iPhone 15 teardown reveals software lockdown

I think parts blacklisting (i.e. you report a phone as stolen, all of its OEM parts are blacklisted) is good as an anti-theft measure and achieves the same functionality.<p>I can also understand parts pairing for Face ID for security, and maybe even the battery. I&#x27;ve had aftermarket battery repairs swell up, which is a safety risk.<p>But what Apple is doing is using this as a pretense to lock down repairs.

&quot;That dystopian future that science fiction authors warned us was coming, where DRM infected every part of our lives? We’re living in it. The result of these extensive limitations is a major infringement of ownership rights and amplification of the e-waste crisis.&quot;<p>&quot;Unfortunately, software is the anchor around an otherwise exceptionally designed phone. But without the ability to swap components, repairability suffers dramatically. We don’t purchase products for our team that score below a five, so iFixit will not be purchasing the iPhone 15 for internal use.&quot;

FaceID data is stored in the front module. Can’t swap it else anyone can unlock your phone with a swapped FaceID module.<p>LiDAR not sure what’s happening.

even a simple charging cable (apple lightning) used to charge iphones etc have a chip, so your device can read cable capabilities when connected and configure it for: power, audio, video, data. there&#x27;s a great DEF CON 30 presenhacktion on this [1].<p>as parts&#x2F;ports are ever-increasingly multi-functional (and more advanced), there needs to be regulations in place to ensure no lockdowns, or preferential treatment. Of course we need hardened security and privacy, but I think Software should be used to detect &amp; notify of atypical&#x2F;dubious device parts so the User can chose&#x2F;decide - akin to an AntiVirus.<p>If certain level of security&#x2F;safety is required (say gov device, Chief Execs, VIPs etc) then create an Industry Standard and let the OS report on device&#x27;s Compliance. This way, the market (users) brock low-quality&#x2F;nefarious tech, not a corporate.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=7p_njRMqzrY">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=7p_njRMqzrY</a>

This is fine because anyone wanting a phone to call their mum, text their mates, take selfies, wake up with an alarm and get the football scores can buy a generic Android phone. It all works and the generic android phone can be replaced rather than repaired.<p>Nobody is forced to be in the Apple ecosystem, and, since when did we all need a supercomputer in our pocket?<p>Next we will be complaining about tyre prices on Bugattis. People can just buy a Ford.

Related discussions on this and Apple&#x27;s deep history of hating right to repair:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=37615238">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=37615238</a> <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=37614279">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=37614279</a>

Wont buy a new iPhone until this is fixed. I usually keep a backup unit for parts, never have I needed to have a 3rd party &quot;help me&quot; keep my production equipment running.

This is disgusting and should be illegal. There&#x27;s no morally sound justification for this.

Wow ifixit editors really messed this up. ‘Broadcom’ is not the company that makes Snapdragon.

God, I am so tired of this nonsense. Making stolen phones hard to part out is good! Check eBay for price of iCloud locked phones. Thank Apple for making stealing your phone so unprofitable.

&gt; But even we couldn’t convince them to switch to a standard port—it took the European Parliament to force that particular change.<p>Anyone with a half-functioning brain knew USB-C was coming to the iPhone well before the EU decision. It&#x27;s so annoying to see so many people parrot this line. Apple was one of the first to go all-in on USB-C and has been slowly expanding it to whole line. It only makes sense that the iPhone was the last to get the change.

In my eyes, iFixit is doing the customers and the environment a disservice with mixing the actual repairability with the question of &quot;DRM&quot; in parts.<p>Yes, limitations of self-repair should be clearly pointed out and discussed critically. But on the other side, if the phone becomes easier to repair for Apple-certified shops and Apple shops themselves, this is very important. Because repairs do get cheaper for the customer and repairing phones is good for the environment. Progress there should not be conflated with the DRM issue. They should rather introduce a second score, if they want to score on that.