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Leaked Videos Reveal Apple's Internal iPhone Repair Procedures (vice.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Someone has uploaded what appear to be 11 of Apple's internal repair videos to YouTube. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but two sources in the repair community familiar with Apple's repair policies told Motherboard these are indeed genuine Apple how-to videos. The videos themselves have an Apple copyright on them, the host references internal Apple documentation and diagnostic tests, and, most importantly, the videos use proprietary Apple disassembly and repair tools that Motherboard has previously confirmed are manufactured by and are exclusive to Apple.

The videos on how to open an iPhone X and replace its battery are particularly interesting, and show that the DIY repair community has gotten extremely good at reverse-engineering Apple's official procedures. The instructor walks the repair tech through the process of opening the case on the iPhone X in a way that closely mirrors the process that sites such as iFixit have been doing for a few years now. The video starts by instructing the tech to remove the screws near the lighting port, then inserting the iPhone X into a device that uses suction cups to pry the screen away from the body while the tech uses a small tool to cut the adhesive along the seams at the edge of the device. Apple's suction cup tool looks like a bulkier version of iFixit's iSclack tool -- a suction cup device that customers can use to disassemble and repair their own device. The video about replacing the iPhone X's battery is remarkably similar to the iFixit video of the same procedure.

71 comments

  1. I had really hoped... by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1

    ... that this would be a link to the old "Homestar Runner Mailroom" gif.

    --
    "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    1. Re:I had really hoped... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not trying to spam but this brought joy to my heart the other day:
      https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1999933720/trogdor-the-board-game/

      and they are redoing the flash stuff in HTML5

      Bless you brother,
      - Strongsad (just kidding, but I'm excited)

    2. Re:I had really hoped... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not 1 video works

  2. Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Many computer manufacturers put repair and disassembly instructions on their websites, no secret about it. Not every part of the world even has a convenient Apple store -- what's wrong with people being able to fix their own equipment without damaging it?

    1. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If repairing iPhones were easy, you wouldn't rush out to buy a new $1000 model nearly as often.

    2. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, please show me the disassembly/repair instructions for the Google Pixel or Nexus.

      I'll be right here, waiting.

    3. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Informative

      They don't give it out free because they make good money repairing devices that users didn't bother to get extended service contracts on, and they don't want to help anyone else do the same job. They get to say that no one else is following their official procedure and that no one else has their official training, which induces stupid people to use their service instead of going someplace cheaper. Apple users aren't necessarily dumber than anyone else, but that's the way to bet given how abusive Apple is to customers.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re: Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple really sucks... Especially on repairs and repairability

    5. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With apple everything is a big secret for some stupid reason.

    6. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      And yet people continue to buy these very expensive, unrepairable devices whose battery is not user replaceable.

      So much for any economic theory involving rational markets.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    7. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by advocate_one · · Score: 1

      Because Apple...

      --
      Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
    8. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by jenningsthecat · · Score: 2

      And yet people continue to buy these very expensive, unrepairable devices whose battery is not user replaceable.

      So much for any economic theory involving rational markets.

      "Rational" is not the immutable constant most people seem to think it is. The behaviour of most Apple customers is perfectly rational in their own eyes - they see value in the products and services that matches or exceeds the value they place on the money they spend for them.

      That's why I always try to get people to look at the far-reaching consequences of the decisions we make. Our current 'lifestyle' choices, (such as making throwaway products into huge market successes), will make it VERY hard for our children, (and certainly our grandchildren and beyond), to even survive, much less enjoy comfort and prosperity. In the name of getting one up on our fellow humans, we are willing to convert irreplaceable resources into Earth-killing landfill and greenhouse gases at a rate that can only be described as sociopathically criminal. Yes, this IS how we are programmed as a species. That said, we HAVE demonstrated the ability to behave counter to that programming. Now we just need to demonstrate lots, lots more of it.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    9. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      It's worse than that. Apple charges repair shops a lot to be authorized repair centres, and without that they can't order genuine parts. Apple does a lot to prevent genuine parts being available to anyone other than the authorized techs who pay them. They have to sign NDAs and agree to all kinds of onerous terms that prevent them working in the customer's best interests.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    10. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Let's see, I can buy item A which will run for 3-5 years with no other expense, or item B, which costs roughly 90% of A, which is user fixable but with a maximum average lifespan of 3 years and will require additional expenditures on battery replacements, etc. Rational markets would choose A given those stats. Add in that B spies on you and is less secure, rational markets would double down on A.

      Now, if you don't want the level of tech provided by A, then you can start making a rational argument for B, but even there it breaks down as phones for $130-150 can be had from both major providers. If you're looking for a sub $100 phone, well, you're not really the target of either phone maker, but you are a product for B's main business.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    11. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      If you're looking for a sub $100 phone, well, you're not really the target of either phone maker, but you are a product for B's main business.

      The only functional difference between the fancy-pantsiest iPhone and a $100 Moto E4 (which, yes, has a fingerprint reader for some reason) is being able to say you spent too much on it. Apple by definition is taking advantage of people who buy status symbols just for the status. But if you want people to know how much money you're willing to waste on a phone, you have to not put a case on it. Then when you drop it, you break it. Then when you break it, you spent so much, you can't afford to replace it.

      One thing Apple ain't is stupid. Of course, right now, they are rudderless, but they can clearly keep going where the current takes them for some years.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    12. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Apple does a lot to prevent genuine parts being available to anyone other than the authorized techs who pay them.

      Apple apparently doesn't even have parts for their authorized techs, either.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    13. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by ichimunki · · Score: 1

      Apple has been doing this since 1984 when they debuted this approach with the original Macintosh. And as long as they never consistently crack 30% marketshare for their devices, there will always be a supply of people who can be lulled in by the marketing hype.

      --
      I do not have a signature
    14. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      In the 80s, they also designed the highly flexible Apple IIe and Apple IIgs. The 80s Macs weren't upgradeable or user-fixable but, by the 90s, the Apple II series was replaced with expandable/upgradable Mac units. Apple has never been quite as user-hostile as they are today -- there was always a sealed, consumer product line and a more professional line of computers for those who liked to tinker.

    15. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by ichimunki · · Score: 1

      I was going to mention the move away from the Apple II era where they weren't just open, they basically encouraged tinkering by regular consumers... and you're right, they did hold on for quite a while to having model lines that were more user-serviceable.

      --
      I do not have a signature
    16. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      If you're looking for a sub $100 phone, well, you're not really the target of either phone maker, but you are a product for B's main business.

      The only functional difference between the fancy-pantsiest iPhone and a $100 Moto E4 (which, yes, has a fingerprint reader for some reason) is being able to say you spent too much on it.

      You really have a dipped in steel opinion that nothing will change. You are aware you can get a $130 (last I checked) iphone SE, brand spanking new? It's not the latest gee-whiz item, but it beats the E4 in processor, camera, storage, battery life, not to mention that the E4 comes with Nougat (2 years old!!!) even today straight from Motorolla at $130? I don't know about you, but that really doesn't seem to support your statements.

      Apple by definition is taking advantage of people who buy status symbols just for the status. But if you want people to know how much money you're willing to waste on a phone, you have to not put a case on it. Then when you drop it, you break it. Then when you break it, you spent so much, you can't afford to replace it.

      One thing Apple ain't is stupid. Of course, right now, they are rudderless, but they can clearly keep going where the current takes them for some years.

      I don't think the moto is much better on dropping. Nor is an LG V10/V20, without a case (I own the latter two) You see, I like dealing in facts and forming opinions from those facts. So far, I've only taken apart 3 5S's to fix a battery and replace a screen. Note that the battery replacement was after 4 years. It is possible. Is it easy? No. In general, after 4 years, phones are ready to be replaced, IMHO. That opinion may change in the near future as improvements plateau and there's not much to drive new phone purchases. OLED screens and a reduced return in processing power will slow down upgrades, much like they have in laptops and desktops. I think the latest MBP upgrades were finally driven by Intel producing a reasonably powerful new chip. They've pretty much produced crap in upgrades for the past 6 years.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    17. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is this the first time you hear about the "Apple" company?

    18. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

      >Let's see, I can buy item A which will run for 3-5 years with no other expense, or item B, which costs roughly 90% of A, which is user fixable but with a maximum average lifespan of 3 years and will require additional expenditures on battery replacements, etc

      Nonsense, I love shiny new tech and I replace this stuff every couple of years in order to access shinier, newer tech. For something I use multiple times a day, the costs are small compared to food, housing, clothing and transport.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    19. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

      I still tinker with my Apple IIe

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    20. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      One of my statements in this thread is that with OLED screens and processor power increases diminishing year over year, in the near future I can easily see a 4 year or more cycle to phone replacements. Battery longevity will come into play at that point. For now, 4 years is good enough for me, and you as well. I fully expect to have my current phone at least another 2 years, and it's almost been a year already. My next phone will have an OLED screen or the next technology.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    21. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not a problem.

      If repairing the Google Pixel is 'too hard', get another phone that runs the same sw (android) but is more easily repaired. Unlike Apple, there are plenty of android vendors - and yes, some of them are trivial to take apart. I recently replaced the battery in my Samsung galaxy note4. Just pop off the lid, replace the battery underneath, pop the lid back on. The note4 is still being sold - to people who value ease of maintenance over 'newness'. The new phones aren't that much better than this aging model. Oh, and there is a headphone jack too...

    22. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      as if they were fixing it right.....i work as a support agent at a small computer maker. We provide instruction show to open the device and let people upgrade and clean the device without voiding the warranty...hell what i have seen what repair tries are and end up...believe me...

    23. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by ichimunki · · Score: 1

      So do I, but I try not to talk about it in public. #MeToo

      --
      I do not have a signature
    24. Re:Why is this stuff "secret" in the first place? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most humans cannot service anything they own. From their dryer to their toaster to their television to their computer to their cellphone. I guess rationality left the market when the first TV repair shop opened in your mind. I don't think you understand what rational means in this context. I think people who have neither the time, skill nor inclination to fix things letting someone else fix them is entirely rational. Or maybe you think women who take their car to have their oil changed are all insane?

      And why do you say batteries aren't "user replaceable" when we all know users replace their batteries all the time. It costs $20 and takes 15 minutes after watching a youtube video. I've replaced several myself.

  3. Re:Trump dies in Federal prison either way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yea, but he won, not like Shrillery McShrill_Frumpy _Colostomy_Bag!

  4. Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by kiviQr · · Score: 1, Insightful

    In not so old days to replace battery you needed no tools or in a worst case a screw driver. Now you need special tool, other crap and 30 minutes - what a waste.

    1. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you know you sound like that old guy right? You kids now-a-days with your new fangled doohikeys! why back in my day we just played with a stick and we liked it!

    2. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

      Buy a Moto E4 Plus -- low-end Moto phones typically have removable batteries. This one has a 5000 mAh battery which should last quite a while without recharging.

    3. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't miss those "old days". I remember having a laptop with easy to replace batteries. In fact it could have TWO easy to replace batteries, that's if you bought a spare battery and slid out the CD-ROM drive. I'd have on the shelf next to my desk a quad charger for the batteries in the department. A laptop case often had pockets to have three spare batteries on hand.

      Then batteries got smaller, lighter, and more reliable. We'd buy spare batteries for the laptops only because that's what we did in the past. People didn't ask for them, because batteries got better. We'd have car and airline chargers instead, that became a thing. When a laptop was broken then we'd save the battery if we could for similar models. Turned out that battery sizes, chemistry, and so on kept changing so we stopped keeping spares. Once in a great while someone would have a battery fall out and be lost, or lose capacity while the laptop was still valuable to keep around, then we'd order a spare.

      The batteries were lasting longer than the laptops, and the few cases of a battery being worthy of replacement it was a 50/50 chance of the original being lost or stolen in the first place.

      The final straw where I don't give a shit on batteries being user replaceable was USB-C. If a laptop needs to last longer than the internal battery would allow, or the capacity is fading with age, I can just hand the user a USB-C power brick and tell them to hold out a bit longer and they might be able to get in on the next laptop refresh and not have to just use the same model laptop for the next two years. Not only do people put up with this, they THANK ME for getting their laptop to last longer.

      Maybe the users I deal with are over the moon loony for not demanding a replaceable battery in their laptop. Maybe they are too young to remember the "old days" when laptops had removable batteries.

      I also don't miss the batteries falling out and getting lost.

      Nope, don't miss those days at all.

    4. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Moto E4 has a replaceable battery, water resistance, and acceptable performance. It has both GPS and GLONASS and support for pretty much every frequency band, plus dual SIM slots. If only the camera and screen were better and it ran Oreo, it would be the perfect phone, especially given that Walmart is selling both colors for $100. Well, I wouldn't mind 3+GB RAM, but that's not strictly necessary.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by Daneel+Olivaw+R.+ · · Score: 1

      In not so old days to replace battery you needed no tools or in a worst case a screw driver. Now you need special tool, other crap and 30 minutes - what a waste.

      Also in the not so old days, mobile phones were as big as bricks, it is the cost of miniaturization, deal with it.

    6. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I got a Moto G3... glued together... impossible to change the damn battery. Stop making Apple the poster child of irreparability when the other manufacturers that you defend do much much worst.

      The Moto G3 now lives in a bin somewhere in my closet, since the phone was so cheap that the cost of repair was not worth it. That's what manufacturers like, correct?

    7. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by thegarbz · · Score: 0

      what a waste.

      Don't be daft. The entire world is full of requirements for special tools for specific devices, always has been. The extent to you needing tools is dependent only on the fault you had and the device you're fixing. That's not a waste, it's a sign that we are constantly bringing engineering to new heights.

    8. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you know you sound like that dumb teenager that won't listen to anyone because he thinks he knows it all.

      What has being old got to do with anything? Phones are expensive. Phones may well need their batteries replacing during their lifetime. Does it not make sense to make the battery easily replaceable? Or at least not go out of your way to make the battery hard to replace, to the point of not wanting to tell anyone how to do it properly

      Anyway, back in my day I could change the battery in by stick in a moment. And we liked it.

         

    9. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by reboot246 · · Score: 2

      As recently as a couple of years ago my Samsung S5 had a replaceable battery. I never had to replace it, and I upgraded because the phone itself went bad.

      I guess five years would be ancient history to some of you.

    10. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The extent to you needing tools is dependent only on the fault you had and the device you're fixing. That's not a waste, it's a sign that we are constantly bringing engineering to new heights.

      It's both. New heights of design, but also new heights of waste. I shouldn't need special tools to work on devices which commonly need to be worked on, and if I do, they should be cheap little locking pins and the like. Devices which need to be serviced regularly should be designed to be serviced. Manufacturers' main goal is to make you buy more stuff. Anything that interferes with servicing is more likely to induce a sale. They prioritize cosmetics over repairability not because they can't design for the latter, but because they make more money selling out the future by selling the former.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I shouldn't need special tools to work on devices which commonly need to be worked on, and if I do, they should be cheap little locking pins and the like.

      80 years ago you could work on and build every piece of electronics at home. Did you use the same justification when they invented the IC? Your entitlement to repair ends when it inhibits development progress of general electronics. Cheap little locking pins? Screw that. Buy a plastic phone from China if that's what you want.

    12. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Did you use the same justification when they invented the IC?

      Your logical fallacy is that of the ridiculous example. ICs actually improved things.

      Your entitlement to repair ends when it inhibits development progress of general electronics.

      This is the attitude that is dooming humanity.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    13. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by ichimunki · · Score: 1

      Just hand them a power brick to replace their underpowered or fading in-built battery? Yeah, that's fucking brilliant.

      --
      I do not have a signature
    14. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by ichimunki · · Score: 1

      What the fuck are you talking about? Miniaturization has nothing to do with certain aspects of serviceability... I don't need any special tools to replace the battery on my current phone... the back snaps off and the battery is right there, along with a memory card and SIM card slots. And my phone cost at least 1/2 the price of an iPhone with similar specs.

      --
      I do not have a signature
    15. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by desdinova+216 · · Score: 1

      because if the battery isn't replaceable it can be thinner. Which is something that marketing people seem to think everyone wants regardless of brand

    16. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Your logical fallacy is that of the ridiculous example.

      Ridiculous examples are not a logical fallacy. Though by claiming my example is arbitrarily ridiculously you yourself have committed an ad hominem fallacy.

      ICs actually improved things.

      Indeed. And my phone is now better than it ever was, smaller, lighter, and more capable in every way.

      This is the attitude that is dooming humanity.

      This attitude leads to the development of pacemakers and other very small but completely unservicable medical electronics that actively save and improve lives for all. But I'm sure you'll agree that these get a free pass because you have some kind of go / no go rule for what you think personally is an improvement and therefore should be applied to everyone else.

      We all bow before your greatness, and beg for your approval of our electronics your eminence.

    17. Re:Congratulations Apple for all the e-waste! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Ridiculous examples are not a logical fallacy.

      They are when you use them fallaciously. To wit, the use of ICs has actually made electronics more reliable, and an IC has to be sealed so tightly that it cannot reasonably be serviced, while personal electronics do not.

      This attitude leads to the development of pacemakers and other very small but completely unservicable medical electronics that actively save and improve lives for all. But I'm sure you'll agree that these get a free pass because you have some kind of go / no go rule for what you think personally is an improvement and therefore should be applied to everyone else.

      No, not a free pass. ALL things should be repairable, recyclable, and/or where conceivable, compostable. Why should there be any exceptions? Why should it be acceptable to sell out the future for a brighter today?

      We all bow before your greatness, and beg for your approval of our electronics your eminence.

      While you're down there...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  5. It's criminal to sell people something so expensiv by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and then act like it still belongs to them.

  6. Re:Trump dies in Federal prison either way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey, go easy on Brennan, he had a hard career screwing up the planet for the CIA, of course he wants people to think Trump's a traitor, because anyone who thwarts Brennan is a traitor to the cause of Brennan - a communist FWIW. Or was that Clapper?

  7. Videos were uploaded a month ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...A month before Slashdot says something. This makes Fark look like a top-tier pulitzer-prize outlet.

  8. Bicycles for the Mind .... or the Landfill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I was thinking of a suitable analogy for smartphones this weekend, and this one came to mind: imagine a manufacturer of penny-farthing bicycles that begins making safety bicycles with all the modern capabilities: gears, derailleurs, brakes, high-pressure tires, aero handlebars. Everything you could dream of. But the tires and wheels are a single unit, epoxied together, with the axles welded to the frame. The chain is pointlessly made of iridium alloy. The handlebars are thin aluminum tubing and barely support half the rider's weight, bending and breaking easily if leaned on too hard. So:
    - if a tire goes flat, you have to take it to the dealer and pay $50 to get it pumped up
    - if a tire is punctured, the whole wheel assembly must be replaced ($150), or skillfully delaminated and reworked ($100)
    - if the chain breaks, you have to take it to the dealer and pay $200 to get a new one
    - in fact, there is no part on the entire bicycle that costs less than $50 in parts and/or $50 labor to fix

    Who would put up with such a product? Sure, it's better, but why would the buyers accept the terms of the deal? They should HATE this manufacturer. They should joyfully jump to another product the very instant it becomes available, and send a FUVM letter to the first maker who was so clearly exploiting them.

    I saw a video about the making and testing of Gorilla glass. Why should I need special glass? What a stupid idea. Just give me regular glass, and a design that lets me replace it when it gets scratched or cracked. I'll buy a ten-pack of faceplates at $1 each, and it'll last me the life of my phone. And the glass maker will be making a hefty profit at that price.

    I am so tired of paying corporations for giving us the shaft!

    1. Re:Bicycles for the Mind .... or the Landfill by laxguy · · Score: 1

      you realize you just described the real world bicycle industry, right?

    2. Re:Bicycles for the Mind .... or the Landfill by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      you realize you just described the real world bicycle industry, right?

      What? Have you ever seen a bicycle, let alone ridden on one?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Bicycles for the Mind .... or the Landfill by desdinova+216 · · Score: 1

      sounds more like a competitive bicycle (think velodrome track racing or tour de france) vs what most people would actually use

    4. Re:Bicycles for the Mind .... or the Landfill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yes a little bit of hyperbole, but there are more and more manufacturers doing things like you mentioned, locking you into using their proprietary parts and systems.. seriously, its gross.

  9. right to repair laws may make an take down hard by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    right to repair laws may make an take down request hard to do.

    Well that is after they pass.

    1. Re:right to repair laws may make an take down hard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I doubt right to repair laws have anything to say on the matter of Non Disclosure agreements. If the video is taken down, it'll be because someone seriously broke their NDA by releasing it. Based on that Apple could claim copyright over the video and DMCA it. Unless the right to repair laws specifically excempt whistleblower/leak videos, a judge won't even hear an argument about it, spectating intent isn't in a judges remit unless theres a constitutional issue involved.

      But I'm not sure whats in it for them to go to the effort. None of its particularly secret. Sites like iFixit have videos with the same content.

  10. "Slowly roll the strip around the tweezers" by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

    This guy repeating himself is almost as much "fun" as watching Rick and Morty's

    Plumbus: How They Do It

  11. Re:Trump dies in Federal prison either way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cool story, cuck. Keep gagging down Trump's microcock.

  12. It's not the phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You belong to Apple. You just laser their next hit from them. You are their outlet to be leased out.

  13. Broken or sabotaged? by NewtonsLaw · · Score: 1

    Right now, the link to the YouTube channel is producing an internal server error (500) and the "Something Went Wrong" message.

    I strongly suspect the channel has been nuked by Apple -- they (or at least the company they hire to squash alls sorts of tenuous copyright infringements) has likely filed multiple copyright strikes and YouTube will have pulled the plug, pronto!

  14. Impressive by jrumney · · Score: 1

    No, not the Apple videos, they are mediocre at best. The thing that impresses me from TFS is the fact that sites such as iFixit came up with the process of opening an iPhone X a few years ago.

  15. Reverse engineered? by Xenna · · Score: 1

    "show that the DIY repair community has gotten extremely good at reverse-engineering Apple's official procedures"

    Either that, or the procedures were leaked earlier. If you were an Apple repairman and some friendly DIY-er would ask you how to do it, would you show them? Or is that cause for dismissal at Apple these days?

    1. Re:Reverse engineered? by Cederic · · Score: 2

      Maybe I'm cynical but I suspect it's two-way traffic. Apple engineers going to iFixit and saying, "Oh, we should do that!"

  16. and it's gone by MrKaos · · Score: 1

    *poof*

    Gosh, don't share any information on HOW TO FIX SOMETHING ffs.

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  17. Bad parts by spinitch · · Score: 1

    Device manufacturers that allow easy replacement parts by third party or consumers increase risk non certified parts being used and thus potential issues with the device such as battery meltdowns etc... Debatable whether deterring this risk outweighs the convenience which many would side with the latter. In other words a weak rationalization. But it has some merit since does happen. Solution is consumers bring to a non certified service center at their own risk just void warranty like they do now, but no need to make servicing extra difficult to milk repairs business. The upside to Apple would be less turn over in used phone market since those devices could increase risk of using poor non certified parts. Much like a car.

  18. Taken down. Any mirrors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any mirrors of the videos?