[ Thanks to Bernard Swiss
for this link. ]
“Consumerist tells us that Apple is switching to a
special new screw called by some a Pentalobe, by iFixit an “Evil
Proprietary Tamper Proof Five Point Screw” (or the EPTP5PS). It is
designed to make it impossible for anyone but Apple to service your
iPhone or computer. Consumerist also notes that if you take your
iPhone in for repairs, they will replace all the screws with the
EPTP5PS.“Now I love my mac and my ancient ipod, but I also love Matt
Bremner and all the aftermarket repair people who provide fast and
convenient service. So I will tell herein a cautionary tale about
what happens when you get all proprietary about screws.“In 1906 a travelling salesman, Peter Robinson of Milton,
Ontario, Canada cut his hand when a slot screwdriver he was
demonstrating slipped. He went off to the shop and came up with a
screw with a square socket in it, that almost never slipped. He was
modest about it, saying “This is considered by many as the biggest
little invention of the twentieth century so far.”