Stop by MacMedics Millersville and have your iPhone 3G or 3G S serviced while-you-wait, in about 10 minutes!

For $124.95 the expert techs at MacMedics will replace the entire top half of your iPhone 3G. This includes your glass/digitizer, home button, LCD, and frame. For $145.95 We’ll do the same for your iPhone 3G S. Don’t be fooled by “counterfeit” parts from the Internet. These parts are the real deal and carry our hassle-free 1-year warranty.

We still offer our “standard” same-day drop off iPhone 3G for $89.95 AND iPhone 3G S for 99.95 glass/digitizer service! Drop it off by 10:00 AM and we’ll have it done by 4:00 in most cases.

MacMedics only uses factory original parts and all repairs include a 1-year warranty.

Stop by anytime before 4:30 and we’ll fix your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3G S while-you-wait!

“Like” us on Facebook, while you are in the office dropping off your unit, and we’ll take $10 off your “while-you-wait” OR “same-day” iPhone repair.

Ask about our referral program! Refer 10 of your friends for iPhone, iPod, or Macintosh repairs, and we’ll refund your entire iPhone glass repair back to you via PayPal. We’ll give you a unique repair number when you have MacMedics fix your iPhone or iPod. Just post that number to your Facebook page or Twitter, and we’ll keep track of how many of your friends come in. If you refer 10 friends within 1-year of your repair, then we’ll send your repair fee back (just the repair fee and not shipping costs if you mailed your unit into us).

MacMedics Announces New Lower Prices For Same-Day iPhone 3G and 3G S Glass/Digitizer Service

iPhone 3G Glass/Digitizer Repair $89.95
iPhone 3G S Glass/Digitizer Repair $99.95

You can drop your iPhone 3G or 3G S off by 10:00 AM and we’ll most likely be able to have it ready for pick up by 4:00 PM. We also offer flat-rate $10 FedEx Ground shipping if you’d like to have your iPhone shipped back to you. We can also ship via FedEx Express via the service of your choice. We are also happy to ship your device back to you on your FedEx or UPS account.

iPhone repairs are super popular and tons of sellers of Do-It-Yourself iPhone parts, tools, supplies, and videos have come out of the woodwork.

There are three huge things to consider:

1. Is the part you are buying the correct part for your unit AND is it a “real” part? Many sellers from eBay and Craigslist are selling “High Copy” parts, which are usually far inferior in quality.

3. If you “do it yourself” you’re undertaking the risk of damaging or destroying your iPhone. The people that make the videos are usually the same people selling the iPhone service parts, and they make it look super easy in the video. Why? They want you to think it IS easy so you buy the part from them. Also don’t forget that internal parts of an iPhone are very delicate and sensitive to static. We know this and take every precaution in our Apple inspected Mac Lab.

We’ve blogged about iPhone repairs many times before. So you can read our past posts here.

When MacMedics performs an Apple Warranty or AppleCare repair for one of our clients, Apple sends a follow up e-mail to ask how we did. These are some of the mini-reviews that we have received.

#1 The service I received at MacMedics was very good and they always called me and left messages updating the status and progress of my computer.
—–
#2 I loved being able to walk in talk to a rep and have the work started right away. They have great customer service they always keep me up to date on their progress and explain their work and my service options every step of the way.
—–
#3 They were awesome. Nuff said. Dana runs a great show there.
—–
#4 They were fantastic. The service was quick the people were friendly and willing to answer all of my questions.

These are anonymous comments, so if one of these Apple Warranty or AppleCare reviews for MacMedics is yours, thank you!

If you need Apple Macintosh please consider visiting MacMedics in Millersville or Lanham instead of trekking to your local Apple Store. You never need an appointment, we’re 10 steps from your car, We’re cheaper, we’re faster (most warranty repairs are completed in 24 hours), and above all we’re accurate! We only fix what needs fixing. See our previous post with our Top Ten Reasons Not To Stand In Line And Fight The Crowds At The Apple Store.

Don’t forget that MacMedics Millersville also repairs all types of iPods and iPhones. Don’t pay Apple to swap out your iPhone for $199? We can fix your iPhone 3G glass or digitizer for $89 or iPhone 3G S for $99 (we also have “While-You-Wait” iPhone service where we swap out the entire top half of your iPhone 3G for $124 or iPhone 3G S for $145. What’s even better, is almost iPhone and iPod service and repairs that come into our shop are fixed the same day. If you’re in by 12:00 Noon, we should have you out the door or your iPhone in the FedEx truck by 5:00 PM!

So we’re at it again! This time we’re helping a client get his money back from eBay and PayPal in a case of a counterfeit iPhone 3G S.

The side-by-side unboxing, package contents analysis, and real iPhone 3G S vs. fake iPhone 3G S video from MacMedics is coming soon.

Here’s some preliminary photos to get the story started. I also wanted to warn folks that to the untrained eye, you could easily get stuck with a phony iPhony on the street. The look, the feel, the weight, and even the Apple like retail iPhone box are all pretty convincing. iPhones make great gifts during the holidays, but don’t grab one too quickly. be sure to check it first. See my handy guide in six photos below. Links to large size photos taken with real iPhone 3G S are at the bottom of this post.

Here we go:

Real iPhone 3G S box for White iPhone 3G S is in foreground. Fake box which is taller and wider is behind it.

Again, real box is in foreground, fake box is behind it.

Smaller iPhone 3G S box is on the left. If you look closely you can see iCal and clock are set to same date and time. Fonts and icons vary, but all in same place.

Box contents from fake iPhone. Note stylus, old style iPhone power brick, battery booster, funky headphone, and free protective case!

Box contents from real Apple iPhone 3G S

The real iPhone 3G S is on left, the fake one on the right. You can see that it's pretty different. Note Internet Explorer icon in place of Safari.

Large size photos can be found here:

http://www.macmedics.com/images/Counterfeit-iPhone-LG-1.jpg

http://www.macmedics.com/images/Counterfeit-iPhone-LG-2.jpg

http://www.macmedics.com/images/Counterfeit-iPhone-LG-3.jpg

http://www.macmedics.com/images/Counterfeit-iPhone-LG-4.jpg

http://www.macmedics.com/images/Counterfeit-iPhone-LG-5.jpg

http://www.macmedics.com/images/Counterfeit-iPhone-LG-6.jpg

Update: 3/8/10 MacMedics has lowered our iPhone 3G & 3G S glass/digitizer repairs. iPhone 3G is now $89 and iPhone 3G S is now $99. Flat fee FedEx Express shipping anywhere in the USA is only $10!

MacMedics Cyber Monday deals: iPhone glass repair $20 off and MacBook LCD repair $100 off!

So maybe your iPhone had a hard Thanksgiving, if so your friends at MacMedics have you covered with good deals on our iPhone glass/digitizer service.

iPhone 3G glass/digitizer/lens repair only $89 (Regular price $109)

iPhone 3G S glass/digitizer/lens repair only $99 (Regular price $129)

If you MacBook is home from college or just got caught up in some holiday hi-jinx and ended up with a broken LCD, we’ve got that too.

MacBook (Black or White plastic model) parts and labor $249

These special prices are only good Monday and Tuesday (November 30th and December 1st). Must metion “Cyber Monday” to get sale price. If you can’t get you device to us in time, call us to set up your repair, and we’ll hold the price for one week until your unit reaches us.

Return FedEx Ground shipping is included for all three deals. Upgrade to FedEx Express for only $10!

Call 1-866-MAC-MEDICS to set up your repair!

Update: 1/5/10

See all of our iPhone “Do-It-Yourself” warnings posts at this link. They have become some of the most popular posts on the MacMedics Blog because they are true. Check’ em out!

Update: 11/6/09

We are seeing more and more iPhones that have been damaged during do-it-yourself repairs. Folks, the videos you see on-line make it look very easy. There’s a reason for that, the companies that make these step-by-step videos on iPhone and iPod disassembly and repair are the same people that are selling all of the parts, tools, and supplies you need to perform the repairs. They want it to look as easy as possible and they often edit the video in their favor making it look like it’s easier then it really is and that it takes less time then it will take you. I can guarantee you that guy/gal in the video is NOT performing the repair you are watching for the FIRST time.

This blog post is a bit of rant, so if you’re already on the same page as me, and you think paying $20 to $30 plus parts cost, and getting low cost $10 return shipping via FedEx to have our MacMedics expert techs fix your iPhone right the first time, and you want to avoid the risk of trying it yourself then, just use this form. If you need us to e-mail you a pre-paid FedEx Express label we can do that too, and we’ll just add $20 onto your total repair. Questions? Just call us 1-866-MAC-MEDICS or Email us. 99% of the iPhones that reach us are fixed the same day the arrive, and we pack them back up and ship them back for next day FedEx delivery. If you’re local to the Baltimore-Washington DC area, then just drop your iPhone off in the morning (at our Millersville, Maryland office), and we’ll have it done by the end of the day!

If you need more convincing, then keep reading. I love to talk shop!

So you broke your glass on your iPhone, you look on-line and find what appears to be a reasonable price on the replacement part.

Here are some questions you NEED to consider BEFORE you pay for the parts.

1. Is it a real part, or is just a copy. If copies of the iPhone glass worked well, then I would offer them. I don’t and the reason is, they are terrible. Just like all of the other well made Apple products, the parts all fit together very tightly, so a cheap knock-off part is not going to have the same fit and finish as the real thing.

2. What’s the total price? Ok, so you’re buying the part. Something that weighs about an ounce, and they’re charging $5, $6, or $7 for shipping? That’s a rip off. If you have MacMedics repair your iPhone we offer $10 flat rate FedEx Ground , so you’ll have your phone soon day after we fix it. Want FedEx Express instead, No problem it’s usually about $20 total.

3. Do you have everything you need to perform the repair? You DO need correct tools, a “spudger”, and you need the correct supplies as well. When installing a new iPhone lens (the top glass) it needs to be correctly held into place. As you can see from the picture in this Blog post, people try all kinds of things including epoxy, Super Glue, and double-sided tape. This is not what you want to use. You need a laser cut adhesive strip that fits your iPhone model correctly.

4. What’s the warranty on the part you are planning on buying? Lots of people are selling parts on-line and on eBay, once they have your money and they’ve sold all of their parts that they got from who knows where, are they going to be around tomorrow to provide a warranty? Most likely not. MacMedics is a well established business founded in 1989, so we’ll be here if you have a problem with our repair. All of our iPhone repairs are backed by our 1-year no-hassle warranty.

4. Just like in the case mentioned below in the Blog post, people often break other parts of their iPhone when they try to service their unit on their own. If you make even one mistake, you could end up in a situation where you need two parts and that adds up very quickly. A common mistake is to crack the LCD while trying to remove the broken glass. (Like this guy!)

5. Do you have the right part? You can buy the iPhone glass WITHOUT the digitizer attached for about $10. This looks like a good plan, but separating the glass from the digitizer is nearly impossible and it’s just not worth the risk. With iPods more than iPhone, people that order their own parts often end up with the wrong item or the right part but for the wrong revision iPod or iPhone.

6. How much time will you have to wait in order to get the part you ordered or how long will you iPhone be away at some “basement repair center”. Seriously, you don’t want to have to wait for some guy who works at Pizza Hut come home from his day job in order to process your order or repair your iPhone and then ship out the order/repair when he feels like it. Plus, your time is valuable! For a first-timer doing this repair, figure about 2 hours. Plus you’ll need to be grounded for static (another expense and risk. Read the Blog post below).

Save yourself a whole bunch of hassle and just send your iPhone to MacMedics for repair. Yeah, it costs a little more, but what’s $30 to $40 more, when it can be repaired quickly, and efficiently with a 1-year warranty and free return shipping via FedEx Express.

If you’re ready to ship your iPhone to us, just use this form. If you need us to e-mail you a pre-paid FedEx Express label we can do that too, and we’ll just add $20 onto your total repair. Questions? Just call us 1-866-MAC-MEDICS or Email us

Here’s an iPhone 3G that a client brought to us today. He tried to do the repair himself and not only did he mess up the part he bought (new top glass for about $50), he also ruined the gasket that goes around the glass. Also, note the red arrows where he tried to use double sided foam tape to hold the glass/digitizer to the frame. This DID NOT work. We also discovered that he scratched the LCD, and he must have NOT been grounded for static, as the logic board was also ruined. Sadly, he’s going to be buying a new iPhone – This unit is toast. We’ve pointed this out before, but going the DIY route only saves you about $40. Don’t risk further damage or delays, just send it to MacMedics. We’ll get it done same day, and we’ll do it right. We’ve already performed this repair many, many times. See our Blog post for all of the details.

Don’t forget this. In this case the client went the DIY route, bought all the DIY parts, DIY supplies, paid the shipping on the DIY parts, then destroyed the DIY parts trying to use them, so he can’t get his money back (and they might not have been returnable in the first place depending on where they came from), AND he has to replace the iPhone. So figure if you bought all you need it’s going to be about $75, the parts get messed up in the attempt, and the phone gets toasted in the process. That’s about $500 if you can’t get a new iPhone subsidized by a new two-year contract. So add up all your time and hassle, plus $500 versus a MacMedics repair which is $109.99 with a 1-year warranty.

iPhone front glass/digitizer + spudger + adhesive kit = $75.84 Paying MacMedics $34.14 extra to do it right = priceless http://bit.ly/4Jszz

So when I ordered my iPhone 3G S, I thought that grabbing the “overnight shipping” might speed my results. After a few tantalizing e-mails from Apple and UPS it looked like my iPhone might arrive as much as two days early. Sadly, this turned out to be a big fat iPhone fairy tale, but that did not stop me from hoping that it would REALLY arrive early.

I think on Thursday, I started getting e-mails (I think a total of five of them arrived) from Apple saying they would refund that extra shipping. I’m not sure why, but I’ll take a refund.

Here’s what they had to say today via e-mail:

To Our Valued Apple Customer:

Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Team

While MacMedics is not lucky enough to sell the iPhone 3G S, we have been getting hammered with the crowds. Why’s that you ask? Well, new MacMedics clients have been having a hard time getting an appointment with an Apple Genius because of the crowds looking for or picking up a new iPhone.

We’d like to remind all of the Apple users in the Baltimore-Washington area that you never need an appointment to come see a MacMedic and you won’t have to drag your Mac though the mall either. When you see a crowd at the mall that means that there is often an equal amount of Macs waiting to be serviced in the back. MacMedics is also proud to perform ALL Macintosh MacBook AND MacBook Pro repairs in house. What does this mean for you? It means that your service is faster, because we don’t ship hard or difficult repairs off to Apple depot service. It also means that we’ll pinpoint the problem and fix only what’s wrong which means that you’ll only pay for the parts you need.

Apple also has issues with laptops that have HAD liquid damage or units with large dents on them. We can fix the problem you have and we WON’T force you fix the other issues if you don’t mind work around the dents and/or dings.

See our post on our NINE reasons why NOT to wait in line at the Apple Store for more info on this topic.

My new iPhone 3G S just arrived. Here’s the unboxing video:

The iPhone 3G S is the exact same size as the iPhone 3G so cases you already have will work with the new iPhone. The iPhone 3G s is 1 ounce heavier that the iPhone 3G.

AT&T updates it’s policy on upgrading to new iPhone 3G S for customers who already have iPhone 3G.

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574

An Update for Our Customers:

Some customers have had questions about our plans and policies for iPhone 3G S, and we’d like to provide you with answers. We’d also like to announce a change to the date when some iPhone customers are eligible for our best upgrade pricing to iPhone 3G S.

Pricing:

Importantly, we want our customers to better understand our wireless device upgrade program. Like most U.S. carriers, we offer a variety of phones that we sell below our actual cost when customers agree to sign service agreements. In general, the more a customer spends with us, the quicker they become eligible for a price break on a new device. For example, iPhone customers who spend more than $99 a month per line with us generally are eligible for an upgrade between 12 and 18 months into their contract.

We also currently offer early upgrade pricing only for iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G.

All of that said, we’ve been listening to our customers. And since many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks shy of being upgrade eligible due to iPhone 3G S launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we’re extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time.

We’re now pleased to offer our iPhone 3G customers who are upgrade eligible in July, August or September 2009 our best upgrade pricing, beginning Thursday, June 18.

If you’re one of the many customers who will benefit from this change, please note that our upgrade eligibility tools will reflect this change on Thursday, June 18.

We invite you to come to our stores beginning Friday during normal store hours, although please be aware that customer demand may exceed supply in some of our stores. You may also preorder online on June 18 at www.att.com/iphone, and your iPhone 3G S will arrive in 7 – 14 days. Or you can purchase iPhone 3G S at Apple’s retail and online stores, as well as at other popular retailers.

If you’re one of the customers who benefits from this change, and you’ve already preordered from an AT&T store, we’ll adjust the price of the device when you pick it up. If you benefit from the change and you pre-ordered from AT&T online, we’ll send you an e-mail and issue you a credit.

If you pre-ordered an iPhone 3G S through Apple’s online store, your upgrade eligibility will be reassessed based on AT&T’s new upgrade policy for iPhone 3G owners. If you are eligible for the lower price, Apple will issue you a credit for the difference as applicable.

So, what if you still aren’t eligible for our best upgrade pricing and you still want iPhone 3G S now? You do have options:

You may qualify for the iPhone 3G S early upgrade price of $399 (16GB) or $499 (32GB).
You can pay full retail—and not have to sign a 2-year contract—at $599 (16GB) or $699 (32GB).
You can wait until you’re eligible for our best upgrade pricing. We invite you to check your upgrade eligibility by visiting www.att.com/iphone, calling *NEW# (*639#) on your AT&T device (we’ll send you a text with upgrade information), or visiting any of our over 2,200 stores.
If you want more details on our pricing and upgrade policy, check out our FAQs. And as always, you may visit one of our stores to talk with a representative.

In Summary:

We’ve listened to our customers — and hope our response helps answer some of your questions and concerns.

We are incredibly proud to be the U.S. carrier for the new iPhone 3G S and will work around the clock to be ready on June 19 to serve customers who are interested in the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet.