Tamper-proof

San Francisco, Jan. 21 (Reuters): Apple Inc is giving a whole new meaning to locking your phone with its new screws.

In line with its infamous philosophy of maintaining absolute control over its products, sources said US Apple stores are replacing screws on iPhone 4s brought for servicing with tamper-proof screws to prevent anyone else from opening the device.

Kyle Wiens, chief executive of iFixit, a prominent Apple repair and parts supplier, said the purpose of the new screws is to keep people out of the iPhone and prevent them from replacing the battery. He said he noticed in November that screws were being switched.

“If you took your car in for service and they welded your hood shut, you wouldn’t be very happy”,” he said, comparing it to shutting owners out of their iPhones.

IFixit, based in San Luis Obispo, California, has become famous in the technology world for performing “teardowns” of Apple devices.

According to two people with first-hand knowledge of the practice, when a customer brings an iPhone 4 into a US Apple store for repair, tech staff swap out commonly-used Phillips screws and replace them with so-called “Pentalobe” screws.