Apple review: iphone 4 is non-serviceable

As a 20 year avid Mac user and technician, it really pains me to write this- especially since I know the motives behind the iPhone 4's design...

INTRO: I CANNOT RECOMMEND THE IPHONE 4
In a nutshell: The iPhone 4 is non-serviceable. The iPhone 4 is strategically designed with the intent that if you damage the device, it will be economically practical to simply buy a new one rather than repair it. This is a low-blow to independent service technicians and repair shops. Companies such as iSupply who have based their entire revenue around iPhone repair will be hit the hardest.

PART I. SCREEN REPAIRS.
The single most common hardware problems with iPhones are screen damage. The display on the iPhone consists of 3 main parts:
* LCD display
* Digitizer (touch screen)
* Mid frame

On the iPhone 3G and 3GS, each of these parts is individually serviceable. This is not the case on the iPhone 4 where all 3 are unnecessarily sealed together with heat and adhesive. This results in having to replace a 3-part assembly in the event that only 1 part is damaged.

PART II: COST
If you drop your iPhone 3G and crack the glass, or damage your LCD with water, you can take it to virtually any computer repair shop and have it repaired for around $75. In major tech-saturated cities such as Los Angeles, you can find technicians to come to your house and do it for $50 on the spot.
These prices are simply not possible with the iPhone 4, as you have to replace all 3 parts. As of the time of this posting, the complete screen assembly is going for $124 on eBay from China sellers. Unless you're doing the repair yourself, you have to pay a technician for labor. Even if they charged only $50 dollars, you could buy a new phone for $25 more and not wait 14 days for generic parts from china. Hmmm...

PART III: DIFFICULTY.
The iPhone 4 is no joke. Just look at this service manual: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-iPhone-4-Front-Panel-Assembly/3148/1
On the iPhone 3G or 3GS, parts such as the LCD and logic board can be replaced in under 5 minutes. This is not the case with the iPhone 4, where screen repairs can take hours and require the entire phone to be disassembled with pinpoint precision. I have done this repair and the only word that can describe my experience is a that it's a NIGHTMARE. No technician with dignity will do this repair for under $50. In fact, since there is such a high risk of damage, you can forget the cost, finding technicians that can even perform this repair are few to none.

PART IV: BAD APPLE
I have performed over 5, 000 screen repairs. Designing the iPhone 4 so that every single part must be removed before the screen is removed is completely unnecessary.
Sealing the 3 parts of the display together is completely absurd and uncalled for.
When the iPhone 4 was designed to be non-servicable so that consumers would buy a new one rather than repair it, I can no longer respect Apple.
Ban the iPhone 4... It has horrible reception anyway...

... Oh, and tell a friend.

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