Amazing, just amazing! Why do iPhone owners sit idly by and not rise up against this? I like the analogy of taking your car in and the dealer welding the hood shut so you couldn't do any service yourself or have anyone else than the dealer work on it.
Apple Puts Screws to iPhone Users, Resellers with Proprietary Lock Out
Out of curiosity, I did a quick comparison. From the official Apple support website:
- Service arranged through Apple costs $79. A $6.95 shipping fee will be added (and now they're trying to lock out anyone else from replacing the battery other than their $79 service.)
- Will the data on my iPhone be preserved? No, the service process will clear all data from your iPhone.
- How long will service take? The service process takes approximately one week from the day your iPhone is shipped to us if arranged through the Online Service Assistant or Apple Technical Support.
An OEM battery for my BlackBerry Torch is available on eBay for as little as $15.99 shipped (generic replacement from $9.98 shipped), it takes me about 10 seconds to slide the cover off and pop the battery in, and there's absolutely NO data loss from the phone when you replace the battery. I just really shake my head at the difference here.