Nine Things You Need to Know to Do Apple Macintosh Repair

Apple Macintosh repair is a growing field, but you need to be aware of some key points before you expand into this market.   I’ve been working on Macs since 1984 and I’ll share with you nine things successful technicians need to know.

1-Software You Need to Repair Macs

Macs don’t have an automatic checkdisk utility like Windows computers.  Instead, they have Apple Disk Utility verifies the integrity of the drive contents in much the same way.  In OS X Lion and above, most Macs have a bootable Recovery Partition used to run Disk Utility.  To access the recovery partition, hold down command and R at startup.  Without that partition, you’ll need to boot off an external storage device to repair the primary drive.  You can create the recovery partition with Recovery Partition Creator.  Within Disk Utility is Repair Permissions. Many new technicians think “repair permissions” fixes problems; it rarely does.  The only problems Repair Permissions fixes is file permissions: rarely a source of problems in the field.  Disk Permissions are important when upgrading software or an entire OS, but for troubleshooting it’s not a useful tool.  The recovery partition has other tools, primarily to reset a user password and Access Control Lists (ACLs).

Just like PC repair, Apple’s Disk Utility is rudimentary and only fixes simple problems.  Advanced drive repairs need a third-party utility.  My favorite program for logical disk errors is Alsoft’s Disk Warrior.  It’s not a data recovery program, but repairs logical problems preventing access to data.

You’ll also need installers for the current version of the Mac OS and a few versions back.  OS X Mavericks 10.9.X is free for all Macintosh users.  I recommend creating a USB Mavericks installer with DiskMakerX.  It’s a free program and saves you the time downloading the installer while on-site.  This program creates Lion 10.7 and Mountain Lion 10.8 installers.  If you don’t already own a license to 10.7 or 10.8, you’ll need to buy the software.  You’ll need to purchase a download code for these operating systems are no longer available at the Mac App Store.

The other program I recommend for your Apple repair toolkit is a data recovery program.  I use both Stellar Phoenix and Prosoft Data Rescue.  DaisyDisk is a drive inventory program that tells you what’s taking up space.  With so many clients using smaller SSDs on Macbook bAirs, they’ll ask you to create space.  Mavericks Cache Cleaner is a multi-function utility that reminds me of D7 or Tweaking.com.  It repairs a multitude of problems and the first program I run when a Mac is unresponsive or generally flaky.

2- Don’t bother getting Apple Certification….  

Apple’s primary certification for third-party support technicians is the Apple Certified Support Professional.  This is a software certification, not hardware.  The next level up from software support is server maintenance:  Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC). These certifications don’t give you any additional access to Apple resources or authorize you to do warranty work on Apple hardware.  They are primarily for your professional growth.  Peachpit has excellent training manuals for these tests.  Exam pricing starts at $200 and you’ll need to go to an Apple Authorized Training center to get certified.  If you are already certified, Apple may invite you to take a non-proctored exam online for $150.

Apple calls the certification to repair Apple hardware under warranty as an Apple Certified Macintosh Technician (ACMT).  An Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) coordinates the test.  If you aren’t working for an AASP, your certification doesn’t provide you with any authorization.  You can work with an Apple Self-Servicing Account (SSA) if that account has 50+ Macs.  You need to apply for this program.

3- Unless You Want to Join the Apple Consultants Network (ACN):

The Apple Consultants Network is a partner program for technicians who work on Apple products.  In the US, you pay a minimum yearly fee of $395 and pay $50 to apply to the program.  Apple accepts most consultants if they have current certifications.  Being a member of the ACN gets you listed on the Apple Consultant locator.  This is the service Apple Retail Stores and Apple phone support recommends when offering referrals for service.  Apple Retail employees don’t always follow these rules and will give personal referrals directly.  If someone at the Apple store knows you, they’re more likely to refer you.

You’ll get NFRs or discounts on third-party software, but these offers change often.  Apple gives limited discounts on hardware for Plus members, but you can often find similar or better discounts elsewhere. Plus membership is also a minimum of $300 more per year, so for me it wasn’t worth the added cost.  One benefit for all ACNs, and the reason I stay a member, is the ability to use the Apple logo in your marketing.

Although the ACN is a partner program with Apple, you won’t gain the ability to do warranty repairs, nor will they give you better tech support than the average consumer. They do have an affiliate program that gives you a small commission on sales

4- You Can’t Do Warranty Reimbursed Service and You Don’t Want to

Only AASPs and SSAs may get reimbursed for warranty work from Apple.  Apple is not accepting new applications to the AASP program in the United States.  Even if they weren’t, you probably don’t want to join.  I’ve worked with AASPs before and Apple gives lousy reimbursements for warranty work and all AASPs I know tell me they lose money on these repairs.  Your certifications and your membership in the ACN, as stated earlier, do not entitle you to do warranty repairs for Apple.  Apple doesn’t restrict repairs of warrantied Macs. However, you may have trouble obtaining parts and Apple won’t pay you to do the work for your client.  It’s best to refer clients under warranty to an AASP for repair.

5- Apple Retail Stores Are your Biggest Competitor

Despite what the marketing of the ACN and other programs by Apple may tell you, you are directly competing with the Apple Retail stores.  They give free tech support to anyone who makes an appointment and they repair Apple products both in and out of warranty. When you send a client to Apple for a warranty repair, you run the risk of losing your relationship with the client. Whenever possible, refer them to an AASP rather than an Apple Retail store for warranty repair.

If you refer clients to an Apple Retail store, they’ll be upsold training and data transfer.  Retail employees will upsell your clients on non-Apple products the store has in inventory.  They’ll also disagree with your recommendations for ongoing maintenance.  Apple’s marketing raves about how reliable a Mac is and your clients are unlikely to pay for managed services once they talk to the Apple Retail staff.

6- Apple Proprietary Parts are Expensive

Most parts inside a Mac aren’t available to computer repair technicians.  With a PC, you can buy an equivalent or compatible part from a third-party.  With Macs, it’s much more difficult and expensive.  The only two parts you’ll find that aren’t proprietary are the hard drives and the memory.  iFixit is my primary supplier for Apple parts and they do have a reseller program.  I’ve also used PBparts and eBay when necessary. Mechanical hard drives and memory usually aren’t proprietary.  You should be able to find compatible parts through your typical supplier.  Some Apple SSDs are proprietary and it depends on the model.  Some iMac models require a thermal sensor for the mechanical hard drive, but Other World Computing has an adapter to make stock hard drives compatible.  Other World Computing also has a reseller program, but you’ll have to ask them about it.

7- Parts You Need on Every Service Call

If you do service calls out in the field, you need to have your own portable Mac.  I’d recommend a MacBook or a MacBook Pro.  Make sure the MacBook has a Firewire port as not all models have them. When a problem occurs on a client computer, you can convert most Macs into a “target” disk.  With target disk mode your client’s  Mac will show up as an external drive on your portable Mac.  To achieve this little trick you’ll need either a Firewire or a Thunderbolt Cable.  Most Macs support either a Firewire 400 or 800 Cable.  I recommend carrying both types of cables and a Firewire 400 to 800 conversion cable.  Some Macs only have a Thunderbolt cable, so bring along a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter.  For those situations you can’t use target disk mode, you’ll need a SATA to USB adapter or case.

8- Macs May Not Get Viruses, But the browsers Do

Viruses rarely infect the Macintosh operating system.  Apple’s software updates usually block them.  If you want to run a malware scan on a Mac, ClamXav is a free product.  Mavericks Cache Cleaner also has a malware scan function.

What I do see increasing on the Mac is browser malware.  Safari, Firefox and Chrome all support browser plug-ins and extensions.  Malware can change a home page or redirect search results. Now that all these browsers support synchronization of settings, an infection on a PC browser can jump over to the Mac just by logging in.  These infections won’t jump over to the main operating system, but that could change any day.

9- Find a Mac User Group to Market To

Apple or Mac User Groups aren’t as popular as they were a decade ago, but they are still a great source of loyal business.  The membership tends to skew towards older, non-technical clients.  User groups are a great source for residential clients, but not for business clients.  Find a nearby user group with the locator and become a member.  Once you get to know the group, offer to do a presentation.  Members will seek you out for support.

Bonus tip:  Please do not refer to the operating systems as OS X as in the letter.  Rather, you refer to it as OS Ten.  Your clients know this and I’ve had clients refuse to allow a technician to refer to it as OS “ex”. It’s a sense of pride among Apple users, so now you know.

As Apple’s market share increases, your income can increase if you know how to support this lucrative market.  These tips will give you a competitive edge.

Written by Dave Greenbaum