Apple has been notorious recently for not letting its users inside their portable devices, and they have taken this to a new level recently by building the iPhone 4 with a mysterious screw-head called a Pentalobe.
I hope we're not getting too geeky by breaking this down, but up until now most of the screws in Apple devices have been Phillips #00 screws, the kind you need a tiny but commonly-available screwdriver to work with. The Pentalobe screwdriver, however, does not appear to exist anywhere, and if iFixit is to be believed, can only be obtained from Apple themselves (as long as you're an Apple Certified Technician, naturally).
There are even claims that anyone bringing an iPhone with the Phillips #00 screws into the Apple Store for service are receiving the phones back with the Phillips screws replaced with Pentalobe screws.
I understand that Apple wants to protect the integrity of its warranty program by reducing the likelihood of its users getting into the innards of its devices, messing around, and then making a warranty claim. However, I also understand that there are people who have no problem going into their devices and are willing to void the warranty in order to save money on things like cracked screen repairs. Apple's paranoia about "user experience" shouldn't lock this very small subset of its consumers out from what they want to do.
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So true, Justin -- Apple is a corporate cult: controlling, deceitful, above questioning and criticism, and rife with worshipping followers... ah the arrogance that came with success!
Just wait until they figure out how to patent the tool for opening their device connectors so that you can't even buy a 3rd-party bit/device to open it. (Think Mag-safe power connectors)
I have no desire to hide my general distaste for Apple's policies and procedures. There was a time when they were known to be a computer company determined to free the consumer from the trappings of existing technology and the oppressiveness of other tech companies (*cough* Microsoft *cough*). The Mac fanboys would wave the Apple banner in protest of the norm and cry out for the underdogs. They would point out how Microsoft oppressed other companies and vilified Microsoft for it. Cheers would ring out each time a company fought back against the software giant and won. Eventually humbled enough, Microsoft slunk back into its corner and nursed its wounds. But this left the spot of Oppressor free. And it seems that a company was more than willing to step up and fill the void. This company tells its consumers what they want, not asking them what they want. They tie up other companies in frivolous lawsuits to slow these companies down from releasing products that may compete with or surpass their own products. They threaten people who find flaws with their products and remove blog posts from their forums that discuss legitimate issues experienced by their customers. They openly lie in their locked down press conferences and, when publicly shown that there is a proven flaw in their flagship device, they down play it, point out the flaws in other companies products (older and not comparable devices, by the way) and then try to sell themselves as generous and benevolent by providing a work-around (not fix) for their own, unacknowledged defect. They lock down their software and hardware in ethically questionable ways. And when they release their devices using technology that is already out in production by other vendors, they pass off their new features as innovations. You know I am talking about Apple. The oppressed has become the oppressor and the underdog fanboys have evolved into elitists and “consumaho lics”. A friend of mine, and long time Apple supporter, said that “Apple has become the new Microsoft.”<br /><br />To make things clear, I am not questioning the quality of their products, I am questioning the ethics of their company. They are the technology juggernaut to compete with right now. They own their corner of the market and are the most valuable consumer tech company in the world. I keep thinking of the old 1984 Macintosh commercial where the woman throws the sledgehammer into the brainwashing screen. It symbolized a new way of thinking, a freedom from the norm that Apple was determined to bring. These days, more and more, it seems that Apple has become the one on the screen, telling us who we are and what we need. How far will it go before someone else comes with a sledgehammer to free us? I am all for having a good product, but once I buy it, I own it. I should be able to do with it as I please (for the most part). If I want to jailbreak my iPhone, I should be able to do so. Void the warranty, sure, I can understand that and feel that is fair. But the device is mine. I do not want to feel that I am just borrowing it. It is not leased. But it seems that Apple feels they always know best and will do with the product as they see fit regardless of ownership. Swapping the screws during repair is just another example of their blatant disregard for the rights of the consumer. Yet we will bend over and take it because it is the almighty Apple. I really hope that this trend ends soon. There are so many good, non-Apple, products out there and I would like to see them in the spotlight as well. Thank you for the post Colin.