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Apple "screwing" iPhone customers

Discussion in 'Serious' started by Cthippo, 21 Jan 2011.

  1. Cthippo

    Cthippo Can't mod my way out of a paper bag

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    So, do you own it or are you just renting it? :eyebrow:
     
  2. M7ck

    M7ck Ⓜod Ⓜaster

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    I personally don't have a problem with it. I wouldn't want to open my £500 phone anyway.
     
  3. docodine

    docodine killed a guy once

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    IMO it was pretty unusual for the iPhone to be so easily taken apart. Just two exposed screws and you can have at the innards! Many other products use strange screws as well, not a big deal. The screwdriver is always available somewhere.. This issue popped up on news sites just to attract attention, just like most other Apple related articles. Imagine a similar article, "RIM changing screws in Blackberry products.. FASCISM?."

    My iPhone has a SIM card.. I had my old 3G unlocked to use with foreign SIM cards, and even though my new iPhone has a microsim instead of full size, you can get an adapter for around $5.. It's just the new CDMA models that will be somewhat 'locked in' to one carrier.
     
  4. Ph4ZeD

    Ph4ZeD What's a Dremel?

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    The thread title is a tad hysterical.
     
  5. supermonkey

    supermonkey Deal with it

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    I'm not too bothered by this news. I think most of the people who endeavor to open up an iPhone will likely find a way to get inside, regardless of the type of screws.

    One of the points made in the article is that people opt for a $5 battery from eBay rather than pay $79 for Apple to do the work. Fair enough, just add in a $7 pentablobe screwdriver from Amazon and you're still well under Apple fee.

    You know what bugs me even more than a tech company choosing a specific type of screw for its device? I really don't like having to use a standard #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the dozen or so screws that fasten all of my daughter's toys to their boxes. That's in addition to the yards of packing tape and numerous thick plastic-coated twist ties.
     
  6. Cthippo

    Cthippo Can't mod my way out of a paper bag

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    What bugs me is the thought of them changing the screws without my permission when I take the phone in for service. Apple should not be making changes to hardware owned by the customer without the owner's specific permission.

    Sorry, I was trying to be clever.
     
    kenco_uk likes this.
  7. walle

    walle Minimodder

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    Rob Enderle is so full of **** he could be a politician.
     
  8. Ph4ZeD

    Ph4ZeD What's a Dremel?

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    Remember if you have a contract phone, you don't "own" it.
     
  9. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    Who cares, really? Either you'll work out how to open the phone or you shouldn't even try. Moreover $5,-- batteries on eBay are frequently of poor quality and come with no warranty. Third, why would you need to replace the battery? iPhone batteries are some of the most reliable in the world. there are plenty of first generation 2G iPhones still happily functioning on theirs.
     
  10. BRAWL

    BRAWL Dead and buried.

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    Actually you do :/ Well I own mine. My contract with Orange stipulates that the phone is provided to me... the contract I pay is to do with the service they provide. Thus you buy yourself out of a contract with the terms of "months remaining" x "amount paid monthly".
     
  11. supermonkey

    supermonkey Deal with it

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    I just looked up the Apple repair terms and conditions, and there are a few things to note:

    If you want Apple to service your phone, you agree to their terms. Otherwise, do it yourself.

    Apple can replace parts with new ones, or simply replace the entire phone with another product (new or used!). If you don't agree to this condition of service, feel free to do any repairs yourself.

    And in case anyone thought that they would get their jailbroken phone back without any modification (all caps emphasis is not mine and is original to the agreement, because it's important that you pay attention to this bit):
    They will format your phone and apply any updates, even if you didn't want the latest version of the iPhone OS. Again, you are free to disagree with any of these terms of service. However, if you do you're on your own.

    Naturally everyone will be outraged that Apple has the gall to apply such draconian terms to their service agreements. At this time I would like to invite anyone to look up the service agreement for any of the other major cell phone manufacturers to see if similar wording can be found.
     
  12. <A88>

    <A88> Trust the Computer

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    I've tried repairing a smartphone myself before and regretted it. A warranty and insurance is a much better solution; if I had an iPhone 4 I wouldn't let it within 3 miles of a screwdriver.
     
  13. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Have iPhone 4, have no desire to open it, least of all to change the battery for an el-cheapo fake I found on eBay. It's not like a netbook where I could conceivably add memory or switch HDDs. Nonetheless, if a compelling reason for me to open it arrives - a screen replacement, say - I'll buy a screwdriver along with the rest of the kit needed.

    This really isn't news.
     
  14. ac4155

    ac4155 What's a Dremel?

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    I seen no problem in it personally.

    Plus there is no real need to get inside an iPhone yourself and i have not payed all this money for one just to take it apart.
     
  15. Cei

    Cei pew pew pew

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    And Nintendo use tri-wing screws. So what? There was a time when Torx was hard to find...
     
  16. Cupboard

    Cupboard I'm not a modder.

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    Not a great fan of yet more types of screw, but I actually prefer Torx to Phillips. The bit is much less likely to slip out and strip the head or damage anything.

    And yes, I'm aware that is a design feature of Phillips.
     
  17. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    I opened up my 3GS recently to replace the rear cover and battery. It's a decidedly fiddly process but did save me a small fortune from having Apple do it for me. Still, at least their work is guaranteed. It depends on your position really. If you're likely to sell the phone and get a new one every time your contract runs out, then you'll probably never want/need to get inside.

    If, however, you intend on keeping it after your contact expires (I'm going to keep my 3GS and go to a cheaper tariff) then you may well want to replace the battery at some point and the likely hood of anything breaking/failing will only go up over time too. They're not leaving you with no option, they're just trying to make some money through the repair scheme. TBH its nothing the car industry hasn't been doing for decades.
     
  18. Kaiwan

    Kaiwan Shinigami

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    I have an iPhone 4 and I don't find this to be an issue.
     
  19. Margo Baggins

    Margo Baggins I'm good at Soldering Super Moderator

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    this.
     
  20. Paulg1971

    Paulg1971 Minimodder

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    Do you really expect anything else from apple.
     

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