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Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

ifixit.com

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Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#71

Post by AWildC182 »

mrtksn wrote: post #13

I am a big fan of iFixit and dig their teardowns just as much as the device releases themselves but their "Companies should prioritize on ease of repair even if it makes the devices less portable and less secure" narrative flips me. I never, ever buy devices for repair purposes or to resell them without bothering to do a factory re-set. The ideal device is one that doesn't need a repair and I do not accept for my dev…

> but their "Companies should prioritize on ease of repair even if it makes the devices less portable and less secure" narrative flips me.

Everything wears out eventually. Nothing made in the past ten years is made to last forever and the trend is accelerating. Everyone uses their devices differently whether they're carefully stored in a laptop bag when not in use or sit out in a machine shop and everything in between.

Processors aren't really getting that much faster so devices can last a lot longer than the did in the past. To spite this, build quality is getting worse and everyone is gluing batteries into their devices that WILL degrade to uselessness after 2-3 years of regular use.

This mentality has to stop if don't want to create mountains of useless e-waste.

Edit: also, nobody is asking for less security. Device theft isn't that big of an issue. This is just apple trying to screw with the resale market because they're struggling to sell more new devices when their existing ones aren't being obsoleted at the rate they used to.

Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#72

Post by [deleted] »

meddlin wrote: post #68
crazygringo wrote: post #5

I'm entirely on Apple's side here. It makes me very happy, as a consumer, knowing that if someone steals my phone, they can't get any value out of it. I don't want them to be able to sell it to a refurbisher for cash. And I don't want them to be able to do it with my laptop either. And for refurbishers, it's not hard to make it an obvious required step for anyone looking to sell their own legitimately-owned phone. Yo…

No. Simply no. What is stopping a "criminal" from bypassing this activation lock? Time and technical ability? It surely isn't legal recourse or fear of losing the device. It's a matter of time before this is moot. On top of that, I've left "criminal" in quotes because quite frankly, I don't care if Apple claims breaking this lock is a breach of DMCA, ToS, or anything else. I've paid for the device. It's mine. The dat…

[deleted]

Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#73

Post by rrdharan »

AWildC182 wrote: post #71
mrtksn wrote: post #13

I am a big fan of iFixit and dig their teardowns just as much as the device releases themselves but their "Companies should prioritize on ease of repair even if it makes the devices less portable and less secure" narrative flips me. I never, ever buy devices for repair purposes or to resell them without bothering to do a factory re-set. The ideal device is one that doesn't need a repair and I do not accept for my dev…

> but their "Companies should prioritize on ease of repair even if it makes the devices less portable and less secure" narrative flips me. Everything wears out eventually. Nothing made in the past ten years is made to last forever and the trend is accelerating. Everyone uses their devices differently whether they're carefully stored in a laptop bag when not in use or sit out in a machine shop and everything in betwee…

> Device theft isn't that big of an issue.

On what basis are you making this claim?

At least for phones, activation locks had a noticeable impact on reducing device theft (which was rampant for a while earlier in the smartphone era and a real public safety concern in cities).

https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/11/apples-activation-lock-lea...

Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#74

Post by aeturnum »

AWildC182 wrote: post #67
aeturnum wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be simple for apple to extend the system by allowing recyclers to ask apple to send a message to the previous owner of the device. This would be extremely pro-consumer, because it would allow lost devices to be returned via an official channel. It would also allow users to release their claims on hardware they meant to give away. The "solution" of just expecting the previous owner to never make a mistake is…

And while this is a nice thought, it will never happen. Apple hates 3rd parties that touch their hardware. They're constantly at war with those trying to repair their devices and the right-to-repair movement.

I agree with you assessment of how likely this is.

I also think this system would be even better than Apple's current approach to ensuring that owners retain control of their data and hardware. Preventing misuse and allowing responsible transfer are two sides of the same coin. Though, again, I don't think Apple would see it that way.

Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#75

Post by AWildC182 »

rrdharan wrote: post #73
AWildC182 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but their "Companies should prioritize on ease of repair even if it makes the devices less portable and less secure" narrative flips me. Everything wears out eventually. Nothing made in the past ten years is made to last forever and the trend is accelerating. Everyone uses their devices differently whether they're carefully stored in a laptop bag when not in use or sit out in a machine shop and everything in betwee…

> Device theft isn't that big of an issue. On what basis are you making this claim? At least for phones, activation locks had a noticeable impact on reducing device theft (which was rampant for a while earlier in the smartphone era and a real public safety concern in cities). https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/11/apples-activation-lock-lea...

I'm making that claim on a personal basis. I've never had a device stolen and I know of exactly one such incident with a person I know. I just don't consider it a problem that trumps right to repair and if you do, I hope apple starts potting their devices in epoxy.

Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#77

Post by gruez »

izacus wrote: post #66
jedberg wrote: post #38

You can't make a security feature with a backdoor, or it's not security feature anymore. I'm with Apple on this. They really have no way of knowing that you're selling/giving away the phone, so they can't have the phone tell you to unlock. That's really on the buyer. They need to know about getting the seller to reset. Right now Sprint is running a deal where they give you a new phone if you turn in the old one. In v…

> You can't make a security feature with a backdoor, or it's not security feature anymore. Why are you so 100% sure that there's no way that Apple could design a system to keep it secure and allow recycling? There's hundreds of ways they could design their security flow where recycling is possible.

>Why are you so 100% sure that there's no way that Apple could design a system to keep it secure and allow recycling? There's hundreds of ways they could design their security flow where recycling is possible.

Can you list some of them? How would you prevent unscrupulous recylers from turning into fences for stolen macs?

Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#78

Post by cbdumas »

justusthane wrote: post #76

> And smartphone thefts have plummeted over the last several years, so stolen phones are becoming less of a problem in the first place. I wonder why? Maybe due to theft-prevention features like Activation Lock?

Yep if you click through to the article they linked that's exactly what it says.

Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#79

Post by mvanbaak »

faitswulff wrote: post #37

I feel like most posters here aren't reading the full article, specifically this paragraph: > When asked what could be done, Schindler suggests Apple implement a bypass that would allow certified recyclers and refurbishers to unlock donated devices if they’re not reported lost or stolen. And Shindler says 99% of the locked devices his facility receives aren’t lost or stolen. “People don’t steal a phone to then go run…

> Apple implement a bypass that would allow certified recyclers and refurbishers to unlock donated devices

Sure, and now please tell me how long it will take for the non certified 'recyclers' to also know how to bypass this activation lock? This bypass will render the whole feature useless, and can be removed the moment this bypass is implemented.

Re: Apple’s Activation Lock Will Make It Difficult to Refurbish Macs

#80

Post by mvanbaak »

izacus wrote: post #65

Umm... does that mean that those Macs can't be repaired in 3rd party shops either now? Since if I remember correctly, on iPhones the repairers can't replace the secure bonded components anymore.

No. Repair means broken parts get replaced but the same owner (thus the person who activated the mac) will get the device back.

This new feature simply means macbook robery will go down like the cellphone robery went down after activation lock became normal. Thus, a better world.

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