The Case of Apple's Mystery Screw

Pickens writes "Network World reports that in the past if you wanted to remove the outer case on your iPhone 4 to replace the battery or a broken screen, you could use a Phillips screwdriver to remove two tiny screws at the base of the phone and then simply slide off the back cover. But now Apple is replacing the outer screw with a mysterious tamper-resistant 'pentalobular' screw across its most popular product lines, making it harder for do-it-yourselfers to make repairs. What about existing products in the field? Pentalobular screws might find their way into them, too. 'Apple's latest policy will make your blood boil,' says Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. 'If you take your iPhone 4 into Apple for any kind of service, they will sabotage it by replacing your Phillips screws with the new, tamper-resistant screws. We've spoken with the Apple Store geniuses tasked with carrying out this policy, and they are ashamed of the practice.' Of course, only Apple-authorized service technicians have Pentalobular screwdrivers and they're not allowed to resell them. 'Apple sees a huge profit potential,' says Wiens. 'A hundred dollars per year in incremental revenue on their installed base is a tremendous opportunity.'"

Comments

Yay!

[Pojut]

Thanks, Apple! I love being told I'm a fucking idiot and shouldn't be allowed to open my PURCHASED device, should I choose to do so.

Yes, that goes for all companies that use screwy screws like this.

Re:Yay!

[Mr_eX9]

I forgive them, because the word "pentalobular" is hilarious to say.

I also don't own an iPhone, so it's all academic to me anyway. :D

Re:Yay!

[nicholas22]

To be brutally honest, you shouldn't have purchased an Apple device if you valued your freedoms THAT much... It is a well documented and thoroughly slashdotted subject this.

Re:Yay!

[Haedrian]

*sings*
Cellular, Modular, screws are Pentalobular.

Bonus points to who gets the reference

Re:Yay!

[onkelonkel]

Interactive Audiular...BANANAPHONE

Re:Yay!

[oodaloop]

It is the very model of the modern dollar generator.

Re:Yay!

[JoeRandomHacker]

Except, of course, that penta- is from the Greek; quint- would be the Latin.

Re:Yay!

[mikkelm]

It's true that you shouldn't buy Apple hardware if you desire products that accommodate you as a user, but it's pretty disingenuous to suggest that having the ability to open up ones own product for cleaning and repair is an unusual or unreasonable expectation.

Re:Yay!

[localman57]

Well, I suppose it goes like this:

You: Don't replace the old screws with the new ones.
Them: We can't do the service if we don't replace the screws.
You: Then I won't let you do the service.
Them: Ok. Next customer?

Re:Yay!

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't be defensive and taking it personally. They don't REALLY think you're an idiot. They don't REALLY think you'll break your device.

They just want to CHARGE you for 100% of device maintenance and support. It's $$$, not smarts.

Making these things about skills and smarts is a disservice to ALL CONSUMERS b/c it gives CREDIBILITY to the company's bogus argument that this prevents unskilled consumers from causing damage and driving up support costs for everybody since #1 most consumers skilled or not will never open the device anyways and #2 of the ones who do, the % who open the device, break it, AND then try to get free support is VANISHINGLY SMALL in actual honesty.

Re:Yay!

[skids]

Or, you should make a point to buy a dremel before purchasing any apple products.

Re:Yay!

[He Who Has No Name]

Then you can sue them for breach of warranty.

I don't think Apple thought this cunning plan all the way through. Somewhere, somebody with spare time and money and a propensity for making statements or grinding axes is going to flex their state's consumer rights laws, specifically the part about warranty service on goods as rendered.

Unless Apple can somehow argue that anti-tampering devices are crucial to the proper and desired function of the phone as a phone, they may be in for some trouble.

Re:Yay!

[jefe7777]

first they pentalobed the iphone users
and i didn't speak out, because i wasn't an iphone user... ;-)

Re:Yay!

[Andrewkov]

They're called iScrews.

Re:Yay!

[aliquis]

Pentalobotomized Apple users?

Who could had guessed?

Re:Yay!

[LMacG]

I think in this case they moved the extraneous vowel to the end, they're called ScrewU's

Re:Yay!

[localman57]

Yup. Somewhere, a design engineer at Sony is getting his ass kicked for not thinking of using screws that require a screwdriver nearly nobody has.

"Yeah, I know, you came up with memory-stick. But that was years ago. Look at this! This is state of the art non-standardization!".

Re:Yay!

[Moryath]

It's the "logical next step" in all the "break this sticker with a screw hidden underneath and void your warranty" crap.

And of course, it's got 90% of the consumer population so fucking scared that they won't break that sticker even when they need to repair a device that's 5 years old and 4 years, 9 months out of the stupidly short 90-day warranty.

It's the same kind of brainwashing crap you get with expiration dates on bottled water (also found on non-expiring foods/spices such as honey and salt) and stupidly short expiration dates on medicines.

Pop Sci still runs a great "void your warranty" column. I recommend reading it on a regular basis and learning to say "fuck it, void the warranty, I'm going to improve/repair my own fucking property" whenever possible!

Re:Yay!

[Enderandrew]

I say this as an iPhone user, I'm not sure why it is commonly accepted that Apple provides this perfect user experience.

Repeatedly my iPhone has been wiped when connecting to iTunes. I've lost save data on games, photos, videos, contact information, etc.

I could in theory have contacts in groups, but there is no way in the interfact to add a contact to a group. I have to pay for a third party app to handle this for me.

I can't do basic things like add new SMS tones.

I tried importing contacts from a Yahoo account, a Gmail account, and Exchange. All failed. I can't edit my address book by typing at a computer. I have to very slowly type entries in via the phone.

iTunes is one of the worst pieces of software I've ever used. I see UI problems galore.

And the few times I've sat at a Mac to try and fix them for friends, Finder has driven me up a wall.

Can we instead say that Apple provides an alternative for those who prefer it? I don't buy how Apple is perfect and a superior user experience.

Re:Yay!

[localman57]

Or, they can argue that the screws are less likely to strip than the old philips screws. It's a standard, and you can buy the screwdrivers without much problem.

Re:Yay!

[I8TheWorm]

I have similar experiences with my iPhone (I trade in and out with an Android and a BB for development).

All in all it's a nice device, but the whole "it just works" thing is purely marketing.

Re:Yay!

[mark72005]

I think this is deplorable too, but:

Isn't it really just a matter of (very little) time until ebay and many other websites are flooded with the new tool available for purchase?

I mean, I don't think Apple can invent a geometric figure for a screwdriver point that no one else can manufacture.

Re:Yay!

[ballpoint]

The very first thing I do on newly acquired devices is to rob them of their virginity by breaking the seal. The sooner it's over and done, the better. It also seems to make them more resilient too.

Re:Yay!

[Phreakiture]

Correct. Latin would be something like "quitilobular" (lobe being one of those cases where Latin took a word from Greek -- lobos -> lobus)

However, composite graco-latin words are not unheard of . . . automobile, for instance, might rather be suimobile or autokineticon, were it to be a pure construct, something that was brought to my attention here on /. when I criticized the word "pentavirate".

Re:Yay!

[Yvanhoe]

Worry not, us communist hobbyists are working on 3D-printing machines good enough to print wax molds that can be used to cast metal. Soon, your local hackerspace/fablab will be able to download these new screws when they come out and print them out.

Re:Yay!

[Red Flayer]

and stupidly short expiration dates [medscape.com] on medicines

First, that link requires registration. Yuck.

Second, IIRC from Pharm School, expiration dates are legally mandated by the FDA to be when the active ingredient(s) degrade to 90% efficacy? Maybe I'm wrong on that one... or maybe it was just for prescription meds. But it's kind of important for dosing properly.

Re:Yay!

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope you never have children......

Re:Yay!

[hrimhari]

Well, they can try to sue the brains out of people trying to commercialize such a tool, if they managed to get a patent on its format...

Time will tell.

Re:Yay!

[BrokenHalo]

for not thinking of using screws that require a screwdriver nearly nobody has.

Good luck with that. I used to be a blacksmith, and I still have all my tools. If someone can produce an intact example of one of these delightful screws, I'll bet I can produce a screwdriver for it.

Hell, it might even be worth my while selling them. It might be fun to watch their lawyers try to serve me a court order while trying not to get their kneecaps bashed in with a 10-pound hammer.

Re:Yay!

[Carnivore]

I don't know the reasons or the laws, but I do know that I had a prescription that was dispensed in the same bottle that was shipped to the pharmacy. The bottle had its own expiration date, while the prescription info sticker had another, much shorter one that was based on the date that I bought it. Perhaps this indicates the life of the product once the bottle has been opened, but it was not clear.

Re:Yay!

[GooberToo]

You are correct. The problem with this is that 90% potency is still potent enough its commonly used in second and third world countries. Which means, despite still being an effective medication, many people have been convinced to throw it out and replace it with new stock. Which means, in the US, LOTS of perfectly good medication is being wasted.

Re:Yay!

[Wovel]

I say this as an iPhone user, I'm not sure why it is commonly accepted that Apple provides this perfect user experience.

Repeatedly my iPhone has been wiped when connecting to iTunes. I've lost save data on games, photos, videos, contact information, etc.

I could in theory have contacts in groups, but there is no way in the interfact to add a contact to a group. I have to pay for a third party app to handle this for me.

I can't do basic things like add new SMS tones.

I tried importing contacts from a Yahoo account, a Gmail account, and Exchange. All failed. I can't edit my address book by typing at a computer. I have to very slowly type entries in via the phone.

iTunes is one of the worst pieces of software I've ever used. I see UI problems galore.

And the few times I've sat at a Mac to try and fix them for friends, Finder has driven me up a wall.

Can we instead say that Apple provides an alternative for those who prefer it? I don't buy how Apple is perfect and a superior user experience.

I have never had my phone wiped by connecting to iTunes and I have been using one for 4 years..I have imported contacts successfully imported contacts from every service you mentioned following absurdly simple on screen prompts.

iTunes is not their best work, but is far superior to Windows Media 1-99 (whatever version we are up to now).

Honestly your post looks like someone who was set in their ways and simply unwilling to do things differently. For most people without such a predisposition, they do provide a better experience. This is proven out by their success and absurdly high customer satisfaction ratings.

Re:Yay!

[Moryath]

First, that link requires registration. Yuck.

I prescribe Bugmenot to solve that.

Second, IIRC from Pharm School, expiration dates are legally mandated by the FDA to be when the active ingredient(s) degrade to 90% efficacy?

You're completely wrong.

Alternate link to harvard:

It turns out that the expiration date on a drug does stand for something, but probably not what you think it does. Since a law was passed in 1979, drug manufacturers are required to stamp an expiration date on their products. This is the date at which the manufacturer can still guarantee the full potency and safety of the drug.

Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.

Re:Yay!

[Moryath]

The bottle had its own expiration date

Didn't you know we're sending out edible bottles now? That was the shelf life where the bottle itself was still safe to eat ;)

Re:Yay!

[nurb432]

Odd, i have only had 2 problems with my apple products ( all the way back to the first ][ i bought, new ): 2 failed hard drives ( in 2 different machines ), which is hard to rationally blame on Apple.

I have never had 'strange lockups', 'erasures', etc.. the stuff has 'just worked'.

But yes, the practice of locking people out is annoying.

Re:Yay!

[stewbacca]

You are simply rehashing well-rehearsed talking points, and I'm dubious your post is genuine.

"Finder has driven you up a wall"? Seriously? When you sit down to fix a Mac, what does Finder have to do with anything?

UI problems in iTunes is easy to say, but I prefer examples.

Gmail was easier to setup than my old .mac account. Until there are widespread accounts of users experiencing Gmail sync issues, it's not really a problem.

That is not to say I think Apple is "perfect", but their emphasis on "superior user experience" is they type of alternative that I prefer. Yes, I have lost info syncing with iTunes, but mostly because my iTunes is a mish-mash of 5 users stuff (obtained legally or not) with 4 phones in the house. It's easy to dismiss warnings about overwriting libraries and the such.

Re:Yay!

[guruevi]

Water actually goes 'bad' over long terms of time, it just starts tasting funky (I say that out of experience). Also it could be that the plastic breaks down over time (if placed in hostile environments like direct sunlight, heat or physical abuse of the container) and leaks into the water making it unsafe.

Medicines have short expiration dates because people think it's safe to take medicine when it's just 'a little bit' expired while it might not have it's full strength anymore (which could be dangerous) and some medicine do break down over time. Also, I believe there is a law that requires drug manufacturers to put expiration dates on all their products.

Re:Yay!

[Jakester2K]

iScrewU's

Re:Yay!

[DarthVain]

Its more insidious however, as

a) You can break the sticker anytime, all you need is your fingernail. You might not like the fact that you void your warranty, but at least you have that CHOICE. In many cases I as a consumer consider many "warranties" not really worth the paper they are written on, and thus at times am not "afraid" of the sticker. Now if you want to break the sticker, you physically can't. They are basically putting a lock on it, that if you try and circumvent you will likely break your device in the attempt.

b) They are applying this "fix" retroactively. So you could have a device with no lock, then because you need service, even as part of warranty, they will then lock it changing the product you initially bought. Preventing you from doing something you could have done with your device before my adding hardware to it. To use the tried and true Slashdot Auto Analogy (tm), its like if you took your car in for service, because you engine broke, and when you get it back discover those assholes at the Nissan Dealership installed (without your permission) pad locks all over the hood of your car, ever preventing you from opening it without taking a blowtorch to your hood. Sure you probably have no business being in there anyway, as you know fuckall about car engines and your would probably do more harm than good messing about with it, however it's your damn car which they just locked....

Christ what an asshole.

Re:Yay!

[ColdWetDog]

and stupidly short expiration dates [medscape.com] on medicines

First, that link requires registration. Yuck. Second, IIRC from Pharm School, expiration dates are legally mandated by the FDA to be when the active ingredient(s) degrade to 90% efficacy? Maybe I'm wrong on that one... or maybe it was just for prescription meds. But it's kind of important for dosing properly.

Well, it's complicated. (Long and winding article). Short answer:

• There are lots of rules and regulations
  Baseline data comes from pilot studies during early manufacturing periods. Typically the testing does not go beyond six months. Various forms of regression analysis and environmental stress analyses are used in order to accelerate the process but the article seemed to imply that anything past the actual test time got into hand waving territory and, since it's in the interest of the pharmaceutical company to not push the date back, they don't.
  Manufacturers are encouraged to redo testing as they get more experience with production methods. In a totally surprising move, they don't. It's time consuming and expensive.
  Open the package and all bets are off.
  The military did studies back in the mid 1960's that showed the expiration dates for most medications kept under carefully controlled conditions were much, much longer than printed on the label. What this means in a non military context is an open question.
  As usual, we don't know jack.
  
  Totally off topic from Apple's latest hiccup and the world's breathless analysis of same, but since I actually looked it up, here it is.

Re:Yay!

[GooberToo]

Do you have an analogy that's even remotely accurate or are you just being a complete idiot, going out of your way to troll?

Taking medication which has slightly reduced potency is not MORE harmful to your body. Gas with water is destructive to the engine and fuel system. To be more accurate than your absolutely worth analogy would be to say, the octane rating slowly decreases over time. Running your car on 93 octane versus 90 octane is not going to damage your vehicle; especially given that most vehicles are perfectly good with 89 octane.

Re:Yay!

[Algan]

Already available on Amazon, search for Pentalobe Screwdriver

Re:Yay!

[e4g4]

With a Dremel, you could turn a pentalobular screw into a slot head screw. Although, given the size of those screws, it wouldn't be particularly easy.

Re:Yay!

[Mister Whirly]

You may be able to patent the screws, but I doubt you could patent the removal tool so much that no third party could manufacture them. (Apple once again showing their brilliant "security through obscurity" ideals.) I can guarantee that within months there will be multiple companies manufacturing these pentalobe screwdrivers, and selling them publicly to anyone. So congratulations Apple, you are pissing off your loyal customers to gain a small time frame when the tool is hard to come by. And switching out existing customers standard screws if they bring in their phones for any type of service? Tsk tsk. That is pretty underhanded.

Re:Yay!

[jthill]

honey that was packaged 15 years ago

I think you made your point well, and this correction doesn't really undermine it at all, but so far as honey is concerned you don't have to start worrying for at least 200 times that 15 years. So far as anyone can tell, honey never goes bad.

Wandering OT, search for "nih honey burn treatment". There may be drugs better than honey for that, and for radiation burns the best is a mix, but in general honey is noticeably-to-substantially better.

Honey doesn't appear on the recommended-treatment lists published by most medical institutions. Strangely enough, those institutions tend to get substantial volume discounts for all their drugs, those discounts chosen by the drug companies.

Re:Yay!

[NevarMore]

Yea because the Chinese manufacturers and Harbor Freight and eBay are going to be on the ball at keeping penobular tools out of their inventories.

Lets not forget that its a standard screw. The only reason its hard to work with is that its on a relatively fragile and expensive piece of electronics. Dremeling a slot in it might damage the device, but a small counterclockwise drillbit or screw-out tool and a steady hand will git 'er done too.

Re:Yay!

[JPLemme]

Honestly your post looks like someone who was set in their ways and simply unwilling to do things differently.

Would it be unsporting to point out that you responded to an anecdotal argument ("Repeatedly my iPhone has been wiped when connecting to iTunes") with an anecdotal argument ("I have never had my phone wiped by connecting to iTunes"). If you're going to accuse the GP of being unwilling to do things differently, you might want to try doing something differently.

I have never owned an iPhone, and therefore conclude that Apple has never sold one. Did I do that right?

Re:Yay!

[LynnwoodRooster]

iTunes is not their best work, but is far superior to Windows Media 1-99 (whatever version we are up to now).

Except that I've never needed to use Windows Media Player to update ANYTHING on my Windows Mobile phone. In fact, I can simply drag and drop whatever I want, just like the phone is another memory device... Why do I need a special program to access my phone in the first place?

Re:Yay!

[Yvan256]

They should have made the screw hole in the shape of the Apple logo.

Re:Yay!

[skarphace]

Seems like it is a bit too late. http://www.sw-box.com/Professional-Screw-Driver-Opening-Tool-For-Iphone-4.html

Re:Yay!

[ShavedOrangutan]

A 3/4" bit on a hammer drill will pretty much take care of it.

Re:Yay!

[publiclurker]

Why not just make a cast from an actual screw? Making a model for the 3D printer seems to be a waste of a step.

Re:Yay!

[BitZtream]

Except this has been done time and time again, and Sony has already been on the bandwagon, and Apple has certainly done the same thing in the past for opening Mac products.

How quick we forget.

Got a Wii? Custom screw heads. Guess what, when you but any 'repair kit' most will have the option to bundle the special 3 blade funky looking screw head with the kit. Thats just the first popular thing that comes to my head that slashdotters will know of for sure. I have a Hitachi Plasma TV, want to replace the bulbs? Its got some funky screw I've never seen before ... looks actually like its just begging to have the head stripped out due to its design. Ever worked on a car? There are thousands of places that require special tools to do the work properly in your car, some of them for engineering reasons, many of them because it limits what the owner can do without any experience.

Lots of products do this, it takes exactly 0 seconds from the time the product is released to the time you can buy a screwdriver to unscrew it. Seriously, I'll even do the work for you:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=pentabular+screwdriver

You'll find that its rather crowded with stupid crap relating directly to apple at the moment due to the silly buzz about this, but once that dies back down you'll find a nice list of places to buy the screw drivers. If you bother to wade through the results now, you'll already have found a place to buy it by the time you reach the third link as I write this.

'special tools required' for disassembly is not a new practice, Apple didn't invent this, Sony has done it as well.

Nor did they invent a 'new screw head'. They took advantage of something that was already there, just rare, made so intentionally for this VERY purpose by the manufactures of said screws. Rare, but not so rare as to be unavailable or to have no tools source.

I can remember the same thing 25 years ago with Torx head screws and bolts. Torx drivers were hard to find in the US so the end result was the same, it made it so Joe the Plumber couldn't just go take apart the device, unless he happen to have a set of Torx drivers or bits ... which certain people had ... and you could buy from Montgomery Wards if you just bothered to open the catalog and order it.

Could we please stop submitting stories that treat standard operating procedures as new and wholely evil things just because they happen to occur at a popular company? ITS NOT EVEN NEW FOR THE FREAKING COMPANY THE ARTICLE IS ABOUT.

Just because you found some new reason to rage against the machine today, doesn't mean its actually new or news to anyone else. This particular bit of asshatery on Apples part is common practice and knowledge. If we're going to have news for nerds can we please not bring up something that every geek that qualifies for a geek card has known for most of her/his life as it was new ... especially when its been going on longer than we've all been alive. Yes, even the original Ford assembly line used rare tools to slow down casual tinkering and IP theft.

Re:Yay!

[shmlco]

The Retina screen is a proprietary part. The motherboard is custom and proprietary. The battery is custom and proprietary. Just what in the hell are you going to "repair" even if you managed to get the darn thing open?

The whole thing is overblown.

A quick google search

[Dunbal]

This screw design was patented in - 1974. Yeah keep that conspiracy going, boys. Especially when the screwdriver costs $2.35.

Re:A quick google search

[nicholas22]

How many other patented screw designs are not as popular as the Phillips? It doesn't matter that it was *patented* a long time ago. What matters is that it is a niche design, making it harder to use that the Phillips screw.

Re:A quick google search

[Dunbal]

type pentalobular screwdriver in google - how fucking hard can that be?

Re:A quick google search

[onkelonkel]

http://www.ifixit.com/iPhone-Parts/iPhone-4-Liberation-Kit/IF182-019

Re:A quick google search

[swilde23]

Where in his post does he claim that wasn't the reason for the switch. It appears to me that that he was just pointing out that this wasn't some new technology... it's just an uncommonly used one.

Re:A quick google search

[SailorSpork]

http://www.amazon.com/APPLE-iPHONE-3GS-REPAIR-TOOLS/dp/B004B21E12

If that's not the right one, Google "screwdriver" with your make / model of Apple device.

Re:A quick google search

[idontgno]

I can't believe you passed up the opportunity.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=pentalobular+screwdriver

And, in the spirit of actually being immediately helpful, The Register's article about this subject had a link to a kit with the appropriate screwdriver and replacement non-bondange-and-domination Phillips screws for an iPhone 4. Just don't take it to any Apple service outlet after that; as TFA points out, they'll undo your work and put those ridiculous screws back in.

Re:A quick google search

[Dunbal]

Thanks, your request to get my post modded down got me a +5. You really should have asked for them to mod me up.

Re:A quick google search

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

I can understand switching away from Phillips, since those suckers strip pretty badly even in larger sizes, and strip like it's their job in smaller ones; but switching to some totally oddball screw type, as opposed to one of the various fairly standardized strip-resistant heads already in use in electronics and elsewhere seems like a dick move.

Re:A quick google search

[nedlohs]

1. They are technically better in some aspect for their use.
2. A supplier offered them cheaper than the what they were using.
3. The supplier of the new slightly more expensive screws is a good friend of an apple board member/engineer/designer/whatever.
4. It reduces the chances of idiot users doing idiot things.
5. Jobs thought they looked better.

Re:A quick google search

[Anonymous Coward]

You missed the point. The parent wasn't stating that the age of the patent made it niche, he was saying that the limited availability or knowledge of the alternative fastener was a poor mans security through obscurity.

I think everyone I know, and I mean everyone, has a Philips head screwdriver. My grandmother, my boss, I have three at my desk, dozens at home. They are cheap, available, and everyone has one.

Tri-wing, star, and other screw shapes are less common. Most hardware stores do not even carry tri-wing screwdrivers in stock. Learning devices for small children commonly use star or tri-wing screws because it makes it harder for an enterprising child to simply open the back with a tool they could find pretty much anywhere.

These screws are more rare, and the hardware is therefore harder to come by. The only reason to adopt this screw style is to make it more difficult for the average consumer to open the device. It is clearly not intended to be a barrier for the "serious" tinkerer-- they, like me, probably have these screwdrivers already. It is intended to stop the casual teenager from opening the device to see how it works.

It's stupid, pointless posturing on the part of company that wants to make sure it's product stays "secure", "safe", and "easy to use" for the majority of the population.

Re:A quick google search

[morgan_greywolf]

It says right on that page:

This is NOT the correct size screwdriver for external screws on the iPhone 4. That driver can be found here: 5-point iPhone 4 driver

Furthermore, it's clear that Apple's pentalobular screwdriver is not the same pentalobular screwdriver that was patented in 1974 and widely available today for ~$2 and that the screwdriver that you does work to take them out is less than perfect.

We recommend you use this driver to remove the 5-point screws and replace them with the equivalent Phillips screws, and not for repeated disassembly and reassembly of your phone. This driver does not meet the quality standards we usually require for our tools, however it is currently the best solution available. It is not an industrial or heavy duty tool. May have some slight misalignment of the shaft or tip.

IOW, GP is full of shit.

Re:A quick google search

[colmore]

1. Possible, though I doubt that's the primary reason. I could be wrong.
2. Unlikely. Phillips head screws are far more numerous and widely manufactured, it's unlikely that an unusual screw that only comes from one or two suppliers will be that much cheaper.
3. I think Apple is too big of a fish to be playing nepotism with a screw supplier.
4. That's what the void clause of the warranty is for.
5. Funny.

6. Apple has a history of tightly controlling the way their products are used, are fundamentally opposed to openness, and have long screwed aftermarket service providers.

Re:A quick google search

[localman57]

+1 informative.

Re:A quick google search

[I8TheWorm]

That's a 5 point torx, not a pentalobular.

Re:A quick google search

[eltonito]

This reminds me of when automakers moved to Torx screws from Phillips screws. It was a conspiracy, people had to buy tools, the automakers were just trying to keep you from working on your own car, etc. It turns out that Torx is superior to Phillips for bit/socket durability and assembly line efficiency. There was no conspiracy, it was just better for certain applications.

I suspect we will find out that the pentalobular socket has some advantage over a Phillips or even a Torx for smaller applications. Simply looking at the "penta", it seems to maximize surface contact between the bit/socket while maintaing the durability of the socket. The smaller Phillips and Torx screws are rather easy to damage and I suspect the pentalobular screw is measurably more durable for smaller applications. Just like Torx, I suspect the pentalobular will become the defacto standard for small screw head applications if it is proven to be superior to Torx and Phillips.

Re:A quick google search

[swb]

It's just my opinion, but Philips screw heads are only slightly better than slotted heads. It's still very easy to torque out of the opening. Square drive, Hex/Allen, Torx all allow much more torque to be applied to the screw without stripping the head. I notice in commercial applications, where driving a large number of fasteners quickly is important (home decking, trailer flooring) you almost always see square or Torx drive heads due to the positive driver/head linkup and the high torque that can be applied.

The non-conspiracy version of this story isn't that Apple's trying to screw the end user, but that they're using Loctite or some other screw fixative on the screws, the screws are torqued in tight and they have a history of stripping the screws to get them out.

I just find it curious they would use pentalobe instead of Torx, or to demonstrate some meanness, security torx.

Re:A quick google search

[Bobakitoo]

The screw desing patented in 1974 is for a "Method of making a thread forming screw". It has noting to do with the bit head.

Cheap Pentalobular screw driver for only $2.35 on sw-box.com ...
Shipped directly from China, with as much as $32.60 shipping fee to California.

Doing a quick search and jumping to conclusion from the listing... OP is a karma whore. The patent find is bogus. His "cheap and easy to find" screw driver is a scam. No part of his post is insightful, the mods are doing crack again.

Re:A quick google search

[canajin56]

Philips screws are not suited for automated processes. Or rather, they were designed for automated screwing but the times have changed. A Philips drive head is designed to cause the driver to cam out when the screw is all the way in. Caming out isn't desireable, as it can damage the screw head and possibly the driver head as well. But, it's better than stripping the screw, or cracking whatever you're screwing into, which is what happens if a high speed automated driver keeps going too long with, say, a Robertson drive. But times have changed. Automated drivers are very good at torque sensing now, so they can stop the instant a screw has been driven home. So the Philips isn't optimal any longer. Caming out can damage the screw, the driver, it's not good. So the best screws to use in automated assembly are screws that can take high torque, and will not cam out. A Robertson works well for this, but isn't widely used any more. Probably because it's Canadian ;) Instead, Torx screws are most often used in electronics and automotives. They're also called Hexalobular screws. They're 6 pointed stars. Their sharp edges allow for high torque without cam out. Supposedly they last longer than a Robertson so that's why they're used instead. They're also pretty popular. Most driver sets come with Philips, Robertson, Slot, and Torx. All of mine have more Torx than anything.

Torx also makes Pentaloblar drivers, and that's what Apple's using. So, they can say they switched to Torx because of their suitability for automated assembly. But, they did chose to go with the tamper resistant Torx, not the 6 lobed variety. They can't really say anything about that, because there's no reason. And, do you know the only people who use them besides Apple? Prisons and government schools (but I repeat myself). So it's actually an extremely apt choice on their part. "We use prison screws, try not to think about it."

Still, they're being cheap about it. I see in the picture that they don't have the center pin. That means they're using the old pentalobular drivers, not the new, more tamper resistant, and also still patented, ones ;)

Re:A quick google search

[1u3hr]

Who needed Google? That's linked from TFA. In fact, TFA is a slashvertisement for their screwdriver for $10. If you actually had looked beyond the first hit, you would have found ones for 1/4 the price. eg, http://www.sw-box.com/Professional-Screw-Driver-Opening-Tool-For-Iphone-4.html : $2.35

Re:A quick google search

[DinDaddy]

I think this is it:

http://www.stevesonian.com/museum/desktop/iMac/downloads/pictures/iMac_5up_flower.jpg

Re:A quick google search

[garyebickford]

Ahh, reading the Wired article after all. It also refers to This article in The Straight Dope. The GM connection is there, but backwards.

Phillips applied for his own patents in 1934 and '36. After years of rejection, he got the American Screw Company to spend $500,000 ($5.7 million in today's money) to develop a manufacturing process. Then they convinced General Motors to try the new-fangled fasteners on the 1936 Cadillac.

Oddly enough, the completely-unrelated Phillips Screw Company was never involved in the Phillips screw (though they do make them now, I think.)

Re:A quick google search

[Kijori]

I suppose it's the nearest substitute for the much-needed "-1 Too Informative".

Re:A quick google search

[MrSteveSD]

I was always led to believe that Phillips screws were used in electronics etc (rather than flatheads) because they are self-guiding. That is, a machine doesn't have to be spot-on to screw them in because the angle of the recess naturally guides in the screwdriver. These pentalobular screws don't look very self guiding to me. Then again, maybe they don't need to be with children assembling them in some Chinese sweatshop.

Re:A quick google search

[evanbd]

FYI, the Phillips screw is intended to cam out. It's a torque-limiting feature. Useful in some contexts, but mostly just annoying.

Re:A quick google search

[Swave An deBwoner]

This is actually a TORX bit, and yes has been around since the 70s and in Europe is used in all sorts of electronics as a deterrent to casual fiddling. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torx

Actually, if you scrolled down to the "Pentalobular" picture on the page you referenced and clicked on it, you would get to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentalobular_screw

Which states, in it's entirety:

A pentalobular screw is a five-pointed security screw being implemented by Apple in its products.[1] It resembles Torx but is not a Torx-Plus security screw and has no commercially available screwdriver equivalent[2].

Pentalobular screws first appeared in mid-2009, holding the battery in the MacBook Pro; smaller versions are now used on the iPhone 4 and the MacBook Air.

[edit] References

1. ^ Frauenfelder, Mark (2011-01-20). "Apple's diabolical plan to screw your iPhone". Boing Boing. http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/20/apples-diabolical-pl.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+(Boing+Boing). 2. ^ Madway, Gabriel (2011-01-21). "Apple tightens the screw on iPhone 4". San Francisco, California: Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLNE70K02T20110121?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r2:c0.137380:b41167378:z0. Retrieved 2011-01-21.

[edit] External Links

* iFixIt iPhone 4 Liberation Kit

So it may now be classed as a form of Torx but in fact it's a pure Apple; as someone previously noted, not an iScrew but rather a ScrewU.

Apple bashing just reached a new low.

[Anonymous Coward]

We're complaining about their choice of screws now?

Re:Pentalobe...

[Velox_SwiftFox]

DMCA violation notice from Apple...

Re:Pentalobe...

[santax]

http://www.blog.sw-box.com/cell-phone-accessories/cheap-pentalobular-screw-driver-for-only-2-35-on-sw-box-com/ Don't even have to go that far! iPhone 4 opening tool for $2.97

Thieves

[orzetto]

Apple technicians have been ordered to replace the Phillip screws with Pentalobular screws in every device they service, according to Wiens. Apparently, you won't get your Phillip screws back.

Isn't that called theft?

Re:Thieves

[jayme0227]

Not if you agree to it in the service agreement they make you sign.

Re:Thieves

[bhcompy]

Auto mechanics are required to offer you your old parts back after replacement in some parts of the country. They're your parts, you bought them.

Re:Thieves

[FelxH]

I'm not defending apples decision here, but calling this theft is going a bit far. You hand in your broken device to have things replaced. With the same logic, would you call theft if you couldn't have your broken disk/screen/battery/whatever back after you handed in a device for repair?

Re:Thieves

[shadowknot]

Your comparison is inaccurate. The screws aren't broken, that is not what they have been commissioned to replace, they are replacing an internal part. It isn't a matter of expecting the broken parts to be returned, that's not what the warranty is for. If I get my tires changed as part of an included service when I buy a new car I don't expect them to replace all of my lug nuts with locking nuts to a standard not consistent with the product I own and keep the standard lug nuts for themselves. I think the major issue here is that Apple and many other companies have forgotten or are choosing to ignore the concept of private property ownership. If I want to open up my property and tinker with the insides whether I'm competent or not I have the right as the owner of that property.

Re:Thieves

[keytoe]

Apple has two price tiers for repair parts - 'exchange' and 'stock'. A stock part is basically full retail. An exchange part is one where you give them the bad one, they give you a good one, and you get a significant price break - usually around 50%. It's your choice, but it's not really offered up directly to customers.

Re:Thieves

[tomz16]

Not if you agree to it in the service agreement they make you sign.

Yes, but you can't just arbitrarily add things to an agreement for warranty service after the device has been sold. If that were true, you could sell a product with a warranty and then put all sorts of crazy things in the subsequent service agreement (e.g. a clause requiring payment for services/parts)

The legal question now becomes whether Apple can refuse warranty service if you don't agree to this new portion of the service agreement.

- The iDevice was initially marketed and sold as having a manufacturers warranty.
- The terms of this warranty (at the time of sale) definitely did NOT include anything about Apple's right to lock you out of your own device with proprietary screws upon warranty service.

Given that the workaround is a $2 screwdriver shipped from China and that the damages in dispute involve a $0.01 screw, it's really not worth anyone's time or money to figure this out...

Re:Thieves

[tomz16]

No "repair" involves taking a malfunctioning original part and replacing it with an equivalent (or better) part. Replacement is replacement. The difference is the reason.

I had to read that a few times... it made less sense every time I read it.

What is not clear is Apple's reason for replacing the screws. My best guess is that these screws are going into products that are still under warranty like the iPhone4 so that Apple can detect tampering.

The screws themselves are incapable of detecting tampering. Warranty/moisture stickers are much better suited for the purpose of denying warranty claims.

These are ONLY there to push you towards apple service and dissuade you from opening the device yourself (regardless of warranty status).

To fix your analogy, you can take your car into any shop however if you want warranty repairs, you have to take it to an authorized service center. If the dealership detects tampering, you'll be out of luck because the warranty clearly specifies that you take it to an authorized service center and you didn't

That isn't how warranties work in the United States after 1975... The burden is on the manufacturer to prove that your "tampering" directly led to the failure of the component being warrantied. It is still "wise" to have the car serviced only at an authorized dealer with only OEM parts during warranty but by no means necessary to maintaining your warranty coverage.

Furthermore, we aren't necessarily talking about in-warranty repairs here. It is obvious that during the 1-year warranty period repairs are best handled by apple (it's cheapest/safest). However once out of warranty the device may still need to be serviced (battery, broken screen, etc.). This is where Apple has raised the bar. They have taken your phone, which had perfectly functioning phillips screws, and intentionally replaced them with (inferior) proprietary screws in an (admittedly futile) attempt to lock you into their service center.

It's still a completely dick move, and I can't imagine why you are defending them so vehemently.

speed bumps

[goombah99]

Apple likes speed bump security. They did it on the music system. THey create technical obstacles to casual piracy but don't worry about locking it down. I noticed in my imac and powerbook computers the clever use of different screw types for regions that should be easy for a user to access and ones that it would likely not be neccessary for a user to access or might contain fragile parts. very smart.

I've also admites the way apple, unlike Dell and others, minimizes the number of screw types in use so I usually only need 2 tools to get in. this nice detail has become more consistent with each generation of mac.

SO now we have a 5 sided screw. So it discourages casual opening but prevents absolutely no one from getting inside if they want to.

Re:speed bumps

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

When did you last open a Dell?

They are, admittedly, ugly fuckers; but every desktop of theirs that I've dealt with in the past 4 or 5 years has been held together with a mixture of screwless plastic pieces(they've standardized on green as a visual code for "this plastic piece is an FRU) and hex-head phillips screws that can be removed with either a phillips or hex tool. Usually all the same length, too.

Laptops tend to have some variation in length, and don't feature the convenient dual hex/phillips; but you can take the entire laptop to bits with a single phillips screwdriver, and each screw hole is labelled with the length of the screw that goes into it(ugly, yes, convenient, also yes...)

Toshiba, on the other hand...

How convenient

[ugen]

How convenient that just by pure accident, the same site that posted the article has a screwdriver for sale that fits that darn impossible pentalobe screw :) Oh, what are the chances?

Re:How convenient

[CyberDragon777]

Yeah.
A website that offers how-tos and tools to fix your electronic devices has an article about opening a device and offers the necessary tools for the job.

Inconceivable!

Blacksmiths still exist

[gurps_npc]

1. Blacksmiths still exist. As do metal workshops. I live in Manhattan and have made simple tools. It is not that hard to create your own screwdriver - even of odd shapes.

2. Yes, special screwdrivers will stop the casual tinker, but not a business man, or any other determined person. This is why most normal businesses do not use weird screws as security. The idea just pisses off your customers WITHOUT in anyway affecting competitors.

3. Apple has always been a control freak of a company. Luckily, their are other products out there that are cheaper, just as well built, that encourage more tinkering (aka android).

Re:Pentalobe...

[KDEnut]

Meh, I made one using my dremel and a spare hex shank from a driver set. If any DIY'er can't do THAT then they probably don't need to be inside their phone anyway.

Or be called a DIY'er, come to think of it.

Funny

[alvinrod]

The funny part is that if you read TFA, you'll notice that for $10, they offer to sell you a screwdriver to "fix" this problem.

So go ahead, set your iPhone free with our iPhone 4 Liberation Kit! Rid your phone of those terrible Pentalobe screws forever. The $9.95 kit includes a Pentalobe driver, 2 replacement PHILLIPS screws, and a regular #00 Phillips screwdriver.

I suppose they weren't selling all that many of these so they decided to go ahead and do some mud-raking to generate sales. You can even get one of these screwdrivers for less if you shop around. How about iFixit's diabolical plan to screw you out of a few dollars on tools?

Re:Funny

[TheQuantumShift]

Yes, they're caching in, and eff them. But why in the world is apple doing it in the first place? Just another dick-move brought to you by the company that currently hold 48 patents relating to "dick-moves".

Control freaks

[hduff]

Right back at you.
iPhone 4 Liberation Kit
http://www.ifixit.com/iPhone-Parts/iPhone-4-Liberation-Kit/IF182-019

Not a particularly effective road block

[joe_cot]

A quick Google found a cheap and easy kit for removing and replacing these screws. You can probably get the screwdriver alone for less.

My guess is that the point, like most roadblocks on customers, is to discourage casual hobbyists from messing with their devices. Everyone else can get around it pretty easily.

Don't buy Apple?

[nikomen]

Just another reason to buy an Android phone and not an iPhone. Maybe I'll buy a PC laptop instead of that MacBook Pro I was thinking of buying in case they decide to pull crap like this on their other lines of products.

Re:Don't buy Apple?

[codepunk]

Yes by all means, if I where you I would run out and buy a motorola based droid.

Re:Don't buy Apple?

[glitch0]

They already do this on their new laptops. Just buy the damn screw driver for $3.00 and stop worrying about it. It's for the best anyway, we don't need kids opening up their macbooks and breaking shit. If you know how to fix it, you can obtain the screw driver.

http://www.sw-box.com/Professional-Screw-Driver-Opening-Tool-For-Iphone-4.html

Re:You know

[Dunbal]

If Microsoft did this, somehow the screws would allow hackers to remotely take over your system. Five years from now a patch would be applied in the form of masking tape over the screw heads.

What did you people expect?

[bmajik]

Apple has perfected the "closed world" model of computing.

IME, and I'd be happy to be wrong, the only modern phone that isn't 100% vendor/carrier lockin bullshit is the Nexus, and only if you bought it right from Google.

If putting my app on MY device is harder than copying a .jar file over USB, it's not my device, it's bullshit.

Sue Them

[mlwmohawk]

Take a picture of your laptop or device, carefully documenting the screws.
Take it in for service
Tell them not to change the screws
If they change the screws, ask them to put the old ones back.
Document change in screws
Take it to your states AG, and start a criminal investigation.

  ITS YOUR COMPUTER, if they change it against your will, we have laws to protect you. It is illegal for them to do this without your permission.

Re:Sue Them

[MooseTick]

"Take it to your states AG, and start a criminal investigation"

Do you really believe a state AG or anyone will really care that an Apple store replaced a couple of tiny screws with slightly different tiny screws? All that costing you possibly less than $10 in damages if you could even call that damages?

With that logic they could find your wallet, take a $10 out, put in a different $10, and be guilty of stealing your original $10.

Re:Sue Them

[ColdWetDog]

Take a picture of your laptop or device, carefully documenting the screws. Take it in for service Tell them not to change the screws If they change the screws, ask them to put the old ones back. Document change in screws Take it to your states AG, and start a criminal investigation.

ITS YOUR COMPUTER, if they change it against your will, we have laws to protect you. It is illegal for them to do this without your permission.

SCENE: Office of local Attorney General

CAST: mlwmoohawk, Secretary

DIALOG:

mlwmoohawk: (Shaking, agitated) "They took my Phillips head screws out of my iPhone and replaced them with pentalobular torx!"
Secretary: "What?"
mlwmoohawk: (Shaking, agitated) "I demand an investigation! I want legal redress!"
Secretary: "What?"
mlwmoohawk: (Hands Secretary grossly normal appearing iPhone) Here! Look!
Secretary: (Studies grossly normal appearing iPhone, turns it on successfully, plays 'Angry Birds") "Seems to work OK ..."
mlwmoohawk: (Shaking, agitated) "You don't understand! The screws! They've been changed! It's different!"

Secretary: (Edges away from mlwmoohawk, picks up phone to call security)

I think MTV could start a series....

Re:Pentalobe...

[TheRaven64]

Uh, what? It appears to be a standard, although not particularly well known, screwdriver. You can buy them from companies that aren't Apple (and you can't buy them from Apple). Apple is not replacing all of their screws with their own design, they're just replacing them with something a bit unusual. They've done this before with Torx screws, and for good reason - it's really easy to mangle the heads of the tiny philips head ones if you're in a hurry. They're probably replacing the old screws so that their technicians won't have to keep switching screwdrivers if the device comes in for repair next time (and so that the owner won't mangle the head of the philips head screw and make it impossible to open).

Of all the things that Apple's done that you could get upset about, this one is pretty low down the list.

Pics or it didn't happen

[karnal]

This has a picture of the screw in question:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1349144/Apple-fits-iPhone-4-fixings-impossible-remove.html

Re:While annoying...

[venicebeach]

When I google "torx 5 point" sans quotes i get a ton of results for suitable bits. Does Apple have some special version that are incompatible with these?

Yes. This is not a Torx 5-point. The points of the star have been rounded into "lobes". The "iPhone Liberation Kit" being sold by ifixit will open the screws but does not actually fit them precisely so it will ruin them on the way out. They are selling it so you can get the pentalobular screws out and replace them. I suspect the other $2.35 tool people are linking to is the same thing.

Wozniak's Apple Is Completely Dead

[eldavojohn]

This screw design was patented in - 1974. Yeah keep that conspiracy going, boys.

I don't know what the screw design patent has to do with it, it's more the fact that the average household does not have a pentalobular screwdriver. I'm reminded of Tim Wu's proposition that there were two Apples: Steve Wozniak's and Steve Jobs'.

There is no conspiracy, it's just another omen that we have moved so far away from Wozniak's Apple that we are seeing this in Jobs' Apple. There's no question who's been making the most money but the days of Apple encouraging the user and hobbyist to open up their products and tinker and learn are over. Wozniak's Apple is dead. This is no conspiracy. This is simply fact; the final screw in the hobbyist's ass is yet more unneeded evidence indicating this.

Re:Wozniak's Apple Is Completely Dead

[jabuzz]

The date of the patent is critical. Just imagine that there was a new screw head that was patented in say 2005, and Apple held that patent. They could then stop anyone else manufacturing and selling suitable screwdrivers them to the public.

As it is, a quick Google will lead you to someone selling a suitable screwdriver as the patent has long since expired.

Re:Wozniak's Apple Is Completely Dead

[danielsfca2]

the average household does not have a pentalobular screwdriver... the days of Apple encouraging the user and hobbyist to open up their products and tinker and learn are over. Wozniak's Apple is dead. This is no conspiracy. This is simply fact; the final screw in the hobbyist's ass is yet more unneeded evidence indicating this.

The average household? Seriously? The average household has never stocked ANY tiny screwdrivers, be they Phillips like the old screws, Torx, or this "new" one. The average household has a #2 Phillips, an old fashioned slotted screwdriver for stupid things like switchplates that still use them, and a hammer. Probably a few leftover allen wrenches from Ikea. Anything more exotic than that pretty much requires a trip to Radio Shack, or a $5 order from some website. Therefore, almost nothing has changed. In fact, I got a nice little screwdriver for FREE with the kit the times I changed batteries and screens and things. The average household doesn't disassemble electronics, not least because they would rather not void their warranty.

Quit being so dramatic. "Wozniak's Apple," as you put it, existed in a world where computers cost a lot of money, were only purchased by skilled electronics experts or those planning to become experts, and needed to be modified to do pretty much anything. That world has been gone for more than 20 years. Today, computers (and tiny computers called "smartphones") are a mature technology, of which the target market is 99.9% made up of NON-experts, who don't take things apart and don't want to. The fact that it's been this long and you still expect there to be some kind of huge "enthusiast" contingent who are soldering things onto the boards of their Apple IIs, just ends up sounding naive.

The market has gone towards simple, integrated, and (especially in portable devices like laptops and cell phones)--SMALL. You can't have those things and still be "tinker-friendly." Will a few people still take these devices apart to tinker and to perform some repairs (like the battery) more cheaply? You bet. I do it too.

I think if Apple were trying to screw those people, they would seal the iPhone completely so that you had to break plastic to open it, and, coat the board in epoxy like they do with some consoles.

Re:Wozniak's Apple Is Completely Dead

[Urza9814]

Yea, unless anyone in that house wears glasses, for example. Eyeglass repair kits generally come with those tiny phillips screwdrivers. Or if anyone has ever bought one of those $10 toolboxes - I got one on clearance at Radioshack - hammer, knife, pliers, tape measure, screwdriver and bits, wrenches, and - yup, those tiny phillips and flat screwdrivers. Or if they've ever needed to change a watch battery....etc.

Any household that has more than a hammer will probably have a phillips screwdriver capable of opening an iPhone. Many will probably have tiny torx screwdrivers too, and allen wrenches - those are so common in toolboxes these days, it's hard to find one without them. But pentalobular?

The shit is really going to hit the fan...

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Once so called "smart screws" hit the market. The idea has been in the theory/laboratory stage for some years now: basically fasteners that, under electrical control, can move between their fastened and unfastened or extended/retracted states(assorted pizieo, MEMS, tiny motor, etc. principles of operation have been tried).

Cool thing is, since you no longer have to be able to reach the head of the fastener with a driver, it becomes possible to do case and assembly designs that would be impossible with conventional fasteners. On the minus side, if the fasteners are no longer exposed, and under electrical control(via a simple bus in the chassis) you'll have to gain software control of the device just to open it(without extreme violence to the case. Obviously, nothing resists a good power tool for long...)

Re:Pentalobe...

[Dr. LeRoy]

Agreed. Anyone trying to open their iPhone is smart enough to find a solution past some goofy (or not so goofy) screw head. I think the premise of this entire issue may be incorrect. Seems pointless to me.

Re:Pentalobe...

[idontgno]

The hardcore DIY community isn't the target of this change. They'll do whatever it takes.

Don't forget, Apple is not really a computer company any more. It's an consumer electronics company. They sell to consumers, not geeks. (Geeks buy anyway, because the engineering is great, but again that's clearly the minority case.)

Consumers have Phillips screwdrivers in the tool box. Consumers may try to save a few dozen bucks trying to replace the battery in their iPod or upgrade the mass storage in their iPad. Apple doesn't want that to happen, for a variety of reasons. For instance, most Apple products truly have no user-serviceable components at the skill level of most Apple customers. Apple probably wants inept DIY attempts to fail as expensively as possible--full-price off-the-shelf replacement ("You voided your warranty, and killed your iPhone. You'll have to buy anew."), expensive service work, etc. And in the few cases where there are genuinely user-serviceable bits in the product, Apple still wants to capture the service money.

All you whiners...

[4iedBandit]

Most people don't want to open their devices for any reason. This new screw doesn't affect anyone.

People who really want to open their gizmos still can. Just get the tool or improvise. The pentalobe screw didn't even slow me down. Hell, I didn't even google it first. Christ, you all are a bunch of whiners. You think Apple should sell every phone with a personal attendant to crack the case open for you whenever you want? Turn in your geek cards all of you.

You want to know the real story here? How iFixit managed to raise such a stink that yesterday when I finally went to google the screw type, the first 9 pages of results were all sites relating back to iFixit's article. And isn't it interesting that iFixit is also SELLING a pentalobe screwdriver? They just got a butt load of free publicity for their tool-kit thanks to all the salivating Apple haters out there.

99% of the public doesn't care. They won't ever open any device they buy. Those of us who do want to open our devices can't be stopped. Ever. If the device is in my hands you can't stop me from doing anything I want with it. If you're afraid that Apple is trying to keep you out of your device even though you've never before tried to get in, go ahead and buy iFixit's toolkit just to feel warm and safe inside.

Kudo's to iFixit. I hope they sell a ton of their kits. I still don't feel the need to have one.

Jobs, you missed it!

[Thud457]

If Apple wanted to be real assholes, they could have made the screw heads look bitchin' like this. Good luck finding a common source for screwdrivers that look like that. And then they could use trademark/copyright/DMCA to crush anybody trying to sell Chinese screwdrivers on ebay.

Toobular Pentolobular Joy

[Psmylie]

With apologies to the folks of MST3k for shamelessly stealing one of their best ideas:

Tom: Hey, fellas, this sure is a screwey screw in this device, isn't it?
Mike: It sure is!
Crow: Yet despite all the goofyness of the thing, I just can't come up with a word that describes it
Tom: Well I can
Mike: You can?
Tom: Why, sure!

Tom: Oh, it's stupid-alubulal, annoya-nonpractical pentular lobular fun!

Mike: Aggravata-maximal irrita-scam-ulal?

Tom: Right-o, that's the one!

Crow: Is it frustrate-orificcal, butt-in-your-face-ical screwya from morning 'til night?

Tom: Well you're rip-off fantastical purloin-irascable Stevejobs-an-ass-hola right!

All: It's a swindle-a-boobulal rip-you-off-obulal Toobular Pentalobular joy!
An expososular-buttular humped without lubular fun for girl and boy!
An Apple-fantastical scamu-lal job-ulal financial-al steal-it-all ball

Crow: the most defraud-o-riffical

Mike: Fleece-yer-customeral

Crow: con-game-el-fuck-you-lar

Tom: Jobs-u-big-crook-ular

All: Screw job off them all!

Re:Toobular Pentolobular Joy

[Psmylie]

I am a complex man of many personalities.

Complete Non-Issue

[stewbacca]

If the comlaint is that this complicated screw is preventing users from servicing their own phones, then I suggest the following:

Anyone smart enough to mess around with the internal electronic components of a cell phone better damned well be smart enough to know how to acquire and operate a $3.00 screwdriver.

Or back in the real world, only the most seriously nerdy electronics hobbyists will ever open their cell phone and this is a complete non-issue.

Re:Prediction...

[NEDHead]

And will his coffin be fastened with security screws?

Apple products blow

[Kludge]

I posted previously about the problems I had getting my father's iPad to work. What a headache.
So then my brother and his wife visit me with their iPhones. They have some video that they want me to watch.

So I first I try putting in an standard A/V plug to my TV. It works with my smart phone. Nope. No A/V on iPhone.

So then I think, I'll just download the video to my computer over the USB connector. So I connect the iPhone to my computer. Nada. It does not appear as mass storage device or anything. What? I have to install iTunes to get data off it? And my computer has to be 1 of the only 5 computers to which this thing can ever connect? My brother only visits me once every five years!

So then I think, I will have my brother upload the video to my web site. My brother brings up the browser and my web page on his iPhone. And guess what? The "choose file" button is greyed out! Something as basic as uploading a video file is not allowed.

Any of the above work just fine on my smart phone. There is no way I would ever recommend anybody buy any kind of Apple product. What a headache.

Good luck with that...

[denzacar]

From TFA:

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/012011-the-case-of-apples-mystery.html

This isn't the first time Apple has used screws to gain an advantage. Apple had been using 5-point Torx screws for its MacBook Pros, not standard 6-point Torx screws."We did a little bit of research and found out that this particular screw has been patented," Wiens says. "It is illegal to import screwdrivers that can open this screw into the U.S. unless you buy it through Apple's sales channels. Apple sells the screwdriver for $40." (Wiens doesn't know if the Pentalobular screws have been patented.)

So I guess if you smuggle one of those penta(hahaha)lobular screwdrivers into USA you'll be an OUTLAAAW!

Sony Screwdriver

[GrantRobertson]

What? You never heard of a Sony screwdriver? When I worked at the California Museum of Science and Industry in LA back in the late 80s, they sent me to a training class to learn how to work on the Sony 3/4 video tape players - which we used a lot in the museum because they had better video quality and were built like tanks. Anyway, only people who had attended that class were allowed to purchase a special screwdriver that would work with certain screws in that VCR.

Tamper resistant screws have been around for ages. The problem isn't the screws. The problem is using them to jack up revenues at the customer's expense for things that could otherwise be easily done by an average customer or electronics technician. In Sony's case the screws only protected parts of the VCR that one would not know how to adjust properly if one had not taken the class. In Apple's case the screws only protect Apple's bottom line.

In the years since the iPod came out Apple has shown their true nature. Anyone who has purchased an Apple product since then deserves what they get and should not complain.

Excellent hack

[PPH]

I pull up alongside you on the freeway and hit the button on my "blue box" transmitter. Your motor mounts unscrew and your engine falls out.

Poor me

[rawg]

I bought a car and I had to buy a welder, socket set, wrenches, pulley pullers, spanners, hammers, tool boxes, pliers, compressors, testers, probes, programmers, and a GD screw driver.

It's the end of the world, I need a cool looking star ended screw driver to take apart my iPhone.

That's nothing like the fricken 17mm alen wrench I needed to change the oil in my Jetta.

On the other hand...

[joeyblades]

I'm going to say something and I know it's a generalization. In fact, it is specifically a generalization. Just know that I am not talking about you, specifically - I'm talking about people, in general... other people.

People are idiots...

There. I said it.

I have a friends that work at Apple and they tell me stories... You would be surprised about how often someone shows up at the genius bar wanting warranty service on some Apple device that they disassembled themselves, presumably looking for that tell-tale loose wire, and failed to correctly reassemble. Quite often, Apple is justified in not honoring the warranty in those situations, but the users are generally unhappy and not very understanding of this policy.

So it makes sense to me for Apple to use some unusual screws to discourage those idiots (remember, I'm not talking about you) from senselessly endangering their Apple products.

Anyone who is savvy enough to actually fix one of these devices is probably savvy enough to look on-line for the special tool that they need... or manufacture their own.

So remember, Apple isn't doing this to get your money. They're doing this to protect the idiots from themselves...

Re:On the other hand...

[joeyblades]

I call bullshit. The number of technically savvy users that are going to benefit from self service is infinitesimally small, relative to the overall user population. Apple isn't going to lose much revenue from those users... in fact, probably no loss of revenue at all, since those people are generally smart enough and resourceful enough to find the tool they need on the internet. People always complain about the higher cost of Apple products, but when Apple tries to do something about it what happens??? People complain...

But I'm sure you're right. It's all part of Apple's evil plan... their stupid, but evil plan...

ah, but you don't need a perfect match

[poppopret]

Five round points will do very well. A star will work OK. Even a flathead screwdriver will work OK. For one-time use, a regular bolt (bonus points if reverse threaded) and some epoxy will do the job. Pick a bolt small enough to fit into the weird head, glue it in place, and then use a regular tool to remove it with the evil screw attached.

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Fake outrage to sell tools that you don't need?

[aristotle-dude]

This is a non-story for anyone who owns an iPhone 4. If your iPhone 4 breaks under warranty, take it into an Apple store or authorized repair depot. If the battery needs replacement and is not covered by warranty, send it in to Apple for replacement.

There is no need to open up an iPhone 4 yourself.