MarketWatch took a look at the state of the iPhone 5 repair industry, and found that costs for display replacements remain very high right months after the debut of the device. The report points to Apple’s tight control over components as the major contributor to the high costs.
MarketWatch, via MacRumors:
There is a tight control on iPhone 5 components in the market, [repair firm iCracked founder AJ] Forsythe says. “Market forces determine the price,” he says. “Apple sells about 300,000 iPhones a day and, as the repair market grows, prices will get lower.”
“Apple controls everything from the manufacturing to the gear for the iPhone 5,” says Jeff Haynes, editor at deal site TechBargains.com. As the iPhone 5 is larger than the 4, the cost for replacement parts rises, he says.
Due to the frequency that users break the glass on the front of the device, the display is the most frequently repaired item on the iPhone. It is also the mostly costly component.
MarketWatch notes that many repair firms have not as yet begun offering display replacements for the iPhone 5, due to both the parts shortage in the market, and the high cost of the item.
