The Verge:
The T2 chip, which acts as a co-processor, is the secret to many of Apple’s newest and most advanced features. However, its introduction into more computers and the likelihood that it becomes commonplace in every Mac going forward has renewed concerns that Apple is trying to further lock down its devices from third-party repair services.
Apple confirmed to The Verge that this is the case for repairs involving certain components on newer Macs, like the logic board and Touch ID sensor, which is the first time the company has publicly acknowledged the new repair requirements for T2-equipped Macs. But Apple could not provide a list of repairs that required this or what devices were affected. It also couldn’t say whether it began this protocol with the iMac Pro’s introduction last year or if it’s a new policy instituted recently.
I get why Apple feels they need to do this but I think, without a better, fuller explanation of their reasoning behind doing it (something we are unlikely to see/hear), they are on the wrong side of this issue. If they’re not careful, they may find themselves in legal hot water because of it.
I remember a few years ago I watched someone abuse their way into Apple replacing their iPhone for free, even though they’d installed a shitty third party screen and TouchID sensor. I’ve often wondered what happened to that iPhone once it made its way back into Apple’s system. Did they tear it apart, melt it down? Or did they do minimal repairs and send it back out again?
I’m sure it’s intended to be the former, but I don’t know if they have an allowance for “we’re accepting this for return even though we shouldn’t” in their system.
I’m afraid stuff like this just has to happen. If the OS can’t trust your computer’s hardware, the applications can’t trust the OS and the user can’t trust the applications. Allowing untrusted hardware makes the whole code signing system useless against certain types of attacks.
I’m surprised none of the people reporting on this are noticing the parallels between this and the almost identical situation a few years ago in iPhones when either the logic board or TouchID sensor was replaced. It’s just as obvious now as it was back then that this is about maintaining a secure connection between the TouchID sensor and the Secure Enclave.
While there are a number of nefarious reasons why Apple could be doing this, there are a number of reasons that are just as plausible:
1) If you are providing sales to the US government, you must maintain your supply chain and have plans for detecting counterfeit parts. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/48/252.246-7007
2) If there are “compatible” parts which are inferior (but look “ok”) who is left holding the bag when those parts fail or fail to meet the quality of the originals.
3) Who is harmed when bad actors insert bugged parts into the supply chain, but sold as a cheaper version. How hard would it be to create a screen scraper that submitted everything on your screen wirelessly to a third party?
If you aren’t worried that any of this could happen, perhaps you are not paranoid enough.
It’s certainly not an issue that’s easily addressed by right-to-repair rhetoric alone, sad to say.
The issue is likely to be security and some concern over quality of work but I think Apple has to consider people in countries where there aren’t Apple stores or authorized repair centers or where they’re far away from users. I’m in Seattle. I have, uh, I think 5 Apple stores that I can drive to in under an hour, 3 in under 20 minutes if traffic isn’t hellish (right…). People in other countries or even those in the rural or exurb US may well be hours or more from the nearest Apple store. For example, there are no Apple stores that I can find in all of Johannesburg, S. Africa.