Perhaps not in the same vein, as it's been quite some years, however, I recall using kX Audio A LOT in my Windows days to fiddle with audio/DSP on my SB/Audigy hardware.
They most certainly repair them. You can get AppleCare on the watches and they'll repair devices outside of AppleCare for a fee - going all the way back to the first watch.
That’s a special service they offer with AC+ but not the only option (would be a problem if it was because they require a hold on your card of the amount of a new retail one to ensure you don’t fuck around).
That said, most repairs are done offsite so anything they can’t do on the spot they just trade you a refurbished one and do it on their own time offsite.
I say “refurbished” but Apple calls it a “replacement” model. This seems like a distinction without a difference at first but Apple has two streams, “refurbished” and “replacement”.
The former you’ll see on their refurbished shop and might have minor signs of usage, the latter is used in their replacement process and always looks like a brand new one that you buy new (even though the fine print says it could have signs of usage).
I always prefer replacement over repair if I have the choice, because you’re essentially handed a new device.
In rare cases, > 3 coming back for the same issue, they’ll simply give you a new current retail model if your issue seems tied to a design issue in the model you own (e.g. this happened sometimes with the MBP GPU issue and later with the keyboard issue) so it always pays to keep badgering them if your issues aren’t resolved.
they don't repair it with you in the store, they send it back to a service center for refurbishment, but they do absolutely refurbish and repair units in house, and this stream ends up as other people's replacement refurbs, or on the apple refurb store, or sold in emerging markets.
