly not making any profits from the endeavor, either.
Back in September, a United States House Committee sent a letter to Apple in an effort to get the company to answer several different questions spanning several topics, including App Store policies, repair services, and apps in general, especially those related to stock apps available out of the box. It’s all part of an ongoing antitrust probe, and Apple has since responded to those questions.
The answers from Apple are, simply put, predictable. The House Committee asked questions like whether or not iOS users can set a third-party app as a default option, for instance. That question pertained to Safari. Apple’s answer is exactly what you’d expect:
- Does Apple permit iPhone users to set a browser other than Safari as the default browser? If yes, please describe the steps a user would need to take in order to do so. If no, please explain why not.iPhone users cannot set another browser as the default browser. Safari is one of the apps that Apple believes defines the core user experience on iOS, with industry-leading security and privacy features. As noted in response to Question 1, Safari is an “operating system app,” like the Phone, Camera and iMessage, which are designed to work together.
Apple also says that, following the launch of Apple Maps back in 2012, the company “has invested billions of dollars” in the service. Interestingly, the House Committee went a bit further and asked Apple why it decided to launch its own Maps app to begin with:
- Why did Apple decide to build its own maps application rather than continue to use Google Maps to power the maps applications on iPhones?Apple believed that it could create a better map. In addition, because of Apple’s commitment to privacy and security, and the desire to keep as much information “on device” as possible, Apple believed offering a map that was more integrated into the device would serve the privacy needs of customers while providing them an exceptional map experience. Apple Maps helps users find their way without compromising privacy. Personalized alerts and suggestions, like letting users know when it’s time to leave for their next appointment, are created using data on your device. And the data that is sent to Maps while the app is being used—such as search terms, navigation routing and traffic information—is associated with random identifiers instead of a user’s Apple ID.
And hey, the good news here is that Apple Maps is still getting better. It’s safe to say it wasn’t all that fantastic at launch, or even in the immediate years after, but Apple’s efforts (and, apparently, the billions of dollars spent) in that regard are finally starting to pay off.
Finally, the House Committee requested profit information regarding repair services. Apple says that “costs of providing repair services has exceeded the revenue generated by repairs”, dating back to 2009.
- For each year since 2009, please identify the total revenue that Apple derived from repair services.For each year since 2009, the costs of providing repair services has exceeded the revenue generated by repairs.
Most of the responses from Apple aren’t all that surprising or interesting, all things considered, but we’ve pulled out the more interesting bits.