David Lerner, the “Mr. Fix‑it” of Apple Computers, Dies at 72

Founder of Tekserve, the Iconic Manhattan Repair Shop

David Lerner, a legendary figure in the world of Apple hardware, passed away at the age of 72. For more than three decades he was the go‑to technician for countless New Yorkers whose Macs, iPhones, and other devices suddenly stopped working.

In 1987, Lerner teamed up with a fellow enthusiast to launch Tekserve, a storefront that quickly earned the nickname “the emergency room for frozen hard drives, broken keyboards, cracked screens, and their frustrated owners.” The shop became a sanctuary for anyone who needed a quick, reliable fix for their Apple gear.

Under Lerner’s hands‑on leadership, Tekserve grew from a modest repair bench in a basement to a full‑service boutique that offered everything from data recovery to custom‑built workstations. His reputation for solving the unsolvable earned him the affectionate moniker “Mr. Fix‑it” among both customers and fellow technicians.

Beyond the shop floor, Lerner was a mentor to a generation of Apple technicians, sharing his knowledge through workshops, newsletters, and informal “office hours” that anyone could attend. Many of today’s leading Apple service experts cite his influence as a pivotal part of their career development.

David Lerner is survived by his partner, children, and a community of loyal customers who will remember him not only for his technical wizardry but also for his patience, humor, and unwavering dedication to getting people back online.

His legacy lives on in the countless devices he rescued and the culture of meticulous, customer‑focused service he helped to define in the tech world.