iFixit Giving Away 1,776 "iPhone Liberation Kits"

netbuzz writes "In a clever bit of self-promotion, the do-it-yourself repair evangelists at iFixit announced today that they will be giving away 1,776 free 'iPhone liberation kits' that will allow Apple customers access to the inner workings of their devices by replacing the difficult-to-remove pentalobe screws with standard Phillips screws. 'Get a free insurance policy,' iFixit says. 'In the unfortunate event that your iPhone needs repair, you will be set to make any necessary fix. For situations when you need to get the battery out of your iPhone as quickly as possible—such as after dropping the device into water—you will be ready.'"

Comments

why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[Trepidity]

I agree it's annoying that the screws are a nonstandard kind. But this "liberation kit" consists of:

1. A pentalobe screwdriver that lets you operate the iPhone screws.

2. Some Philips head screws that you can replace the pentalobe screws with.

But once you have #1, why do you need to do #2?

Re:why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[idontgno]

Indeed.

If you've been handcuffed and finally get the keys, why would you put the cuffs back on, even if you still have the keys? Throw away those shackles.

Re:why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[BasilBrush]

Because phillips heads are easily damaged when screwing and unscrewing them. And pentalobe aren't.

If you think that screws using a better but less popular standard are "handcuffs", then you're a bit of a drama queen.

Re:why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you've been handcuffed and finally get the keys, why would you put the cuffs back on, even if you still have the keys?

Some people like handcuffs.

Re:why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[icebike]

Because phillips heads are easily damaged when screwing and unscrewing them. And pentalobe aren't.

If you think that screws using a better but less popular standard are "handcuffs", then you're a bit of a drama queen.

And if you think Apple chose pentalobe because Phillips was easily damaged, you are delusional.

Re:why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[Joce640k]

But once you have #1, why do you need to do #2?

Because the TSA will confiscate your #1.

Re:why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[BitZtream]

Right, because switching to pentalobe stopped how many people from taking apart an iPhone?

Let me answer for you:

0, zero, zilch, nada, not a fucking single person who WANTED to disassemble their iPhone was stopped by this change.

Contrary to whatever silly fantasy world you live in, 99.9999% of the population DOES NOT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT DISASSEMBLING THEIR PHONE. They just use the damn thing.

If you think Apple chose pentalobe (which has been a standard screw type available my entire life) to stop people from opening up their case to replace the soldered in battery, you're just a moron.

ProTip: I have pentalobe drivers from my father that are older than I am. They are not uncommon in older high end cameras where you need tiny screws that don't strip when you breath on them hard.

Phillips is designed for low quality, high volume assembly line work. Read that over and over again until you understand why apple doesn't use them anymore, on anything.

Oh, and my local Ace Hardware carries a pentalobe driver set, seems like they would have picked an obscure head rather than something I can pickup tools for at the hardware store down the street ... don't you think?

Re:why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[ArcadeMan]

Nothing beats Robertson drive.

Re:why replace once you have the screwdriver?

[BitZtream]

If you are so clumsy/accident prone that when you buy a phone, you're worried about being able to open it quickly to remove the battery because it got wet ...

Then you probably shouldn't be so stupid as to buy an iPhone in the first place, don't you think?

I can say this safely because there is no fucking way you're going to open the case faster than the water causes damage, no matter how quick or what screws you have. Even if you have the screw driver in your hand, with whatever head you want, and I drop your phone in glass of water in front of you, you will not get it open before the damage is done.

Re:I liberated myself from iPhone

[amicusNYCL]

I liberated myself from iPhone

It's such a weird promotion.

The latest iPhone designs use proprietary pentalobe screws that do not allow customers to open up their devices. Although you have purchased your phone, you do not have the ability to open it up to repair it.

Well yeah, if you have the right tools then you sure do have the ability to open it. It's not magic.

In the unfortunate event that your iPhone needs repair, you will be set to make any necessary fix.

No, not really. You'll be set to open up the phone using a different screwdriver. Congratulations.

For situations when you need to get the battery out of your iPhone as quickly as possible—such as after dropping the device into water—you will be ready.

Ready to go find a screwdriver. But not the one that opens the original screws, the other screwdriver that opens the new screws. Congratulations on your newfound freedom.

When people see your iPhone, in all it's liberated glory, they will know that you don't stand for restrictions on your hardware .

Not really. Since you have an iPhone at all then people will know that you really don't care about restrictions, or you wouldn't have gone with an iPhone. The kind of screws on the phone don't affect that.

You believe that repair choices should be up to the owner, that repair should be easy, accessible, and affordable.

But then you said "Fuck all that", and bought an iPhone anyway.