14 DAY TRIAL // According to a team of technicians who make a living by tearing apart Apple products, the Cupertino giant is engaging in a practice called “planned obsolescence,” by using proprietary screws on its products to keep people from repairing, or replacing the components themselves.
The plan is to force customers to upgrade their Apple products sooner than necessary, says iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens.
“It’s a form of planned obsolescence,” says Wiens. “General Motors invented planned obsolescence in the 1920s. Apple is doing the same thing.”
“They want you on a 1- to 2-year purchase cycle for iPods, and a 2- to 3-year purchase cycle for laptops,” Wiens believes.
The repair shop, most popular for its hardware teardowns, has posted a video in which one of the members of the iFixit team delves into the matter with comprehensive examples.
According to a report by Cult of Mac, Wiens said that the replacement battery for an iPod Shuffle cost $49, which is the same as a new device.
“That says to me they’re not servicing it,” he says. “They’re throwing it away and giving you a new one.”
Apple’s service manuals refer to the aforementioned screws as “Pentalobular.”
Apple reportedly first used them in the mid-2009 MacBook Pro with the specific purpose of keeping users from replacing the laptop’s battery themselves.
Instead, Apple encourages customers to opt for the company’s own battery replacement program, which is a paid service.
The screws are now also used in the iPhone 4, according to iFixit. Early iPhone 4 units shipped with ordinary Philips-head screws.
However, it is not clear whether Apple is really forcing customers into upgrading to new products, or simply preventing hazards from happening, or warranties being voided.
It should also be noted that iFixit just started selling a $9.95 kit which contains a special driver to remove Apple's proprietary Pentalobular screws, a new pair of Phillips #00 screws, and a #00 Phillips screwdriver to install them.
Pretty convenient, considering that the news is getting a lot of coverage.
However, we’re not here to take sides.
What do you think? Is Apple really forcing us into upgrading our iPhones / iPods / Macs sooner than necessary?
Apple's Diabolical Plan to Screw your iPhone from iFixit on Vimeo.