Apple is one of the most valuable corporations in the world, according to Wall Street.
Apple is one of the most valuable corporations in the world, according to Wall Street. Hadrian/shutterstock.com

The Guardian claims that Apple's new iPhone software, iOS 9, has a program that breaks (or bricks) a phone if it receives repairs from a non-Apple person. The corporation is claiming that this bricking is done to protect its customers and their product standards. But many see it as a move "designed to squeeze out independent repairers."

When the phone detects meddling by a third party, a "problem" called "error 53" appears on the screen. This is not really a problem because it cannot be fixed. It is in fact a death, because death has no solution. The error is said to also kill phones that have been damaged but not repaired.

A whole repair industry has sprouted up around Apple phones for this simple reason: They are bloody expensive (between $700 and $800). Only the rich can easily junk them. As a consequence, iPhones now provide one of the few bright spots in the twilight of the repair economy. Apple, of course, has no problem with the business of repairing phones, but it wants that business all to itself. Record profits and deeply loyal customers are not enough.

If all of this turns out to be true, if Apple installed "error 53" to punish third-party businesses and their customers, then we can conclude that Apple phones can no longer be owned with a purchase. The high price for this product does not include ownership. You are in reality paying to use something that's still the property of the corporation.