When Apple Inc. set off a frenzy of activity on September 19th with the debut of its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, workers from Teardown.com lined up at 5 A.M. at stores across Austin to buy three devices. Then they returned to the company's offices, where engineers began disassembling the new products.

"We took a screwdriver and tore them apart," said one of Teardown.com's analysts. "We wanted to know every detail of everything that's inside: who the supplier was for every component, wire and screw, and how much it cost to make." Over the next 12 hours, the battery, cameras, display, materials, and electronics were analyzed and priced, and the information was rolled into a spreadsheet.

The "quick-turn" report was shared with Teardown.com's clients, who include tech manufacturers, financial investors looking for market trends, and resellers who want to know how much individual parts cost. Attorneys use the reports for patent-infringement cases, and engineering teams study them for design ideas. Over the past 15 years, Teardown.com has broken down more than 2,000 products, including tablets, digital cameras and camcorders, notebook PCs, and gaming consoles. Every product the company has dismantled, dating back to the first digital music players and GPS devices, is stored away in the company's morgue

Sadly, some people make it their primary business to tear things and people down rather than building them up.