Apple is Sniffing Glue

Let's suppose, for a moment, that auto manufacturer "T" decided to weld the hoods shut on all their new cars.  Or better yet, let's say they decided to eliminate the hood entirely, providing instead a smooth, sculpted, continuous surface over the entire front of the car.  How would you, as a new car buyer, react?  If you're like me and probably many other shoppers, you'd probably admire the sleek looks, and then shop elsewhere.  Let's examine why you might reject such a design:

1.  Lack of maintainability.  Although the smooth design of the hood might be more aesthetically pleasing, you were concerned that this vehicle would be much more expensive to maintain or service in the future.
2.  Precedents.  All other manufacturers provide open-able hoods, most likely, you figured, for a good reason.

You might also become suspicious of this manufacturer's motives, feeling that:

1.  They wanted to artificially increase new car sales by driving up the cost of repairing existing cars.
2.  They wanted you to believe only they were qualified to service their own vehicles.3.  They wanted to you believe their cars were so reliable they'll never need to be serviced.

Now, let's suppose Apple manufactured portable touch devices called the iPhone, iPad and iPod -- and decided to weld them shut.  How would you react?  Unbelievably, that's EXACTLY what Apple has done over the past few years.  Apple hot-glues the thin glass to the face of all their touchscreen devices, making access to the insides nearly impossible, since the case to which the screen is glued is a solid aluminum casting.  Yet consumers seem to buy them in droves, blissfully ignorant of the high repair costs they may face  in the near future.

What happens when the thin glass cracks?  (the glass screens crack frequently and relatively easily)  What happens when the battery no longer holds a charge?  What happens when the headphone jack becomes damaged, and stops holding or connecting to the headphone plug?  What happens when the Home button stops responding, or the charging port becomes damaged?  An otherwise simple repair might now cost up to triple the cost of repairing a non-sealed device.

Apple wins, you lose.  Apple gloats --  for now.