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Apple changing back cover screw types

josephrojas

josephrojas

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 15, 2010
58
0
took my iphone in for an exchange at the apple store yesterday (11-15)was looking at it when i got home and it seems they have changed the screw type for the back cover from phillips to a very very tiny star or hex style. just a little fyi,i guess they are cracking down on the white iphone conversions.
 
yea pics would be good!

interested to also know how this would make a difference?
 
Pez555 said:
interested to also know how this would make a difference?
Click to expand...

You just need to get a new screwdriver. I'm guessing it's Torx like the many other Apple products use.

Also, they might not be changing them for everyone. The tech may have just put in whatever was around. Not a big deal either way.
 
Last edited:
pics of the screws these are the best i can do now im at work

pics of the screws these are the best i can do now im at work
 

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they are tiny,im not sure if we can find them or not ,i have a kit i purchased on ebay from japan and the bits are so tiny you can barely tell what the head is,none of those fit,let me know if anyone finds one ive been looking and no luck yet..the picture makes them look bigger than they realy are.
 
another picture from the apple site,but ive had 6 different iphone 4s and ive never seen any with torx,just phillips
 

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Looks like one of the same style screws they put into the new MacBook Air. Super tiny torx head. The guys who do all the tear downs on new products had to "make" a bit to fit the screw.
 
Torx is 10 times better than Phillips so this is a good thing IMO. It is a touch harder to find bits, but if they do this more, they will become commonplace at sites that sell backs and other iPhone stuff.
 
All Japanese iPhones use those five-point screws. My launch-day iPhone 4 had them, as have the two replacement units I have since received. You can get them out with a size 0 Phillips (?) but it does strip them a little so you have to be careful. I did it with my launch-day phone prior to taking it in to the Genius Bar, just to see if it was possible.

Anyway, now that American units are starting to ship with these PITA screws, hopefully we'll see drivers go on sale at some point. I've been searching on and off since last summer but have yet to find anything.
 
I already have a set that can take that screw out, and my guess is Apple probably is probably getting the screws from a different manufacturer.
 
The Apple store replaced my clicking glass back yesterday and I too have a torx screw and a phillips now! I thought this was just a mixup when they put my phone back together, but it must be the new protocol!
 
DeLoMan said:
The Apple store replaced my clicking glass back yesterday and I too have a torx screw and a phillips now! I thought this was just a mixup when they put my phone back together, but it must be the new protocol!
Click to expand...

I don't normally think I am too OCD about phones, but I would definitely take it back and make them give me two screws that are the same.
 
It's not regular torx. This looks like 5-point torx. I have Never seen that anywhere, unfortunately. Might need some careful perusing of Aickland Grainger or McMaster-Carr to find it. :(
 
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