Male Actor Smashes iPhone Over Repair Cost Complaints... "You Who Moved Apple Are a Hero"

Ryujin Expresses Dissatisfaction with Repair Policy and Smashes iPhone

On the 11th (local time), Apple allowed iPhone 15 repairs using certified pre-owned parts, drawing attention to a Chinese actor who had previously expressed frustration over Apple's expensive device repair policies.

Until now, Apple only permitted 'part pairing' when iPhone users repaired their devices. In other words, if genuine parts matching the device's serial number were not used, compatibility between the iPhone and the parts was blocked.

Actor Ryu Jin who dropped his iPhone [Image source=Weibo capture]

Because of this, iPhone repair costs have been very high historically. Apple operates the 'AppleCare Plus' service to reduce repair expenses, but even the care service fees are relatively expensive. For the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, users must pay 329,000 KRW; for the iPhone 15 and 14 Plus, 259,000 KRW; for iPhone 13 to 15 models, 219,000 KRW; and for the iPhone SE, 109,000 KRW.

A video of a Chinese actor who once paid as much as 1.25 million KRW for an iPhone repair smashing his iPhone after dropping it on the ground also went viral. This actor, Liu Jin, who indirectly expressed his anger through the 'iPhone smashing' performance, is a famous actor known for starring in hit Chinese dramas such as "Angel's Happiness," "Goodbye Mr. Loser," and "The Deer and the Cauldron."

Previously, after being refused free repair on the grounds of unauthorized modification of his iPhone, he shouted in front of an Apple store in Beijing, "I never modified it, and from now on, I will never buy arrogant and intimidating Apple products," while throwing his iPhone.

When this video was posted on social networking services (SNS) such as Weibo, local netizens responded enthusiastically. This is interpreted as a sign that dissatisfaction with iPhone users' repair costs had reached a peak. At one point, the video ranked first in real-time search terms on Chinese SNS.

Meanwhile, John Ternus, Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, emphasized on the 11th, "Over the past two years, we have enabled repairs with pre-owned parts without compromising user security and privacy," adding, "This expansion of the repair program will provide customers with more choices and convenience."