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iHospital--“苹果医院”

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The patient might have been under water too long. Only a few months old, the victim wasn't responding.


患者"也许进水太长时间了。虽然才几个月大，但这位受害者已经不会做出回应了。



A doctor, in green surgical scrubs, rushed to his sparkling clean operating room, hopeful the patient could be saved.


一位穿着绿色手术服的"医生"赶紧跑进一尘不染的手术室，希望能挽救"病人"的生命。



After thoroughly scrubbing and putting in some new parts, he tightened the last screw and pushed the power button. The familiar Apple Inc. logo fill the screen of the phone.


"医生"将"病人"彻底清洁了一遍，并安装了一些新部件，然后他旋紧最后一颗螺丝钉，并按下开关。熟悉的苹果公司(Apple Inc.)标识出现在了手机屏幕上。



This doctor works at the iHospital.


这位"医生"在iHospital工作。



The chain of repair shops is one of many firms that have sprung up and build their business largely by repairing Apple devices. Far from the dingy, box-and-cord littered shops of the past, these businesses have taken on the Apple ethos with slick presentation and savvy brand building. Their customers come hoping to pay less for repairs than at Apple's own stores.


目前有许多以维修苹果设备为主要业务的公司如雨后春笋般涌现，连锁维修店iHospital就是其中之一。这些公司可不像以前的修理铺那样破破烂烂，凌乱地堆放着盒子和电线，而是借鉴了苹果的风格，它们有着精致的外观，并精心进行品牌打造。顾客来这里是希望能以比苹果直营店便宜的价格进行维修。



'There are about 250 Apple Stores in the U.S., but there are millions of customers,' says Ross Newman, the 27-year-old founder of iHospital, based in Tampa, Fla. 'They need somewhere to go to fix their products.'


iHospital总部位于佛罗里达州坦帕(Tampa)，该公司27岁的创始人罗斯•纽曼(Ross Newman)说，"美国大约有250家苹果直营店Apple Store，但客户有数百万。他们需要找地方修设备。"



Other repair shops range from iHospital to Cupertino iPhone Repair in the San Francisco Bay area, to Orlando, Fla.-based uBreakiFix Co. which has stores around the country including in Chicago and Los Angeles.


苹果产品维修店除iHospital以外，还有旧金山湾区(Bay area)的Cupertino iPhone Repair和总部位于佛罗里达州奥兰多(Orlando)的uBreakiFix Co.等。uBreakiFix Co.在包括芝加哥和洛杉矶在内的美国多个地区设有门店。



Apple's own warranties are considered among the best by Consumer Reports. But until recently the company charged a hefty premium to fix broken screens or water damage -- all too common problems as people take their beloved devices almost everywhere, even to the bathroom. The independent stores say they can fix devices for roughly half the cost as Apple.


苹果自己的保修服务被《消费者报告》(Consumer Reports)评为最佳保修服务之一。但该公司到目前为止还会为修理受损的屏幕或者处理设备进水问题收取高昂的额外费用──这两种故障都再常见不过了，因为人们会把他们心爱的设备带到几乎所有地方，甚至会带进卫生间。而这些独立维修店称，它们只收取相当于Apple Store一半左右的费用就能修好设备。



Apple doesn't have any ties to the stores. An Apple spokeswoman said Apple's new AppleCare Plus policy for the iPhone costs $99 and will cover up to two incidents of accidental damage at a cost of $49 each time. The service, which lasts for two years from the date of purchase, also includes technical support in Apple's stores and over the phone.


苹果与这些维修店没有任何关系。苹果一名女发言人称，苹果针对iPhone的新政策AppleCare Plus费用为99美元，最多可覆盖两次意外损坏的维修，每次收费为49美元。这项服务从购买之日起有效期为两年，服务内容还包括苹果直营店和电话提供的技术支持。



Mr. Newman says he can compete. A new front screen for an iPhone would cost about $150, including the cost of signing up for AppleCare Plus and the incident charge. The iHospital charges roughly between $79 and $100 for that same repair, depending on the model. And, Mr. Newman added, his doctors offer tech support and a one-year warranty on repairs. Other repair shops offer similar prices and services.


纽曼说自己有能力与苹果展开竞争。在苹果直营店更换一个新的iPhone前屏要花150美元左右，其中包括签署AppleCare Plus合约和意外损害维修费用。iHospital修理同样的故障收费在79美元到100美元之间，具体依机型而定。纽曼还说，他的"医生们"会提供技术支持，并为修复的故障提供为期一年的质保服务。其他维修店也提供类似服务，价格与此相当。



Keith Fredrickson, 34, and his wife Margaret, 35, of Jersey City, N.J., each bought a brand new iPhone 4S a couple of months ago. A few days after Ms. Fredrickson got her phone, it slipped out of her back pocket in the bathroom. 'She had already flushed the toilet, thankfully,' Mr. Fredrickson says.


34岁的基思•弗雷德里克森(Keith Fredrickson)和他35岁的妻子玛格丽特(Margaret)住在新泽西州泽西城(Jersey City)，几个月前，两人各买了一部崭新的iPhone 4S。玛格丽特的手机买回来之后没几天，就在卫生间里从她背后的口袋里滑了出来。弗雷德里克森说，"幸好她已经冲过马桶了。"



Once out of the water, the device wouldn't turn on. They tried putting it in a plastic bag filled with rice, a common recommendation, but it didn't help. Placing it in a bag with moisture-absorbing desiccate packets from vitamin bottles worked, but only for a few moments.


从水里拿出来之后，手机就开不了机了。他们先按照一般的建议，试着将手机放在一个装满米的塑料袋里，但是没有奏效。后来他们又把手机和从维生素瓶子里拿出来的干燥剂放在一起，这个方法奏效了，但没过几分钟又不行了。



So, Mr. Fredrickson took the dunked device to an iHospital.


于是弗雷德里克森把这台进水的iPhone送到了一家iHospital。



'I walked in and noticed they were in scrubs, and thought it was mildly entertaining,' Mr. Fredrickson says. 'I was traumatized and nervous about whether they would fix it.'


弗雷德里克森说，"我走进去以后发现他们穿着手术服，感觉有点搞笑。手机进水让我很受打击，我感到紧张，不知道他们能不能修好。"



They did.


他们把它修好了。



Water damage is among the most common ailments for devices, repair-shop operators say. Hayden Dawes, 25, who formed iBroke LLC in Palm Beach Garden, Fla., last year, says many of the customers who ship him their broken devices have had some sort of liquid damage.


维修店运营商说，设备进水是最常见的问题之一。25岁的海登•达韦斯(Hayden Dawes)去年在佛罗里达州棕榈滩花园(Palm Beach Garden)开了维修公司iBroke LLC。他说，顾客送到他那里维修的受损设备有许多都是渗液故障。



Apple doesn't supply parts to either business. Both Mr. Newman and Mr. Dawes say their parts come from China, where most of Apple's devices are manufactured. Mr. Newman says he didn't have to ask Apple for permission to use the lowercase i and had no trouble getting iHospital registered as a trademark in the U.S. and Europe.


苹果并不向这两家维修公司供应零部件。纽曼和达韦斯都说，他们的零部件来自中国，苹果的大多数设备都是在中国生产的。纽曼说，他使用小写的"i"不需要征得苹果允许，在美国和欧洲注册iHospital商标也没有碰到问题。



To drive home an image of Apple-level quality, Mr. Newman created a certificateprogram called D.i.D., 'Doctor of iDevices,' which requires passing Apple's technical-certification tests in addition to his own. Mr. Newman says employees must retake the exams every year, just like Apple's in-store technicians.


为打造维修质量可与苹果媲美的形象，纽曼创建了一个名为"苹果设备医师"（Doctor of iDevices）的认证项目，要求维修人员同时通过他自己的考核和苹果技术认证考试。纽曼说，他的员工和苹果驻店技师一样，都必须每年重新参加一次考试。



The company's six stores have rung up about $1 million each in sales in the last year. The company, founded in 2009, started expanding to states outside of Florida last year. While in training, Mr. Newman's technicians are typically relegated to the 'triage' area, where devices are laid out on an antistatic mat and diagnosed before being brought to the 'operating room,' a workshop in the back of the store that has a large glass window for customers to watch what's going on. There is even a 'graveyard' bin for devices to be repurposed or recycled for parts.


去年该公司六家门店的店均营业额达100万美元左右。这家建于2009年的公司去年开始向佛罗里达以外的州扩张。在培训时，纽曼的技师们一般会被下放到"分诊区"，"分诊区"里的设备摆放在一块防静电台垫上，进入"手术室"之前会先接受诊断。"手术室"是门店后面的一个工作室，有很大的玻璃窗，以便让顾客看到维修的过程。这里甚至还有一块"墓地"，用来存放拆卸后改作他用或供回收的设备。



Mr. Newman says he plans to expand the chain across the country and to stick with his medical motif. He bought an ambulance to do on-site repairs for corporate clients. He emblazoned it with ads for iHospital, and outfitted it with white flashers, not red, so people don't get confused.


纽曼说，他计划将连锁店扩展到全国，并将坚持使用医疗主题。他买了一辆救护车，用于为企业客户进行现场维修。他的救护车饰有iHospital广告，并安装了白色（而不是红色）的闪光装置，以便与真正的救护车区分开来。



Mr. Dawes started iBroke with an old Volvo, performing repairs at customers' businesses and homes. Eventually, he bought a new car and outfitted it with work benches and toolboxes. Now, he does most of his work at an office with a clean room.


达韦斯刚开始经营 iBroke时开着一辆旧的沃尔沃(Volvo)到顾客公司和家中进行维修。后来他买了辆新车，车上装有工作台和工具箱。现在，他的维修工作大多是在有间干净房间的办公室里进行的。



He says iBroke fixes between 15 and 30 phones a week, though he expects that to grow. He estimates his revenue was between $40,000 and $60,000 in the past year.


他说，iBroke每周修理15到30部手机，不过他预计将来维修数量会增加。他估计自己去年的收入在40,000 到60,000美元之间。



Local customers, like Ryan Smith, frequently come in to iBroke with broken screens. The 26-year-old student says he has broken his iPhone 4 several times getting out of his car.


像瑞安•史密斯(Ryan Smith)这样的本地顾客常常到iBroke修理受损的屏幕。这位26岁的学生说，他下车的时候把iPhone 4弄坏过好几次。



'I keep my phone in my lap when I drive and sometimes when I get out real quick I don't think,' he says.


他说，"我开车时会把手机放在膝盖上，有时候我下车太急，就把手机的事给抛到脑后了。"



Mr. Smith didn't go to one of Apple's stores because he assumed it would charge too much. Plus, 'I wanted someone independent to do it,' he adds.


史密斯从来没去过苹果的直营维修店，因为他觉得要价会太高。此外他还说，"我想把设备交给独立维修店来修理。"



Ian Sherr


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