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iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

theguardian.com

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Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#41

Post by saagarjha »

pfortuny wrote: post #39
axoltl wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was not done intentionally. They simply don't QA their releases on repaired phones (because why would they?). The touchscreens in question highly likely use an older touchscreen controller from a previous iPhone. These controllers don't support certain commands that evidently they are now using. As far as the lightning connectors go, that WAS done intentionally. The third party lightning connectors generally don't…

They probably can (and I guess rather easily) test whether the touchscreen is or not from Apple and at least let the ungood ones work as before (I am sure this is pretty easy to do: just keep the old controller), issuing a warning (not that Apple is short on these) to the user: "your screen may malfunction or may be insecure. If you had it repaired outside the Apple network, we remind you that it is not covered by ou…

Here's a great article that discusses why doing this would be a bad idea: https://blog.darkrainfall.org/2016/02/a-short-rant-about-err...

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#42

Post by maltalex »

axoltl wrote: post #32
krangu wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More like Step 1: Buy a new car Step 2: Replace engine with something other than OEM Step 2.33: Car runs fine Step 2.66: Manufacturer comes to your house and 'fixes' your ECU while you're asleep Step 3: Complain when car's ECU does not run engine

So the manufacturer is not allowed to make everyone's ECU better because you decided to replace your engine with an older model?

What if the manufacturer didn’t do this to make everyone’s ECU better, but specifically to discourage users from buying third party parts?

I’m asking hypothetically of course...

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#43

Post by kbenson »

stingraycharles wrote: post #35
axoltl wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It'd be pretty hard for them to know though. They'd have to reverse engineer (the irony isn't lost on me) every variation of third party screen/touchscreen controller. What happens if some feature isn't available on a third party screen? Either they don't implement the feature at all or third party screens are now worse off and we'll have a headline "Apple cripples third party repairs!".

This is precisely the kind of stuff that Microsoft is famous for, and it is entirely possible. Heck, third party hardware is what made PCs great. I think, however, that there is a difference in customer base; Microsoft caters to businesses, Apple to consumers. When Microsoft breaks a third party app/device with a Windows Service Pack, Microsoft needs to fix this otherwise their customers get angry. When Apple breaks…

It's amazing that I find myself thinking that Microsoft of the 90's and early 2000's as actually being a more open and accommodating company and windows being a more open and accommodating environment than Apple and iOS today.

Whether Microsoft had no choice and would have been worse if they could in this respect, the fact they they weren't and I think Apple is, and Microsoft was widely lambasted as money driven (e.g. M$) and evil at the time, and Apple largely gets a pass now, is interesting. That could be because Apple is better at managing image, or because people's perceptions and what they expect has shifted, or because there's a lot more bad (and worse) actors out there now that make Apple look better in comparison. It's hard to tell exactly why it's looked upon more favorably now, but I do believe my thoughts on Apple to be accurate, and I'm not sure how to feel about that.

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#44

Post by drewg123 »

throwaway2048 wrote: post #19
axoltl wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not true. https://support.apple.com/en-lamr/aasp-program

This isnt the sale of parts to people that wish to buy them, its a very stringent certification program that very few are going to meet the requirements for, and requires you do things like "Actively promote the Apple brand as part of their business along with AppleCare service and support products." "Service Providers are required to use Apple Certified Macintosh Technicians when conducting diagnostics, Covered Repa…

Tesla has restrictions that are similar. Many parts are "restricted" at Tesla will not sell them unless you're a Tesla owner, or certified body shop. I'm not even sure they have any certified general repair shops.

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#45

Post by cpeterso »

I replaced my iPhone screen (at a Staples office supply store) and the new screen was polarized such that it was dark when viewed (in portrait orientation) through my polarized sunglasses. Very frustrating that I had to either look over my sunglasses or rotate the phone to use it. Apple's screens appear to have some slight polarization but it is cleverly at a diagonal to both portrait and landscape orientation. Details matter.

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#46

Post by reaperducer »

wvenable wrote: post #31
axoltl wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can do whatever you want to it! But would you expect an NVidia graphics card to work with AMD drivers? The controller isn't the one the drivers were written for, so it breaks. Not surprising.

But it did work before. This would be like your older NVidia graphics card never working again because of the latest Windows 10 update.

> This would be like your older NVidia graphics card never working again because of the latest Windows 10 update.

Sounds like the early 1990's.

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#47

Post by saagarjha »

wvenable wrote: post #36
axoltl wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does Nvidia have an obligation to make AMD graphics cards work if they happened to have worked with some version, at some point in time?

I think this analogy has gone off course a bit. But I do think a manufacturer providing automatic irreversible updates has an obligation to ensure, as best as possible, that the device continues to work with that update. If it worked yesterday, it should work tomorrow, period. It would be perfectly reasonable to not force updates and allow users to continue with the current version forever if that keeps them running.…

How would the manufacturer know you were using a non-OEM part, though? As far as they're concerned their parts support so-and-so protocol, so they should be able to use it.

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#48

Post by opencl »

saagarjha wrote: post #41
pfortuny wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They probably can (and I guess rather easily) test whether the touchscreen is or not from Apple and at least let the ungood ones work as before (I am sure this is pretty easy to do: just keep the old controller), issuing a warning (not that Apple is short on these) to the user: "your screen may malfunction or may be insecure. If you had it repaired outside the Apple network, we remind you that it is not covered by ou…

Here's a great article that discusses why doing this would be a bad idea: https://blog.darkrainfall.org/2016/02/a-short-rant-about-err...

Except this particular issue has absolutely nothing to do with TouchID or security at all. It's just the screen. Error 53 was significantly more justifiable.

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#49

Post by pfortuny »

saagarjha wrote: post #41
pfortuny wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They probably can (and I guess rather easily) test whether the touchscreen is or not from Apple and at least let the ungood ones work as before (I am sure this is pretty easy to do: just keep the old controller), issuing a warning (not that Apple is short on these) to the user: "your screen may malfunction or may be insecure. If you had it repaired outside the Apple network, we remind you that it is not covered by ou…

Here's a great article that discusses why doing this would be a bad idea: https://blog.darkrainfall.org/2016/02/a-short-rant-about-err...

Well, that is an opinion. However, bricking a device without previous warning seems quite out of control. There are many easier things to do. Like, for example, nagging the user every day with a message, not upgrading the software (and still nagging the user with a message), etc...

Bricking a device is certainly a bad user experience and not at all what the user wishes. Nagging him at least lets him use the phone and keeps him informed.

You cannot assume the user is stupid and not assume the user will not repair the phone outside your network. You cannot have both things at the same time and get away with it.

That is what I think. If the user is stupid, let him be so.

Re: iOS 11.3 update breaks iPhone 8 devices with third party-repaired screens

#50

Post by maltalex »

axoltl wrote: post #8
astockwell wrote: post #4

Apple, I get it. I get why you do it. But seriously, this retroactive punishing of prior 3rd-party purchases is asinine. I had purchased multiple lightning cables from Anker (a very reputable brand), and had one of the iOS 11.x updates basically render them useless. Apple's product support is not fast enough, nor pervasive enough (to say nothing of cheap enough), to justify this behavior. Edited for clarity

It was not done intentionally. They simply don't QA their releases on repaired phones (because why would they?). The touchscreens in question highly likely use an older touchscreen controller from a previous iPhone. These controllers don't support certain commands that evidently they are now using. As far as the lightning connectors go, that WAS done intentionally. The third party lightning connectors generally don't…

> It was not done intentionally.

What evidence is there make this claim?

It all seems to boil down to this question. Do you trust that Apple had the user's interests in mind?

> They simply don't QA their releases on repaired phones (because why would they?)

The more important question is why wouldn't they if the customer's experience is what guides their decisions.

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