Apple Preventing People From Repairing Devices They Own - The UpStream

Over the past few years, the trend of electronics companies preventing consumers from making alterations to their devices has been on the rise. When it came to videogame consoles, one of the early implementors, it made some sense: altering a console could cause cheating, which is no fun for those who play legitimately. But, as the trend left gaming consoles, it went from a policy to protect a community to a policy to protect corporate profits.

We've seen phones and laptops seal their bodies, even preventing their owners from changing something as simple as a battery - a capability that both had previously had for decades. All of these changes have been made difficult or nearly impossible, but if you had the determination, you could make the repair and continue to use your device. All of that is about to change, however.

This week, it was revealed that Apple has made a change to its 2018 MacBook Pros and iMac Pros, updating a piece of hardware included in their computers specifically to punish people who want to fix a product they own. The new version of the chip, the T2, will temporarily self-destruct the computer if certain repairs or upgrades are performed without authorization. These actions include anything involving the display assembly, logic board, keyboard or trackpad, or Touch ID board. These are some of the most common and most expensive repairs, which causes owners to look for less expensive options. Unfortunately, to get the computer back up and running after a repair, Apple's Toolkit 2 has to be run to unlock the device.

In addition to being a downer to owners themselves, this policy change is going to add several new complications to the macOS ecosystem. First and foremost is computer repair stores. Most are not able to get certified Apple Authorized, which means that these companies will no longer be able to repair or upgrade these computers for their customers without making things worse.

This will also create a new complication for people looking to purchase a used Mac. Similar to Xbox, PlayStation, iPhone, and other devices, there is now a risk of purchasing a used Mac that is theoretically fully functional and even potentially upgraded, but which doesn't work.

This policy has nothing to do with security and everything to do with greed on Apple's part. Apple wants you to bring your computer to an Apple Store or an authorized repair center (which pays for that right), rather than taking it to your local computer shop, so that they can charge customers far above market rate for repairs. Hopefully, other manufacturers won't follow Apple's terrible lead in this area.