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Comment by zoffix222 | Hacker News Reader

That's deeply troubling. Does this issue affect iPads too? I have one I got at work I had the screen repaired on at the mall. It's bugging me to update the OS and now I'm worried it'll lock up just the same :S

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I think I can infer an answer to my own question from this article: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/05/error-53-apple-...

Apple's response was this is due to security stuff with the touch ID sensor and since my iPad doesn't have one, it shouldn't be affected.

You're correct, a non-touch id iOS device won't be affected. This is specific to the security involving the match cabling and sensor used in touch id iOS devices only. Everything else can still be replaced third party as this actually IS a security issue. This also shouldn't be news as Apple pointed this out when touch id first came out in that the buttons would not be replaceable except via apple (which if I'm correct, at the time they didn't discus replicability being viable at all).

So since it's a "security issue", the only resort for Apple was to BRICK user's phone he paid huge amounts for? Why couldn't they just disable the entire fingerprint system (only) duly informing the user and restoring the phone to factory settings (erasing everything) at the most if needed?

Seriously? Downvoting this because you can't hear anything wrong about your favorite company?

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