Are you a tinkerer? A fixer? Dab hand with a screwdriver? Best you steer clear of Apple kit for the time being then. A change in Apple designs has been uncovered, and it seems the Mac-maker is now using custom screws that’ll thwart any screwdriver set you can get your hands on.
It’ll come as no surprise to Apple-watchers. Jobs and Co have a history of preventing access to the innards of their products. The first iPods were completely screwless, with hidden fastenings to deter would-be DIY repair artists. But this new move is a step further.
The guys at iFixIt explain that, originally, the iPhone 4 shipped with standard, albeit very small, phillips screws in its base. Removing those two screws meant easy access to the phone’s innards. Now though, Apple is switching to a completely unique screw, with rounded inside edges, dubbed the “Pentalobular Screw”.
Those new screws are standard in freshly manufactured iPhones, and if you take your iMobile in for a repair iFixIt says Apple’s engineers will actually swap any phillips screws for the new, high security versions.
“This screw head is new to us,” says iFixIt. “In fact, there isn’t a single reputable supplier that sells exactly the same screwdrivers Apple’s technicians use—which is Apple’s point. They picked an obscure head that no one would have.”
The screw continues Apple’s policy of locking down its products and deterring hackers, modders and homebrew fixers. We can’t say we approve. Surely if you’ve paid money for a gadget, it’s up to you what you do with it. The warranty is there to be voided, isn’t it? Check out iFixit’s video below.
