Apple probably doesn't see it as "abuse" when they use proprietary fasteners for components that cannot be unfastened without violating their warranty, nor are they likely to see it as "abuse" when they prevent unrelated third parties from selling Apple customers services that can only be performed by violating the warranty.
You see it as abuse, and I understand why, but from the perspective of a multi-billion-dollar business, this is not dissimilar from the people who think all non-GPL software is also abuse.
Fair enough, but what I was really wondering was what they get out of it. Obviously they have to go through some real hurdles in designing testing and revving the fasteners and manufacturing and distributing the tools. Why do they need to "prevent" people from voiding their warranties as opposed to just detecting it via marker paint or such?
From a support point of view (now that they run their own stores with people to repair stuff), it cuts down on the "I know what I'm doing" guy incidents. If you are competent enough to locate and buy the proper screwdrivers, you probably won't destroy anything. Everyone else will just take the thing in for repair.
I am currently at a college and our PC Techs tend to get some interesting problems with PC's brought in by people who tried to repair them. It is kinda ugly.
I'm a professional watchmaker, as well as a geek and hacker. This is entirely the reason Rolex uses a fluted case-back, instead of a keyed case-back. It prevents the average joe from opening it up and sticking his fingers in the delicate parts.
I would not consider this cheating, or an evil way to prevent people from hacking on the items they legally own. If anything, it protects consumers from getting into things that they most certainly do not know how to fix, and even more, they don't know when they actually break the item further. Hackers that can own up to their responsibility of opening an item and accidentally damaging it will always open up and play with the internals. No one cares about that, they care about the guy that thinks he can replace parts he doesn't even know exists.
Neat! What do you mean, "professional watchmaker"? Do you still "make" watches? Do you make components, or do you do full assemblies? What kind of watches?
Most of my work is repairs of higher end mechanical watches. I do manufacture parts, but it is to repair as well.
I've only "made" one watch from start to finish of which I still own. There really isn't much of a market for custom made watches. Plus all my tools are traditional hand tools so it can take a couple months to craft a single movement.
As I understand US law, warranty providers are required to honor the warranty even when unauthorized/improper repairs or modifications have been made unless they can show that the failure was caused by the improper repair.
Casual language, where the user "violates" the terms of the warranty, then Apple "voids" the agreement. The user wants to breach the terms, but would still like the cover provided by the warranty. They don't set out to void the warranty as a goal, if Apple were to uphold their end, the user would be perfectly happy to keep it. So, the cause is the violation of terms, the result is voiding of the warranty. Ends up meaning the same thing.
You see it as abuse, and I understand why, but from the perspective of a multi-billion-dollar business, this is not dissimilar from the people who think all non-GPL software is also abuse.