I mean, you were never blocked from replacing ICs. Most people just didn’t have the capability to solder. Today, IC replacement is blocked by hardware DRM.
Both iPhones I had started falling apart software-wise within a year or two. Messages wouldn’t send, internet connections would fail, graphical glitches were everywhere, and I didn’t get more control of the device to compensate. Also, WebKit fucks up so often it’s frustrating.
I mean, you were never blocked from replacing ICs. Most people just didn’t have the capability to solder. Today, IC replacement is blocked by hardware DRM.