4 ms·

It's really a shame apple put in a 5-point Security Torx for the bottom casing. Just got a new toolkit a few weeks ago... but it doesn't have the security torx

It's really a shame apple put in a 5-point Security Torx for the bottom casing. Just got a new toolkit a few weeks ago... but it doesn't have the security torx tip. But overall really nice form factor. I love how neat and well fit everything looks.

tlrobinson 16y ago
Why? There's no user replaceable/upgradable parts. If you're going to the trouble of buying a part and replacing it touurself surely you can get the right screwdriver.
- aristus 16y ago
  It's an anti-geek arms race that I have never liked. I worked at an authorized Nintendo shop almost 20 years ago. "Regular" Torx screwdrivers, the kind you can pick up for nothing today, were hard to come by back then. They cost something like $50 direct from Nintendo. Every new model required some special tool for no reason except to make it harder for Joe Blow to take things apart. I understand the many reasons for it, but it's still anti-geek, physical DRM.
  - illumin8 16y ago
    It doesn't cost $50 to buy the tools you need to open any hardware: http://www.ecrater.com/p/6143994/security-bits-set-tamper-proof http://www.ecrater.com/p/6143994/security-bits-set-tamper-pr...
    - jws 16y ago
      Are you sure about that? I don't see the 5 sided Torx-Plus bits. But then I'm also not certain that the new MBA uses a Torx-Plus, the recess' lobes look a little too circular.
  - hugh3 16y ago
    Anti-geek? What could be more geeky than owning a five-point security torx screwdriver?
    - aristus 16y ago
      ...not having to buy them? Being a geek is not about owning toys. It's about being open, curious, and observant. There are hundreds of these types of screwheads now. The regular Torx used to be a security screwhead. Now that everyone has a Torx they whip out a 5-pointed Torx, call that one the "security" version and start the stupid cycle over again. This excludes people from hacking and learning, eg children.
      - jws 16y ago
        The regular torx was never intended as a security screw head. It was just designed for powered assembly in an environment where screw driver bits are consumables. Matching the 3 screwdrivers in the kitchen's "everything drawer" was not part of the design specification.
        rubidium 16y ago
        Thank you jws for the sanity here. It's not "anti-geek", it's engineering and manufacturing (and, I may add, keeping 5-year old Timmy from opening his dad's new MacBook Air and frying the innards with the screwdriver they keep in the kitchen drawer). Not to be too negative, but if you can't find a way to quickly get inside, maybe you shouldn't be there in the first place. A real tinkerer/geek knows how to make their own tools in no time.
        aristus 16y ago
        I think you are confusing two kinds of exclusivity: that from real technical challenge which teaches you something (eg how to correctly disassemble a machine) and that from random speedbumps (eg an exotic screwhead). Have you tried to make a Torx head? I suppose you could get the shape with some kind of mouldable plastic or epoxy, but that's probably not strong enough in practice. They are designed to be set with much higher torque than Philips, hence the name.

tlrobinson 16y ago

Why? There's no user replaceable/upgradable parts. If you're going to the trouble of buying a part and replacing it touurself surely you can get the right screwdriver.

aristus 16y ago
It's an anti-geek arms race that I have never liked. I worked at an authorized Nintendo shop almost 20 years ago. "Regular" Torx screwdrivers, the kind you can pick up for nothing today, were hard to come by back then. They cost something like $50 direct from Nintendo. Every new model required some special tool for no reason except to make it harder for Joe Blow to take things apart. I understand the many reasons for it, but it's still anti-geek, physical DRM.
- illumin8 16y ago
  It doesn't cost $50 to buy the tools you need to open any hardware: http://www.ecrater.com/p/6143994/security-bits-set-tamper-proof http://www.ecrater.com/p/6143994/security-bits-set-tamper-pr...
  - jws 16y ago
    Are you sure about that? I don't see the 5 sided Torx-Plus bits. But then I'm also not certain that the new MBA uses a Torx-Plus, the recess' lobes look a little too circular.
- hugh3 16y ago
  Anti-geek? What could be more geeky than owning a five-point security torx screwdriver?
  - aristus 16y ago
    ...not having to buy them? Being a geek is not about owning toys. It's about being open, curious, and observant. There are hundreds of these types of screwheads now. The regular Torx used to be a security screwhead. Now that everyone has a Torx they whip out a 5-pointed Torx, call that one the "security" version and start the stupid cycle over again. This excludes people from hacking and learning, eg children.
    - jws 16y ago
      The regular torx was never intended as a security screw head. It was just designed for powered assembly in an environment where screw driver bits are consumables. Matching the 3 screwdrivers in the kitchen's "everything drawer" was not part of the design specification.
      - rubidium 16y ago
        Thank you jws for the sanity here. It's not "anti-geek", it's engineering and manufacturing (and, I may add, keeping 5-year old Timmy from opening his dad's new MacBook Air and frying the innards with the screwdriver they keep in the kitchen drawer). Not to be too negative, but if you can't find a way to quickly get inside, maybe you shouldn't be there in the first place. A real tinkerer/geek knows how to make their own tools in no time.
        aristus 16y ago
        I think you are confusing two kinds of exclusivity: that from real technical challenge which teaches you something (eg how to correctly disassemble a machine) and that from random speedbumps (eg an exotic screwhead). Have you tried to make a Torx head? I suppose you could get the shape with some kind of mouldable plastic or epoxy, but that's probably not strong enough in practice. They are designed to be set with much higher torque than Philips, hence the name.