( CNN ) -- In early September my iPhone 5 fell off the roof of my Jetta wagon . The Jetta was traveling at highway speeds when it happened . I 'd placed and forgotten the iPhone on the roof of the Jetta before driving off — something I 'd done repeatedly with inexplicable witlessness in the past , though I somehow managed not to lose the phone on those earlier jaunts . Not so this time . I imagine the phone hurtling off the top as I rounded the bend ( that I eventually found it lying beside ) like a James Bond special deploying chaff ( thankfully no one was behind me , and the phone wound up on the shoulder , though it may have been run over first ) . I was able to track it down a few hours later after I realized it was missing by using my wife 's iPhone and the freebie Apple app Find My Friends . When I went to the local Apple Store to see what my options were , Apple offered me a choice : repair the screen right then and there in under an hour , or swap it for a brand new phone . The cost to swap for a new phone was $ 229 , or just a little more than I paid for the phone outright on contract . The cost to repair the screen was $ 149 : $ 99 for AppleCare plus $ 49 for the screen replacement . I chose to replace the phone outright , because it nearly a year old , I 'm on contract and so would n't have been eligible to upgrade to the iPhone 5s ( then unannounced , but presumptive ) , I did n't have AppleCare and I figured the fresh battery I 'd get with a new iPhone 5 was worth the bargain . Which is all a longish way of saying that Apple 's been offering iPhone repairs in-store for some time — and it looks like that repair program 's about to expand significantly . 9to5Mac reports that Apple may be planning to offer additional in-store repairs that go well beyond the iPhone 5′s screen . Note that my phone 's glass was cracked , but the underlying area and componentry was unfazed . Had those parts been distressed , I assume my only option would have been full phone replacement . 9to5Mac 's sources say Apple is rolling out `` special machinery '' to allow the stores to replace and calibrate the touchscreens on the iPhone 5s and 5c , and that the cost for such replacement would be $ 149 . The other items on the list of in-store replaceable parts are said to include volume buttons , the vibration engine , the rear-camera , the speaker system and the Home buttons — though in the latter case , it sounds like not on the iPhone 5s , which employs a more sophisticated Touch ID fingerprint button . The repairs should be free if you 're covered under AppleCare , but you 'll have to pony up if not — $ 79 for a new battery and $ 29 for Home button replacement , according to 9to5Mac 's sources . When ? 9to5Mac 's sources say the machines are arriving in stores now , suggesting the program could launch soon . & copy 2012 TIME , Inc. TIME is a registered trademark of Time Inc. Used with permission .
Used to say Apple store iPhone ##s are about to expand . Volume buttons , search engine , cameras would be added to screens . Repairs would be free if user chooses to have ` ` ' Care ''