Apple has never been a fan of other companies
that repair iPhones and Macs. But from the new iMac Pro and MacBook Pro,
the company also makes it impossible.
MacBook Pro 2018 repair only by
Apple itself
Motherboard received
an internal document from Apple that explains how it is practically impossible
for an independent repair company to repair an iMac Pro or MacBook Pro
2018 .
The new T2 security chip in the two devices
plays a central role in this. This ensures that there is a software lock
on the device, which makes them unusable as soon as it is tinkered.
The only way to open this lock is with
Apple's own System Configuration Software. This software is only available
for Apple itself and Apple Service Providers, such as Amac in the
Netherlands. Once the software is used, it connects directly to Apple's
servers, which also require login data.
T2 chip makes self-repair impossible
If the software is not used, the document
writes, then the device is in an 'unusable state' and 'incomplete
repair'. As a result, every repair shop that is not connected to Apple is
completely sidelined.
The T2 chip in the latest Macs is not only
made to exclude repairers. The chip also makes the protection of the
device much better. Because the chip is separate from the rest of the
hardware, it is a lot harder to see data from it. For that reason, a Mac
stores your privacy-sensitive data from now on.
For the time being, only the MacBook Pro 2018
and iMac Pro are equipped with this T2 chip, but it is obvious that every
future Mac will get it. Not only the days of external repair shops, but
also the days of repairing your Mac independently seem to have been counted
definitively.
