https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/07/29/what-apples-t2-ch... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Silicon#T_series
Poor Apple had already destroyed that for iPhones and iPads but just couldn't do it for their laptops, until now!
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akw558/apples-t2-security...
But, I do wholeheartedly endorse right to repair. I'm very bummed about the recovery options for newer laptops with non-removable drives. I was also bummed to hear that ARM-Macs won't have Target Disk Mode.
Those laptops will still be valuable for some parts, but considering now that not only the RAM is soldered to the motherboard, but the SSD too... there's not going to be much left to use.
I find the "theft" argument very hard to swallow for two reasons. First, thieves will consistently steal electronics -- smash-and-grab first, discard later. A thief unable to sell your irretrievably lost phone is a pyrrhic victory, to be sure. Thieves with domain knowledge may be savvy enough to stay away, but I would bet that is rare and more limited to organized theft rings.
Secondly, and more damning, Apple has repeatedly paid lobbyists to parrot the anti-theft security scenario at hearings discussing enacting right-to-repair laws (as well as spreading misleading FUD on repair safety). Apple could work with legit recyclers to find sustainable ways to recover donated products, but they very deliberately refuse to. IMO this makes their security arguments suspect.
In general, I'm very distrustful of a security model that relies so heavily on their cloud holding all the keys.
I do think we're talking about different secondhand markets--or at least different large sections of it. Buying/selling working Macs aren't affected. That's the only one I've ever dealt with. I do think I was wrong above about non-working Macs--I do think there will be no resale value if they had a T2 chip.
> I find the "theft" argument very hard to swallow...
Multiple cities cited 25-35% drop when activation locks were rolled out. Personally, I've only had iPhones stolen before this. I do think most are crimes of opportunity, but a large chunk, especially if they're stealing multiple phones, know how they're going to unload them. But, I don't think this T2 repair thing is relevant. I don't imagine thieves parting off stolen phones because it's not worth it. Even organized crime.
I do agree Apple has misrepresented the situation and right to repair is one of the few topics I write to my representatives about.
Agreed, thieves aren't parting off stolen phones. I was referring primarily to unattended property theft (car break-ins, theft from public spaces, etc.) not muggings. Probably depends on what is driving the crime.
Yet the camera on a laptop is the thing that we need to cover? It’s a weird security model, that’s all.
Besides, on a MacBook it sounds like the webcam light is almost impossible to circumvent because of the implementation.
Almost impossible just means it requires lots of money/dedication, but still a T2 chip compromise is scalable and can be done remotely, which is fundamentally different from physically compromising hardware.
But it's not even just for hackers. Zoom had the SUPER annoying habit of turning your cam on when the meeting organiser selected that everyone should cam.
This led to several colleagues being unaware they were being shown at that time. One was even lying in bed and called in from her phone. That's her business, it was 8pm at her location. But now everyone knows.
A hardware slider would have prevented all of these real-world problems.