Precision Pentalobe Screwdriver Set, 0.8 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.5 mm (P2/TS1, P5/TS4, P6/TS5) for Apple iPhone, MacBook Pro, Air Retina

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Apple is switching to a new type of tamper-resistant screw. This is not a standard Torx, and there are no readily available screwdrivers that can remove it. This isn’t the first time they’ve used this type of screw—it first appeared in the mid-2009 MacBook Pro to prevent you from replacing the battery—and Apple is using a similar screw on the outer case of the current MacBook Air. This screw is the primary reason the 11″ MacBook Air earned a lousy repairability score of 4 out of 10 in our teardown last October. MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2012 Teardown". Repair Guide. ifixit.com . Retrieved January 28, 2012.

iPhone 4 (Late), 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, iPhone X, Huawei P9 The pentalobe will always be associated with Apple. But recently, other manufacturers have piled on the five-point-screw bandwagon, too. A couple years ago, we spotted our first set of pentalobe screws outside of Apple’s ecosystem—first in Huawei’s P9 and then again in Meizu’s MX6. With no real functional reason for choosing this screw, I can only assume it’s to look more like Apple’s most popular devices. A rose-gold iPhone sits atop the Huawei P9—both featuring Pentalobe screws. Meizu’s MX6 (the silver one) sits in between two iPhones. From this vantage point, the three phones are almost indistinguishable—right down to the pentalobe screws. Goldberg, Andrew. "Installing iPhone 5 Battery". Repair Guide. ifixit.com . Retrieved January 28, 2012.Once we finished the teardown, I hit the streets of Tokyo to watch the actual iPhone release and then hang out with the Apple community. I didn’t need to buy a phone for myself, but I wanted to see the new iPhone firsthand. Pentalobe screws reappeared in the mid-2012 version of the MacBook Pro. Eight 3mm and two 2.3mm pentalobe screws were used externally to attach the bottom plate of the case to the internal frame. [5] The late-2012 version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro was the first 13-inch model to have pentalobe screws; several were used externally in a similar fashion to the 15-inch mid-2012 MacBook Pro. [6] None of the three 17-inch models of the MacBook Pro have used any pentalobe screws.

Apple chose this fastener specifically because it was new, guaranteeing repair tools would be both rare and expensive. Shame on them. So what is this screw?a b Wiens, Kyle (January 20, 2011). "Apple's Diabolical Plan to Screw Your iPhone". ifixit.com . Retrieved January 28, 2012. These pentalobe, 5 point heads are not to be confused with Torx heads which have 6 points. A "IPR" designation identical to "PL" is sometimes seen due to the confusion. It is possible that ambiguous "TS" nomenclature is the same as the "PL" designation when referring to Pentalobe screws. Pentalobe screw sizes include TS1 (0.8mm, used on every iPhone starting with the iPhone 4), TS4 (1.2mm, used on the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro with Retina display), and TS5 (1.5mm, used on the 2009 MacBook Pro battery). The TS designation is ambiguous as it is also used for the Torq-set screw drive.

Although there is no (known) official standard naming scheme, the size is commonly known as P-sizes. TS-sizes are sometimes used, but leave room for mixing up with regular Torx sizes. The following P and TS sizes are used by iFixit.com, and PL sizes by Wiha, a German tool company: Bookholt, Andrew (21 January 2011). "Installing MacBook Air 13" Late 2010 Battery". Repair Guide. ifixit.com . Retrieved January 2, 2012. Galan, Walter (23 November 2009). "Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody 2.53 GHz Mid 2009 Battery". Repair Guide. ifixit.com . Retrieved January 28, 2012. Fortunately, our always-creative hardware acquisition team has been on this problem for a while. It’s our responsibility to provide you with all the tools you need to work on electronics, and we have a solution for you! iPhone 4 If you take your phone into Apple for any kind of service, they will sabotage it by replacing your screws with the new tamper-resistant screws.This is the fourth article in our ongoing series of posts on the history of screwdriver bits. We’ll be posting one a day leading up to the launch of the Manta Driver Kit and Mahi Driver Kit on Tuesday, April 24. The largest 5-point Pentalobe screw used thus far was deployed in the Mid-2009 MacBook Pro. Apple calls this a “Torx Plus Tamper 6.” For reasons known only to them, Apple has switched away from these screws and is using Tri-Wing screws on current MacBook Pro models. A compatible Tri-Wing bit is included in our toolkits, so you don’t need to worry about this if you have the latest MacBook Pro. iPhone 4 It’s similar to a Torx—except that the points have a rounder shape, and it has five points instead of six. Apple’s service manuals refer to them as “Pentalobular” screws, which is a descriptive enough term. It’s certainly better than what I came up with, which was “Evil Proprietary Tamper Proof Five Point Screw.” It’s best I stay out of the naming business. Kaneshige, Tome (January 20, 2011). "The Case of Apple's Mystery Screw". International Data Group. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012 . Retrieved January 28, 2012.