Apple Inc. is giving a whole new meaning to locking your phone with its new screws.
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 from replacing the iPhone 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, Calif., has become famous in the technology world for performing “teardowns” of Apple devices, often within hours or minutes of a product launch. The company promotes repair to cut down on electronic waste that goes to landfills.
According to two people with first-hand knowledge of the practice, when a customer brings an iPhone 4 into a U.S. Apple store for repair, tech staff swap out common Phillips screws, with which the device is shipped, with so-called “Pentalobe” screws.
Customers are not told about the switch, these people said.
It was not clear how widely used the replacement screws are, but one of these people said the screw swap was begun in the fall and is now standard practice at U.S. Apple stores. This person said the iPhone 4 shipped with Pentalobe screws in Japan.
Apple had no comment, but it is well-known that Apple discourages individual modifications of its products.
The iPhone 4 went on sale last summer and became Apple’s fastest-selling version of the iconic device, starting at $199 with a two-year wireless contract. More than 16 million iPhones sold in the quarter ending December.
Apple will replace iPhone batteries free if the device is under warranty, but otherwise charges $79.
Wiens said that with the old screws the iPhone 4 battery was easy to change though that was not known to many customers. “Apple wants to be in the business of selling you the new battery,” Wiens said.
The world’s largest technology company acts swiftly to protect its secrets. When an iPhone prototype was found by an outsider in a bar last year and sold to tech blog Gizmodo, Apple kicked up a furor and investigators raided a journalists’ home.
Pentalobe screws require a screwdriver that is not commercially available, Wiens said. The screw is similar to a commonly used Torx screw, but has five points instead of six.
Wiens said iFixit, which sells repair kits for iPhones and other Apple products, searched everywhere for a Pentalobe screwdriver before commissioning a supplier to make one for them — and even that is not a perfect match, he said.
The Pentalobe screw first appeared on the battery section of a Macbook Pro laptop in 2009, Wiens said. It also can be found on the exterior of Apple’s new MacBook Air notebook.
Once you buy a product, you own it. Apple is just trying to strong arm their customers into giving them more money.
iFixIt sells the screwdrivers so, yes, they are available.
If Apple lovers ever grow one a class action suit is in order. Other wise, hoist the Kool Aid girls!
who cares?? most people who buy cellphones have no interest in opening it up and would rather just take it in for service.
Just another reason why you’ll NEVER see me with an IPhone.
And yes, something NEEDS to be done with this issue of many manufacturers – Auto comes to mind – creating specialty connectors, screws etc., to force the OWNER to return to the manufacturer for service. I’m so glad that someone makes aftermarket tools to foil this behavior!
Ahhhh wrong, a lot of cellphone users replace SIM cards, batteries and etc. themselves and besides, I bought the damn thing, I should be able to take it apart however I want. And if I don’t request a modification, they shouldn’t put it in via stealth mode. Ever have a flat tire? Wouldn’t it suck if you had your tires replaced and they put locking lugs on your tires so that you would have to go back to that same shop everytime and never be able to change the tires on your own? Same difference. Just because you don’t do it, doesn’t mean others don’t want to.
whatever, sim cards are still easily accessible. i had the same iphone for three years (a long time in iphone world), and never once had to replace the battery. and its not like you can just open up an iphone and replace whatever you want….you really have to know what you’re doing. So no, this does not affect the average consumer.
ifixit is just happy to be getting all the free pub.
Speaking as a technology person who uses a four-year-old vanilla cell phone… seems to me Apple has little choice but to keep things buttoned up pretty tightly. They get a premium price from people who want a seamless, integrated user experience–a device that does some pretty sophisticated things in a manner that looks like a simple appliance. Maintaining this self-consistency requires the manufacturer to pretty much control everything. Apple’s customers by and large seem content with this. If you want to get under the hood and tinker (and will accept the occasional unexpected behavior that comes with this freedom), then you should get a phone based on an open architecture like Android.
Apple’s Customer service stinks. I bought a new Iphone 4 yesterday..took it home and found that after about a minute a note came on the screen saying the sim card didn’t work. Took it back to the AT&T store found it was a phone problem…sorry ya have to deal with Apple. Even though the store had another phone and my new one wasn’t working when I bought it…Apple would only give me 3 choices. 1. cancel my contract and they would send a new phone but I would have to write a new contract … losing my “unlimited use” which is no longer offered by AT&T. 2. Drive to the nearest apple store 150 miles ( 300 round trip ) or 3. Give them $700 on my credit card to hold … they would send me a “replacement device” in 5 days and then I must return their phone by UPS after I receive my “replacement device”. I ask, Is this good customer service or what? Basically they sold me a brick and I have to wait 5 days for a “replacement device”… I assume to be a phone. Plus trip to UPS and don’t foget the $700 they required to hold. Could have given me a new phone at the store and solved the problem and made me happy.
Another reason I won’t buy anything APPLE. I buy the product and then they tell me I can’t do what I want with it? Really? Not even change the battery?
Wow—now I know why most liberals love their MACS & I-Phones: they love socialism and this is quite similar to government control of your entire life, except Apple is doing it for you. WE know what’s best for you! LOL!
Seriously a lot panic for not a big deal. Is it a pain, yeah a bit but type in “pentalobular screwdriver” into Google and the first two hits will sell you a screwdriver, one is as low as $2.35. And computers have always used “non-standard” screws, that’s why anyone who tinkers in laptops has torx screwdrivers. So, now you need another screwdriver, not the end of the world.
AJ, the people who care are the hackers and modders that forcefully drive innovation in technology. Most consumers will never see the inner architecture of their devices nor understand how any of it works, but they all enjoy the developments that arise from experimentation. If Apple continues on their course they’ll earn a closed-minded reputation eventually get clobbered by companies that are actually embracing this small community (relative to the total consumer market) and encouraging them to experiment on their devices. App developers will become discouraged by a company that lays out strict commandments for how people should play with their toys and will move on to more open pastures.
“Wiens said iFixit, which sells repair kits for iPhones and other Apple products, searched everywhere for a Pentalobe screwdriver before commissioning a supplier to make one for them — and even that is not a perfect match, he said”
Um, the 1st link on the Google search for “pentalobular screwdriver” is a link to iFixit.com where they will sell you the correct screwdriver. The ad even says it works on the iPhone4. So, how is it possible that from the time this article was written to now iFixit not only found the screwdriver but also packaged it and is selling it?
What does the use of Apple hardware have to do with being liberal? I work for a very conservative publisher and we use Macs AND iPhones. I use both Mac OS and Windows at work and from an administrator’s point-of-view Mac OS is far better than anything Microsoft has ever put out. I greatly dislike Apple’s closed hardware model.
I currently have an iPhone.
Frankly, I’m not impressed enough to upgrade to an iPhone 4 when my contract is up in a few months. If I decide not to keep my phone, I’m definitely going to look at alternatives to the iPhone. It’s easy to use, but apps crash constantly, the battery gets drawn for absolutely no reason whatsoever, and Apple limits too many aspects compared to other phones.
@Vince: What does the use of Apple hardware have to do with being liberal?
I guess people assume that Apple users are more intelligent, and it’s a general fact that liberals are more intelligent, thoughtful people than those who use their “conservatism” to explain away their ignorance, closed-mindedness and aversion to truths that contradict their world view. The fact that someone tried to ascribe a political ideology based upon what phone someone uses is an example of the kind of “intelligence” generally put on display by people staking claim to “conservative” beliefs.
What’s amazing is that given the general stupidity put on display by self-proclaimed “conservatives” that they think others will view “liberal” as a pejorative. I dunno, but from what I hear and read, it’s the behavior, attitude and lacking intelligence displayed by “conservatives” that I would think no right-thinking, decent person would want to be associated with.
I am sure that by now, the special screwdriver is being made in China.
Lenovo is into this. I have had a problem recovering my hard drive and they refuse to provide a recovery disc. Their little on board recovery program is a joke. Everything I ask of them they respond “Send it back to us and we will charge $80 just to look at it”. DO NOT BUY LENOVO!
So now everything is political? The clothes we wear, cars we drive, and the cell phones we use? Really?
Apple wants to protect it’s technology, that’s their right, don’t you think? One of the comments, above, said it: most people don’t open their iPods, etc they either have some repair place do it, or more than likely, they throw it out and buy a new one. The other 1% of the tech geeks out there (me included) have all the special screwdrivers to open whatever they want…
Perhaps Apple’s new corporate symbol should be … a padlock?
I’ve read that a $99 bushel of smurfberries will unlock the new screws.
walt, swapping out the screws is not protecting their technology, it’s protecting their service monopoly – and that ain’t right!
Fail:
http://gizmodo.com/5739389/stop-panicking-you-can-still-open-up-your-iphone-with-a-235-screwdriver
I’m sure that the use of a single or couple of sheets of plastic wrap over the new screw and a hex driver will easily unscrew the new screws.
I see no issue here.
No worries 99% of the people that buy iPhones have no idea how to use a screw driver.
Those who are intent on modifying the phone will not be stopped by a few “tamperproof” screws. The other owners are lucky if they even know how to use the phone much less change the battery so they’re not a playing a part in any of this.
Logic according to joeschmo:
1. joeschmo doesn’t like liberals.
2. joeschmo doesn’t like Apple.
Therefore, liberals like Apple.
Nice work, joe. You just keep that brain chugging along there.
If Apple creates a situation where only Apple can service an Apple product, that has certain antitrust overtones to it.
I hope the company rethinks this policy before it gets any uglier.
@Neffler X: IFixit says their screwdriver will damage the screw heads, but their kit contains replacement screws with Phillips heads & a 00 Phillips screwdriver.
If you’re stupid enough to buy Apple products you probably do need to be led around your life by your nose, which is the Steve Jobs mantra. The rest of us don’t waste our money like that.
How do you Apple fanatics like the fact that your money is funding Rahm Emanuel’s run for Chicago mayor. Ironic, no?
Apple stock will go down due to higher costs of maintaining the phones and the fact that there are other better phones are out there now with better prices too.
It doesn’t matter what Apple does to tamper-proof their products.. if someone really wants to hack into them, they’ll find a way. There’s too many ingenious people out there that will figure it out. So all this discussion is academic and moot, as far as I’m concerned. In a weird kind of way, Apple itself is providing the impetus for new innovation and another round of ingenuity through its insistence of total control.
The article leaves out the fact that there are thousands of people selling the pentalobe screwdriver for iphones all over the internet. Just ‘google’ pentalobe. It looks like you can get one for about 5 bucks. I don’t understand the concept that the new screws ‘lock’ the owners access to the phones. The funny thought I had is that pentalobe screws are less likely to be stripped and ruined with constant use. Did Apple switch to the pentalobe screws because there are multiple defects in the new phones, that will cause multiple repairs? The other thought that comes to mind is that, because modifying our electronic devices has become so popular, perhaps the Apple people want to make it less likely that we will strip the i-phone screws when we repeatedly open up our phones to do our ‘Mods’.
Im with verizon but don’t ill get an iphone. I like to switch out my battery on my droid if it dies. Wouldnt I have to have it plugged on iphone if it dies? Really doubt I would get one.