If you ever broke the screen on your iPhone , you had few options to fix it. You could go to Apple and pay the company to replace the part, which costs hundreds of dollars. You could also choose to go to one of the more than 5,000 authorized repair providers or more than 2,800 independent repair providers who have access to Apple's parts, tools and manuals. Your only other option would be to go to your local mall or alternative repair store. 

Repair advocates have long asked Apple to publish repair manuals and offer access to replacement parts.

Starting next year, Apple is going to offer you the chance to do some repairs yourself, too.

A new program, called Self Service Repair, will allow customers to buy parts from Apple for their products and perform repairs at home. Apple said it will also publish repair manuals online and offer tools to buy at the same prices authorized repair technicians pay.

"Creating greater access to Apple genuine parts gives our customers even more choice if a repair is needed," Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer, said in a statement. 

CNET