Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Briefly: Orange UK subsidizing iPad, iPhone 4 Torx screws, Apple Store burglarized

Wireless operator Orange UK announced that it will soon offer a discounted iPad with a data service plan, while reports indicate that Apple has begun changing the screws on the iPhone 4 to the less user-accessible Torx screw. Finally, burglars broke into an Apple Store in Pittsburgh, Penn., making off with over $10,000 in merchandise.

Orange UK

In a press release issued Monday, Orange UK revealed that it will offer new purchase options for the iPad, including "more affordable prices" on iPad 3G models when purchased with a data service plan. The options will be available in "the coming months," although the company did not give specific details on pricing.

Currently, Orange UK offers monthly 3G plans for the iPad: 3GB of data and unlimited browsing at Wi-Fi hotspots for £15 ($23.92), or 10GB of data and unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot access for £25 ($39.86).

iPhone 4

According to various reports, iPhone 4s are now shipping with 5-point torx screws, making the device harder for users to take apart. Units brought to Apple Stores for service are also being retro-fitted with the new screws. Previously, the screws at the base of the phone were crosshead screws.

The changes may have been instigated by the growing popularity of do-it-yourself white iPhone conversion kits. A New York high school student recently made headlines when it was revealed that he had made as much as $130,000 selling kits that help users convert their black iPhone 4 units into white ones.

Apple has repeatedly delayed the launch of the white iPhone 4. In July, Apple admitted that the white hardware proved "more challenging to manufacture" than the company originally anticipated.

Apple Store burglary

Thieves stole over $10,000 of Apple merchandise Monday after smashing a plate-glass door at an Apple Store in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Penn., MacNN reports. iPhones, iPods, and Macs were taken from the retail store.

Police are investigating whether the break-in is connected to a burglary at a nearby T-Mobile store, which had its glass storefront smashed several hours earlier.

In September, burglars stole more than $24,000 in products from an Apple Store in Naperville, Ill., also by smashing glass to gain entrance.

With high concentrations of valuable merchandise and glass storefronts, Apple stores have become the occasional target of "smash and grab" burglaries. Last year, security footage at a New Jersey Apple Store showed robbers making off with 23 MacBook Pros, 14 iPhones and 9 iPod touches in 31 seconds.