Posted on 10/13/2017 7:22:56 PM PDT by markomalley
The release notes for iOS 11.0.3—an iPhone operating system update pushed to customers Thursday—comes with a not-so-subtle warning: Don't get your phone fixed by anyone who isn't Apple.
The update fixes a few bugs, namely one that caused a loss of touch functionality on a small subset of phones that had been repaired with certain third-party screens and had been updated to iOS 11.
"Addresses an issue where touch input was unresponsive on some iPhone 6S displays because they were not serviced with genuine Apple parts," the update reads. "Note: Non-genuine replacement displays may have compromised visual quality and may fail to work correctly. Apple-certified screen repairs are performed by trusted experts who use genuine Apple parts. See support.apple.com for more information."
This is a reminder that Apple seems to have the ability to push out software updates that can kill hardware and replacement parts it did not sell iPhone customers itself, and that it can fix those same issues remotely.
This message is the latest salvo in an ongoing cold war between Apple and the independent repair world. Apple will only sell official parts to "authorized" repair providers—a program that costs money to join and limits the types of repair that companies are allowed to do. And so independent repair stores have long turned to the grey market, which is made up of largely of Chinese suppliers. Third-party screens do vary in quality—some are just as good as Apple's original parts (many are made in the same factories, according to people in the repair business)—while others are indeed inferior. Replacement screens are also purchased from electronics recyclers and LCD refurbishers.
Though replacement screens vary in quality, most repair shops do their best to get parts that are just as good as the ones Apple uses (there are several Facebook groups where repair pros name and shame bad suppliers).
The point is, you should be able to go to an independent repair shop to get your iPhone fixed if you want to. They're often cheaper and faster than going to the Apple Store.
So let's consider what actually happened here. iPhones that had been repaired and were in perfect working order suddenly stopped working after Apple updated its software. Apple was then able to fix the problem remotely. Apple then put out a warning blaming the parts that were used to do the repair. Poof—phone doesn't work. Poof—phone works again.
In this case, not all phones that used third party parts were affected, and there's no reason to think that, in this case, Apple broke these particular phones on purpose. But there is currently nothing stopping the company from using software to control unauthorized repair: For instance, you cannot replace the home button on an iPhone 7 without Apple's proprietary "Horizon Machine" that re-syncs a new home button with the repaired phone.
This software update is concerning because it not only undermines the reputation of independent repair among Apple customers, but because it shows that phones that don't use "genuine" parts could potentially one day be bricked remotely.
A scare like this happened last year. "Error 53" bricked many iPhones that had third party screen replacements. After widespread consumer outrage, Apple fixed the bug. It's because of situations like this that activists are lobbying states to pass "Right to Repair" laws, which would require Apple and other electronics companies to sell official replacement parts to the masses, and would prevent software locks that could make phones unusable because they include third-party parts. Apple is lobbying against those efforts.
Look, you ignorant idiot, both Adorno and I have more education in this area than you’ll ever hope to have. We are likely qualified to TEACH that crappy five day course. We already hold the qualifications you are merely pursuing! Both of us have MADE an excellent living from doing what you are only beginning to crack the surface on, and we have likely forgotten more than you’ll ever learn, because what we’ve forgotten is passé now, after DECADES in this industry.
Your little five day course in twaddle is NOTHING. Your DEVOLUTION into insults proved you had no cogent counters to the facts both Adorno and I have presented to you based on our years of education, expertise, and experience in the very areas YOU snidely insult us as being non-expert in. We provided information to you which snowflake you can’t even be bothered to read so certain you are in your asshat ignorance that you refuse to learn from your elders who were part of the BUILDING of this industry.
Excuse me. . . but exactly where did I "self-admit" I was a non-expert on mobile computing? I believe I told you I have thirty-six years of experience in this field. . . By your twisting that into a "self-admission of non-expertise" you show you have a serious reading comprehension problem. I suspected that when you made the same accusation about Adorno after he laid out his background. Now, you’ve proved it.
I’m semi-retired now, but I still have multiple business clients that pay me hourly for my expertise and advice in the very field about which you insult my expertise, more now than you’ll ever earn, I’d wager.
Both Adorno and I have expertise far above yours. . . and have been working in the industry far longer than you, which you’ve shown with your bragging about a pipsqueak 5-day Ethical Hacking course.
I cut my computer programming teeth on mainframes 50 years ago, back in the late 1960s at age 18. . . A bit later I even bought my own IBM System 32 — not much RAM, but it came with more manuals than you’ve ever seen—they had their own crate—and filled a four foot bookshelf which covered every aspect of the machine from circuitry to programming in machine code and several supported languages. I read and understood everyone of them. This was an era where you did your own programming, or you hired a staff to do it. I’ve coded complete databases and accounting packages including payroll. Have you? I didn’t think so. So don’t you you don’t get to tell me I am not an expert, you ignorant arrogant asshat.
Did you not bother to read any farther than that first sentence in that paragraph, asshat, where adorno recounted his extensive EXPERIENCE in the IT field. He made the statement that in this thread he had not claimed any expertise, but he showed you that he certainly DID HAVE THAT EXPERTISE TO SHOW YOU TO BE THE "WANNA BE" THAT YOU ARE. . . as do I.
Please search this thread prior to post 54, which was a response to YOUR INSULTS, and show us adorns claiming any such expertise before he felt it necessary to slap your insulting ass down.
The only one with a song-and-dance act that is poorly performed on this forum is you, you johnny-come-lately, insulting long term Freepers with your ignorant ex cathedra and insulting attack arguments.
Your insults are merely the last gasp of a child having a tantrum when he finds his LIES don't work with the adults in the room who are tired of his ignorant antics. . . and decided to spank him.
YOU started the arguments in this thread with your ignorant pronouncements of your opinion of fact and continued pushing of that opinion as fact in the face of experts correcting your ill-educated and insulting facturds, troll. YOU threw the first insults, calling people who have spent a lifetime working in this field who know far more than you ever will names, and tossed your five day course against their multiple college degrees and years of actually DOING what you are just now learning in retrospect what they often developed!
You, child. are an asshat, whose parents taught no respect or manners. You, MountainWalker, are the weakest link in this thread. . . and out of your depth.
Go take your meds.
Ah, more irrational ad hominem attacks. You just cannot stand that people know more than you do. . . so you have to blindly strike out at what you do not understand.
I respect and admire people who know more than me, but I get easily bored with know-nothing angry cranks who are convinced they’re learned experts - ie, people like you. Go to bed, Gramps.
You must be my new “best friend” on FR.
(Just kidding).
However, SwordMaker doesn’t know when to quit. He ought to learn, like I have learned, that, whatever the discussion, it’s never-ending, and that there will be other occasions to try to express yourself again, even if you’re still wrong (or right, as the case may be). Which is why when “arguing” with you, I know when to drop the argument, because, I know that you or I will open up another “heated” argument about your favorite subject. However, I don’t take it to the point where I have to insult you in order to try to win the argument or discussion.
It seems that SwordMaker is still a little naive, or absolutely nuts. He’ll never admit when he’s wrong, or doesn’t know when to quit.
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