Apple stores will perform iPhone 5S and 5C repairs in-house soon, equipping stores with special machinery that can replace touch screens specifically for calibrating displays. Apple will do the same for its latest versions of smartphones. It should save the company a lot of money, allowing fixes instead of providing new units or sending them off for repair.

Screen replacements will cost $149 for each device, which is significantly more affordable than the multiple hundred dollar fees required for complete replacement of a smartphone with damaged or cracked screen.

Apple will also have the ability to replace the vibrating motor, volume buttons, speaker system and rear camera on the new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. Apple stores can now replace iPhone 5C's conventional Home button but it appears that Apple still won't be able to conduct swaps for the Touch ID-based button on the 5S.

Defective phones under the AppleCare warranty will receive part replacements with no charge. For defective iPhones that are not under warranty, part replacements will go with respective fees, an example of which is a $79 battery and a $39 iPhone 5C home button that a replacement can cost.

Replacing a single component means that the user can still keep the same phone, eliminating the task of backing up and restoring data. Since repairs will be done on site, customers can just wait for their damaged phone to be revived to working condition.

Consumers have always been calling on Apple to make its products more repairable. Repair site iFixit tore down the iPhone 5S and gave it a repairability score of 6, a point lower than the iPhone 5 because of so much repair-hindering adhesive in the device. iFixit was able to tear off the display after it removed Apple's proprietary pentalobe screws with a special kind of screwdriver, meticulous spudgering and pulling. Battery replacement appears to be replaceable as well.

Apple offering repair services in its stores should be lauded, according to experts, because fixing a hard-to-repair device is not only expensive or impossible, it also hurts the consumer and contributes to the device's untimely death and is bad for the environment.

In contrast, part replacement expenses are minimal if compared to the cost of purchasing a brand new phone to replace a hard-to-fix damaged unit, experts added.