Hasta La Gadget!

Apple took some heat back in January for quietly swapping traditional Torq screws in their MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops for tamper-proof Pentalobe screws, designed to discourage DIY Apple owners from opening up their gear and trying to fix their own problems or do their own upgrades. The process actually started as early as 2009, with Apple very quietly repairing notebooks and sending them back to their owners with the new Pentalobe screws where the Torq screws used to be. 

Apple fans bristled, Apple haters rallied, and eventually the topic left the headlines and everyone moved on. Still, the policy hasn’t changed, and Apple is relying on Pentalobe screwdrivers being scarce to discourage their users and 3rd party computer repair shops who aren’t Apple authorized from doing repairs. 

As a response, PC repair shop Milliamp, already known as a go-to shop for people who want to buy and replace their own iPhone or iPod batteries (or send it to them if they’re faint-of-heart,) has decided to do something about the scarcity of those Pentalobe screwdrivers: they’re giving them away for free. You’ll have to pay shipping, but right now Milliamp is giving them away.