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iFixit throws an iFit over iPhone screws
Tamper-resistant screws are popping up in another Apple product, the iPhone 4, and some users say they're feeling screwed by the change.
Among the most outraged, it seems, is iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, who sent out an e-mail today blasting the tech giant for its change to a proprietary, tamper-resistant screw called a pentalobe on later shipments of the iPhone 4. Wiens believes Apple stopped using standard Phillips and Torx screws on the iPhone 4 and other products to "keep you out of your own hardware."
Apple has not yet responded to CNET's request for comment.
But while some are annoyed by the change, not everyone thinks it's a bad idea. "As a service tech, you would be surprised to see how many people open up their machines to try and fix them before bringing them in for warranty service. And in doing so [they] cause more damage than the original problem was," wrote a commenter on iPodnn.
Some consumers feel strongly that users should have the ability to open up their devices to remove and replace batteries, memory, and drives.
Then again, notes another commenter to iPodnn, "Apple is selling an 'appliance experience.' If you don't like that, don't buy these products. When's the last time you tried to open up your cell phone, clock radio, or car stereo? Or your TV? These aren't user-serviceable devices and neither are iPhones, iPods, or iPads. Factor that into your buying decision." … Read more
