They are young alumni who met as coworkers and soon became roommates. But it was inconceivable that Ben Levy, BBA ’04, and Aaron Vronko, BBA ’06, would still be together today as founders of a multi-million dollar iPod repair business. “It all sort of happened by accident in 2003,” says Vronko. “It was my junior year in college and Ben’s senior year. We had both been laid off from a local pharmaceutical company. I moved in with Ben and slept on the couch … we were broke,” says Vronko. “Ben’s iPod was in need of repair, and we were hard-pressed to find a service to fix it. We soon realized that other iPod owners were in the same boat. To save money, we tore apart the device to see if we could fix it ourselves.” Their inquisitiveness paid off as they managed to repair the unit. Then through discussion forum postings on the Internet, and as they searched for further information on parts and repairs, they
began to draw interest from even more iPod owners and businesses who were searching for help with iPod repair. At the
time, the devices were still fairly new— so no one really knew where to go for service. “Within a month, the whole thing
snowballed from repairing 3-5 devices a week to 20-25,” says Levy, “and it wasn’t long before we converted a second bedroom in the apartment to a work area. We both had our brothers working for us to keep up with the rising demand. It was quite evident that we had struck an opportunity in this niche market,” says Levy, who developed the concept that would become iPodMods, and later, Rapid
Repair.
The new company grew 50 percent in its first year and the duo moved the business out of the apartment to an office on West Main St. in Kalamazoo. Last year the business realized between $2.5 and $3 million in sales. Levy serves as the president and CEO and focuses more on the purchasing aspect of the business and scoping out new products to sell. Vronko handles the day-to-day operations. The two have learned a lot firsthand about running a business over the past four years. Levy worked particularly hard in the beginning by reaching out to others and forming relationships with clients. “Some of the clients ended up being some pretty big companies that we still work with today. Back then, there was slim to no competition, but now it’s an everyday battle with 50 to 100 competitors.”
Vronko talks about the important skills required of today’s entrepreneur – adaptability, persistence and passion. “We recognized early on that business environments change quickly and this means we have to have the ability to adapt to markets at the speed of change,” says Vronko. “We expanded to include other devices such as iPhones, Zune, and video game consoles like PlayStation3, Nintendo

Wii and PlayStation PSP.” And as new devices are rolled out, you can be sure that Rapid Repair will be upto-date on what’s out there. Last year, 12 hours prior to the latest iPhone release in the United States, Vronko flew to Paris to be one of the first to pick his up at a midnight iPhone release event—only to tear it apart to see how it was assembled. “Today, there is a real demand for the ‘doit-yourself’ market,” says Vronko. “We could have viewed this as a lost opportunity, but you’ve got to get your head out of the clouds, figure out a way to make operational changes and have the courage and persistence to adapt a plan until it works for you. Through our online assistance, we now sell parts and accessories for these do-ityourselfers.” Vronko says the passion to be an entrepreneur is the most intangible requisite. “If you can’t get up in the morning and be excited about making something happen for your business, you’re in the wrong place,” says Vronko. “You have to wake up knowing that every day you are ultimately responsible for sales, finance, labor, expenses, and every other facet of your own success. While most people understandably prefer the comfort and security of having a limited scope of functions of the company, an entrepreneur sees this responsibility as the  call to arms of each new day.”

As business continues to grow, Vronko and Levy are moving the business to a 4,300 square foot building in early fall. Rapid Repair employs 15 people. The Web address is: www.rapidrepair.com.

Aaron Vronko, BBA ’06
Aaron Vronko’s inquisitiveness was evident at an early age. He admits to always questioning how things worked while growing up and credits his parents for putting up with the question “why” a million or so times. A highly energetic individual, Vronko attended
classes at Grand Valley State University to obtain a Microsoft Systems Engineering certificate while still a junior in high school in Grand Rapids, Mich. He entered WMU as a freshman undecided in his major and admits he “bombed out” the first semester. He took the next semester off and landed a job at the help desk of a local pharmaceutical company where he worked for 2.5 years before losing his position, along with many others, through a merger. “I soon realized that I had to get my life back on track, so I enrolled in
classes at a local community college for a year before transferring back to Western as a management major.” He graduated magna cum laude in 2006 and from then on he began to devote all of his time to the business. Vronko credits his professors at the Haworth College of Business with “teaching me the sound fundamentals of running a good business,” and for “showing me how to advance business development.” Vronko married fellow WMU alumna Lindsay Scott, BS ’08, this summer.

Ben Levy grew up in Kalamazoo, but spent his high school years in Grand Rapids, Mich. Ben was an all-state wrestler. “My coach, Dave
Mills, helped me excel in the sport and also taught me many things about life and ethics,” says Levy. Levy chose Western because
he had a lot of family and friends in Kalamazoo, and it was far enough away from home to live on his own. He started as a computer science major, and then switched to computer information systems. Levy graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in 2004 with a major in computer information systems.

The original article can be found here.

When Kyle Wiens and his colleagues flew to New Zealand two years ago, they weren’t on vacation. They had a serious mission: to purchase one of the first iPhones and then ruthlessly tear it apart.

Wiens runs iFixit, a tech company that can be described as eccentric, to say the least. The staff of 20 engineers and college interns specializes in disassembling gadgets while documenting the process with photographs and writing. The end result of their work is an unofficial, illustrative instruction guide on taking apart and repairing each gadget. Their stated goal is to help consumers avoid the hefty costs of professional repairs or buying new products.

But it’s also a savvy marketing strategy in an increasingly competitive slice of what the tech industry calls “teardown culture.”

Some other companies, including RapidRepair and iSuppli, run similar businesses taking apart products. Hardware hackers, too, disassemble hardware as a hobby to learn how to tweak their devices into the gadgets of their dreams.

But teardown businesses don’t make money tearing down these gadgets, taking pictures of their insides or offering manuals. Rather, iFixit and RapidRepair both sell the parts for consumers to order and perform their self-repairs. And if customers are too afraid to do their own repairs, RapidRepair offers their professional services for a fee.

Photographing and documenting the teardown process, then, is mostly a marketing tool for these businesses to gain media attention and exposure in an effort to attract customers. IFixit, for instance, regularly sends tech publications (including Wired.com) their teardown observations and free photographs for use in articles.

Playing the “time zone game” with iFixit’s 2007 New Zealand flight gave the crew a head start of 27 hours before the iPhone was released on the U.S. West coast, where Wiens lives. But they still faced a number of challenges.

First, they had never been to New Zealand, so they had no office to work in and knew nobody who could help them. They couldn’t just set up shop in a hotel room, either: They needed lots of space, light and a fast internet connection to upload high-resolution photos documenting their process. Fortunately, the owner of a copy shop was generous enough to offer his facility for their use.

They got to work on the toughest part yet: disassembling a brand new product whose innards nobody, except Apple’s engineers, knew anything about. It turned out the first-generation iPhone didn’t even have screws to get inside. The team was momentarily stumped on just how to take apart the iPhone.

Then — eureka! They found they could pop off the black antenna shield and pry off the metal back.

“That was monstrously difficult,” Wiens said in a phone interview. Surprisingly, his team didn’t break the device, though its metal band was slightly bent after they reassembled it.

Marketing aside, why are geeks so fascinated by looking at the chips, wires, ribbons and glue — the hideous part of a gadget — when the gorgeous part is on the outside?

It’s quite simple: By peering into these gadget’s “souls,” you learn their secrets. A teardown of the new iPhone 3GS (the top photo in this article), for example, revealed the handset has an underclocked processor, presumably to preserve its battery life. And when iFixit disassembled the iPod Touch released in September 2008 (shown above), the company found a hidden bonus: an apparently unused Bluetooth chip, whose functionality Apple would later unlock in summer of 2009.

Aaron Vronko, CEO of RapidRepair, added that teardowns serve as a check on a company’s claims. Apple’s Steve Jobs, for example, recently said the latest (third-generation) iPod Touch lacks a camera because the gadget’s focus is gaming. However, iFixit’s teardown of the new iPod Touch found a small compartment that would be perfect for a camera.

“I don’t believe Steve’s explanation,” Vronko said. “I think in six months tops we’ll see an iPod Touch with a camera.”

The more interesting facet of looking inside is the opportunity to see forward, Vronko said.

“Teardowns give us insights on what’s coming up on technology and what kind of technologies people are choosing to integrate,” Vronko said. “It’s cool to see first hand the progression of design.”

A clear observation from teardowns is they keep getting more difficult, as gadgets progressively become smaller, more complex and more tightly packed with components.

Andrew Bookholt, a Cal Poly student studying mechanical engineering and an iFixit intern, flew to Newark to pick up a fifth-generation iPod Nano for teardown. He described the process of tearing down the camera-equipped iPod Nano as “a pain.” Copious amounts of glue held together the miniature device, and the click wheel was not removable and had to be popped out. It was so hard, in fact, Bookholt broke the Nano on his first attempt.

But Bookholt’s hard work (and iFixit’s money) was worth it, because the Nano’s guts spilled some fascinating hints on what’s to come.

“Apple is integrating everything more and more toward the iPhone-sized computer that will do everything,” Bookholt said. “I think they’re just going to shrink everything down, and maybe eventually have a Nano have all the capabilities of an iPhone, plus more. The trend is going toward an all-in-one device that has a lot of functions.”

IFixit’s Wiens has been taking apart gadgets for six years, and he said his favorite observation is the inadvertent harmony between rivals such as Apple and Microsoft. The two are fierce competitors, Wiens said, but once you look inside their gadgets, many of them are made by the same people. The Zune HD and the iPhone, for example, were both made by Foxconn, a major manufacturer in China.

“You’ve got these arch nemesis devices, and they’re the culmination of years of effort by Microsoft and Apple,” Wiens said. “But they’re being assembled and shipped out of China by the same company. At the same time you know the product managers at Apple and Microsoft hate each other’s guts.”

Click through to the next pages for more photos of naked gadgets (all SFW, or safe for work, unless your coworkers are easily shocked by wanton destruction of consumer electronics).

FOR months, I had been trying to ignore it. Like an ailing relative, my desktop computer was becoming increasingly frail. With each passing day, it took longer and longer to boot up. It sent endless “connecting” messages as I tried to get on the Internet. It froze in confusion if I clicked away too quickly.

My first assumption was that it was time for a new computer. Ours was about five years old, relatively ancient in technological years.

But then I started thinking — should I be so quick to assume that computers and the other gadgets of modern life, like iPods and game systems, are always ready to retire after two years, or three or four? For economic and environmental reasons (repairing is better than replacing), shouldn’t I look into the possibility that we could salvage our computer?

I decided to call Adam Sanderson, chief executive of Computer Overhauls, based in Manhattan. I interviewed Mr. Sanderson about four years ago for a column and have since hired him occasionally for emergency computer problems.

Mr. Sanderson remotely peeked into my computer and confirmed my worst fears — the hard drive was dying.

We could go out and buy a new one. Or, he suggested, we could ship or bring in the tower that contains the hard drive and he would replace it for about $150 — far less than the cheapest desktop we could buy. Prices can be higher for more powerful hard drives and up to about $200 for laptops.

“We would clean out the whole machine, reinstall everything fresh and it would be like a brand-new computer,” he told me.

But then my software wouldn’t be upgraded, would it?

No, Mr. Sanderson told me, but you may not really need to.

“It depends on what you’re using the computer for,” he said. “If you’re surfing the Internet and doing e-mail, which is what the bulk of people do, then you’re only using 5 to 10 percent of the actual power of your computer anyhow. Most people don’t need upgraded software.”

The turnaround is about 48 hours, he said, and comes with a three-year guarantee.

On the other hand, he said, if you are going to work on video editing or movie production, you probably want the newest software available. Also, any computer older than seven years should probably be replaced if it’s having difficulties, he added.

Mr. Sanderson also repairs iPods and iPhones, and his business is booming.

“There’s definitely a huge surge in the amount of repairs” in this economic climate, he said, as people choose to keep what they have rather than spend twice as much on the newest model.

Once I started looking into it, I found a surprising array of repair options, ranging from specialized experts to a community of techies who offer free advice online.

Rapid Repair, for example, based in Kalamazoo, Mich., “tries to serve an underserved population,” by fixing game systems like Nintendo Wiis, PlayStations, Zune MP3 players, iPods and iPhones, said Aaron Vronko, service manager for Rapid Repair.

The company, which does not repair computers, was founded in 2004 and fields about 500 requests a week, Mr. Vronko said. In general, he advised, repairs make sense if they can be done for less than half the cost of a new item.

“If you have a $200 gadget and you can repair it for $80 or $90, the customers sees value in saving over $100,” he said. “There’s a certain feeling you get buying something new, but saving money is also good.”

Suppose, for example, that your 30-gigabyte iPod with video has some problems. If the device is still under warranty, you send it back to Apple. If the warranty has lapsed, you can still send it to Apple and it will cost $129 to repair or $59 for a new battery, which is often the problem.

At Rapid Repair, the highest repair cost would $90, but often runs less if the trouble is minor. The company also offers to replace batteries for $20.

“About half our customers buy the parts and do their repairs themselves,” Mr. Vronko said. He suggests, though, that once the item is about five years old, it’s probably not worth fixing.

What if the product is still under warranty, but something that isn’t covered breaks, and you want to get someone to fix it for less than the manufacturer will charge? You need to check if the repair company is authorized by the manufacturer. If it is, then typically the repair can be done and the warranty remains valid if other problems crop up.

Here is another option. Let’s say you have a technologically savvy friend who is willing to help you figure out your computer’s problem. But she lives in California and you live in London.

There are a variety of services and software that allow you to remotely control a computer. I checked out a company called CrossLoop, which offers two options. You can download software from the company’s Web site that allows you to remotely gain access to another computer system — either MacIntosh or Microsoft Windows — and diagnose the difficulty.

To protect security, said Mrinal Desai, co-founder of CrossLoop, each time you and your friend use the software, you must type in a randomly generated 12-digit code that is changed for each use. And both of you have to do it within two minutes.

Or, if you don’t have a friend willing or able to help, you can hire one of the 14,000 experts listed on CrossLoop’s site. They are posted with their experience, prices, customer ratings and where they are located — which can be anywhere in the world. CrossLoop takes 15 percent of the experts’ fees.

Mr. Desai says that his company does not vet the experts, but rather, like eBay, the online community weeds out the bad ones through reviews and ratings.

And if you like your expert, you can return to him again and again. “He becomes your I.T. guy,” Mr. Desai said.

Want an even broader base to draw on for repairing just about anything? Try FixYa.com. If you have a problem with your lawn mower, computer, toaster or car, you can tap for free into the 250,000 “enthusiasts,” as FixYa’s founder, Yaniv Bensadon, calls them.

And if one of the enthusiasts is especially helpful, and well, enthusiastic, that person can be promoted to premium expert. For $20 you can have a live chat with your expert; for $13, you can have a one-time e-mail exchange; or, if you have a lot of fixing to do, you can sign up for a $10 monthly unlimited e-mail exchange.

So, back to me and my failing computer. In the end, we decided that because the computer was five years old — with a sticky keyboard and a few other problems as well — we would opt for a new one.

I’m still getting used to it, so it’s nice to know that there’s a world of experts at my fingertips, just waiting to help.

The original article can be found here.

Quick Fix
These self-taught repairmen became self-made successes
By Celeste Hoang | Entrepreneur Magazine – May 2008

What: Fast repairs for electronic devices
Who: Ben Levy and Aaron Vronko of RapidRepair.com
Where: Kalamazoo, Michigan
When: Started in 2004
Startup Costs: Approximately $1,500

Four years ago, when Ben Levy broke his iPod after tinkering with it, he began searching online forums for a solution. What he discovered, however, was that many people were in the same boat and Apple’s warranty often didn’t cover certain repairs, or they were very costly.

He and his friend Aaron Vronko, 25, decided to purchase a few broken iPods and teach themselves how to fix them. Before long, they were offering low-cost repairs on iPods and other small electronic devices. As demand for their services grew, Vronko and Levy, now 28, officially launched RapidRepair.com in 2004 with $1,500 from their personal savings.

Today, the site handles more than 500 repairs a week from across the nation and 65 countries worldwide, with customers mailing in their broken products to be serviced within 24 to 48 hours. The 15-employee Kalamazoo, Michigan-based company also boasts some offerings unique to its name: It is the first to offer color modifications for iPods and is the creator of the iVue clear panel, which is available for several iPod models.

“[The biggest challenge for us] was making the transition from a small group of friends getting paid to do what interests us to a medium-size professional organization of co-workers with divergent interests, skills and priorities,” says Vronko.

With 2008 sales projections at more than $3 million, Vronko sees the company evolving in the next few years to meet the rapid changes of the technology market and says its success is largely due to the low cost of launching the site.
“We wouldn’t have been able to open a store in Kalamazoo and be supported by a walk-in customer base,” says Vronko. “Being an online business has allowed us to reach a larger customer base and has gotten us to the status we are at today.”

The original article can be found here.

With the holiday season suddenly upon us, consumers are searching for the right digital media devices to suit their loved ones. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has led and continues to lead the market with its iPod series, posting sales figures as high as 11 million units sold in Q3 of the current financial year. Although these figures are just less than half of Q1 sales numbers, a single quarter of iPod sales still equals more than five times the collective number of Zunes that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has sold since the brand’s inception. Sales numbers aside, consumers should make a decision based on the overall quality of each product. Does it make more sense for you, the gift-giver, to purchase a Zune or an iPod for your loved one?

Let’s examine how the two devices compare when it comes to features, display, interface and general usability, content management and download compatibility, and hardware quality.

The Features

While both iPods and Zunes support the standard audio, video, photo and gaming capabilities, the Microsoft Zune brand embraces two features that the iPod does not support. The Zune’s FM tuner allows users to receive FM radio signals in their areas and tag specific songs for download later (only with the new Zune 3.0). Additionally, Zune users can network over WiFi with nearby Zunes to sample songs they have, for up to three days.

While it may seem that you will never need an FM radio with thousands of songs at your fingertips, it gives you the chance to break your bubble of isolation and tune into the latest music or catch news from the outside world. This is supported by the many iPod users who have clamored for built-in FM in the past, and a vocal minority will probably continue to do so.

Not as useful at this point is the Zune’s WiFi music sharing feature, which is unfortunately rendered ineffective by the need to have … another Zune in beaming distance. Combine this will the digital rights management (DRM) limitation of 3 days or 3 plays, and some question if this addition is even worth it. We still expect this will be a fun and interesting feature if Microsoft ever figures out how to steal some of the iPod’s market mojo.

The Display

The iPod Classic’s 2.5-inch color LCD screen is a significant drawback for the Apple device when compared to the Zune’s 3.2-inch screen. The size difference affects the quality of the video media experience, putting Zune well in the lead for visual content superiority.

Earlier generation Zunes and iPods had front panels constructed of polycarbonate plastic. These panels were impact-resistant but scratched easily and transmitted force to the LCD screen. Front panels and lenses wouldn’t break often, but LCD screens — the most expensive of the three visual hardware components — would take much of the force, ultimately breaking much more often.

New-model Zunes and iPods have moved to laminated glass for the lens over the LCD, which is more scratch resistant but more easily broken. If the device is dropped, the lens takes much of the force, in turn sparing the LCD. We rarely see broken screens with Zunes, most likely due to a safer design.

Replacing a lens is far less expensive than replacing an LCD screen. Remember, neither company covers screen damage under warranty.

Interface and General Usability

While the Zune might have more features, the iPod gains a unique advantage in its simplicity, allowing a less savvy user to navigate and utilize the included features. But a huge contributor to the iPod’s success has been the click wheel, which has been the navigation key since the release of the iPod mini in 2004. Customers simply love the interface; you can scroll large lists quickly, with as yet unmatched precision. Thousands of songs, organized by any major category, can be accessed depending on how quickly you move your finger.

In contrast, the Zune began without touch-sensitive functionality. Manipulating early generation Zunes provided users a quick mode of transportation but very little precision. Newer generation Zunes come equipped with the “squircle” (square-circle hybrid), which is touch-sensitive and enables users to navigate large lists more precisely. Still, with a few years of trial and error, the iPod click wheel is more refined.

Content Management and Download Compatibility

The usage of all included features and the simplicity of accessing all the content you could want and loading that content to your device are a few of the iPod’s greatest perks. The Zune’s content management platform isn’t quite as universal or comprehensive.

The iPod/iTunes package integrates and simplifies the content loading process. Both iTunes and Zune Marketplace are software installations that integrate with the device that each program supports. Because of its notoriety and the length it has been on the market, iTunes is a one-stop shop for almost all media, providing music, tons of movies and television shows.

Zune Marketplace, on the other hand, is not as well organized and isn’t nearly as extensive with its content offerings. Therefore, Zune owners have to find other ways to find content that the Zune Marketplace might not offer, like ripping owned CDs and movies and converting downloadable media purchased from other outlets.

Both programs accept plain MP3s, but neither device is compatible with its competitor’s content. So if you use iTunes, you won’t be able to load or play iTunes content on a Zune device.

Hardware Quality

Audio Processor: The audio processors on new Zunes integrate power management directly onto the chip, which allows it to sip slowly and offset the extra power usage from its added features. Advantage iPod, but not by much.

Batteries: Neither the Zune nor the iPod is built for consumers to easily replace a worn-out battery, which is part of the device’s built-in obsolescence. However, with some bravery or professional help, you can easily get your battery replaced.

Low Insertion Force (LIF) Cable: The new Zune uses a Low Insertion Force (LIF) cable that connects the hard drive to the system board. Due to a design flaw, the LIF is flimsy and breaks much easier than the iPod’s well-positioned cable. Therefore, trauma or force effects the connection to a greater extent with the new Zune.

The iPod has also had its share of LIF cable issues. With the fourth- and fifth-generation iPods, the LIF cable would lose connectivity over time. The iPod’s LIF was held into the socket with a clip, which would dig into the pin leads and create divots. However, the manufacturer has attempted to fix this flaw with the new generation of iPod, which features a redesign that appears to address the problem. We won’t know for about another year if the redesign will factor into the device’s built-in obsolescence.

Built-In Obsolescence: iPod and Zune manufacturers have learned from design flaws over time, and it appears that most of the significant problems have been fixed with their latest iterations. Still, neither company has made changing the device battery any less difficult for consumers. Consumers who find that a broken device doesn’t fall under warranty can employ any number of professional repair services to perform an affordable fix.

Remember, the industry standard is that fifteen percent of electronics devices will fail in the first year. Don’t let designed obsolescence get you down; talk to a professional about how you can salvage your device.

The original article can be found here.