Apple 'User-Proofing' iPhones With Unremovable Screws, Sources Say [ Apple Screws ]

Fox News ^ | 1-22-11 | Reuters

[NoLibZone]

Apple is replacing iPhone screws -- but it may be the consumers who are really getting screwed.

In line with its infamous philosophy of maintaining absolute control over its products, sources said U.S. Apple stores are replacing screws on iPhone 4s brought for servicing with tamper-proof screws to prevent anyone else from opening the device.

Kyle Wiens, chief executive of iFixit, a prominent Apple repair and parts supplier, said the purpose of the new screws is to keep people out of the iPhone and prevent them from replacing the battery. He said he noticed in November that screws were being switched.

"If you took your car in for service and they welded your hood shut, you wouldn't be very happy," he said, comparing it to shutting owners out of their iPhones.

IFixit, based in San Luis Obispo, California, has become famous in the technology world for performing "teardowns" of Apple devices, often within hours or minutes of a new product launch. The company promotes repair to cut down on electronic waste that goes to landfills.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/21/apple-iphones-unremovable-pentalobe-screws/#ixzz1BnwEDmfc

[steve86]

And they put red Loctite® on them.

[FreedomPoster]

That’s very much how Android is trying to position themselves, as a cool alternative to over-controlling Microsoft and Apple. But then they’re tied in with Google. Hmmmm . . .

[boomop1]

Maybe, but if you want to get in it, plan your mission before acting. I own no Apple except an IMac and got special screw drivers for it.

[plain talk]

customers can only get unscrewed by free themselves of their cult like devotion to Apple.

touche. I have an ipod the family gave me but thats about it. I don't think you can replace a battery in those things. A several hundred dollar investment down the drain when the battery fails.

[TheBattman]

$5.99.... what's the big deal? Opening an iPhone cancels your warranty anyway...requiring a special screwdriver at least prevents the casual home idiot from screwing things up.

[Mobties]

Apple may just as well have announced a contest to techies the world over to make and sell an economically priced tool to accommodate this new screw.

My guess is the tool and die work is already done, a prototype has already been made, and production is about to begin.

Watch eBay for “pentalobe” listings. They'll make great birthday presents for anyone who owns an iPhone.

[Neidermeyer]

The screwdrivers will be on eBay in a matter of minutes.

******************************************

http://cgi.ebay.com/iPhone-4-Security-Screw-Pentalobe-Screwdriver-Toolkit-/120674668314?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item1c18c54f1a

[Oatka]

GM used to use torx screws on the headlight trim to 'encourage' folks to pay dealer prices to replace a burned out headlight. You could switch out a Chrysler of the same era with an ordinary phillips head.

Had that trouble with a '94 Chevy van. Had to go into town (25 mi round trip) to the AutoZone and get the correct screwdriver (already bought the lamps). I was not happy.

[6ppc]

If something can be screwed (mechanical) it can be unscrewed.

Or at least drilled. Someone will come out with kits including an extractor and replacement screws within a week.

Speaking of drilling, while replacing my firing pin spring today, my gunsmith stripped the socket on an allen head screw on my benchrest rifle's bolt!

Ungh!

He's gonna mail it to me in a few days, but damn!

[prophetic]

GM used to use torx screws on the headlight trim to 'encourage' folks to pay dealer prices to replace a burned out headlight. You could switch out a Chrysler of the same era with an ordinary Philips head.

I used to have a 96 Saturn SL-1 and when it was time to change the battery and bought it at the local Costco wholesale. However I got a rude surprise when I saw that GM has designed a wicked strap & locking mechanism across the battery base plate and to unlock it you had to elevate the car and use something like a 20 inch long screwdriver to reach under the base of the battery base plate in order to unlock that strap!!

Needless to say that this is one item I ALWAYS check when looking to purchase any vehicle!!

[Mike Darancette]

How specifically should Apple's practice of selecting certain screws be considered a "monopolistic" activity

If you bought it with those types of screws that's one thing; but for them to steal your old screws and replace them with screws that prevent you from the total control of your product as purchased is probably a "conversion".

[meyer]

The only way you can’t be tracked is to remove the battery. Interesting.

Seal it in a metal case. No RF contact, and no GPS.

[Erik Latranyi]

Thanks! I never checked, I just know how these things work.

Given this, isn’t it a waste for Apple to do this? If I was a stockholder, I would be pissed for wasting money on something stupid like screws.

[Eye of Unk]

I just use a middle of the lineup Trackfone.

Was $20 NEW at Walmart.

Does all that I need, when its obsolete or problematic it gets tossed in the garbage.

Probably my third or fourth generation of the Trackfone.

[starlifter]

Huh???!!!

[starlifter]

“...so they would earn more profit...”

How much MORE profit did they earn as a result?

[SamAdams76]

I don’t understand the controversy. If your iPhone stops working, just take it to Apple and have it fixed or replaced. If it’s more than a few years old, then its a good excuse to buy a newer model with all the bells and whistles.

[RC2]

Sure you can, but is it really OFF? Turn your television off, is it really off? No it’s not. Try this, put a bus bar on the power cord of your TV. Turn the bus bar off at night and see if your electric bill goes down. If you leave the battery in you cell phone, it can still be tracked as to your location.

[aruanan]

As users became more adept , Apple’s closed architecture made PC hobbyists move to what was called an IBM PC.

You've got a cause and effect that don't go together. The growth in PC sales was due to price differences for first time computer buyers: "You mean I can get a complete computer and all this software for less than half the price of an Apple computer? Well, a computer is a computer, so, sure, I'll take the PC." The hobbyist came about by having to deal with a whole lot more unexpected weird crap caused by a wide variety of PCs from a wide variety of manufacturers and the varying degrees to which the Microsoft OS was successfully implemented or not on these machines, leading to people saying things like my mechanical engineering friend from UF, "Yeah, and that's what makes the PC a better computer because I'm always having to figure out what's going wrong and that makes me better at dealing with computers."

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

The screws are tamper proof. Not unremoveable. Big difference. And not a huge obstacle to a determined and resourceful iPhone owner.