Andy Harding, the owner of Salem Techsperts, a small electronics-repair shop in Salem, Massachusetts, has been serving his local community for eight years. His business thrives on fixing cracked iPhone screens for college students and nearby hospital staff. However, when Apple released the iPhone 13 in September 2021, Harding noticed a software change that could potentially jeopardize his shop’s survival.
One of the most common repairs at Harding’s shop is fixing cracked iPhone screens, which generates substantial revenue. However, the latest iPhone model introduced a new feature that detected screen replacements, including repairs, and disabled the FaceID functionality. This development caused panic among repair shop owners, including Harding.
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