Apple, one of the US technology companies, calls its laptops MacBook. According to the news of Vice, some second-hand MacBooks turn into parts because they cannot be restored to factory settings. Because, the article claims, there is no way for recyclers to log in and reset machines that are usually a few years old to factory settings.
“IF A DEVICE IS LOCKED, THERE IS NOTHING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT”
According to the report, this is due to Apple’s T2 security chip. First introduced in 2018, laptops make it impossible for anyone who isn’t the original owner to log into the machine. John Bumstead, the owner of a repair shop, used the following statements in his statement to Motherboard:
“If a device is locked there is nothing to be done about it. Even jailbreakers/bypassers have no solution and probably won’t because Apple proprietary chips are tough.”
When Apple released its own M1 chip, it integrated the features of the T2 into those computers.
No matter what happens, a bypassed Mac is a hacked, hacked machine, and if wiped and reset it will revert to a locked state, so it’s unethical to sell bypassed macs in a retail setting. said.
Responsible recyclers and refurbishers delete leftover data before selling used, second-hand devices. In this case, the data is deleted, but the device cannot be paired with a new user, allegedly making them virtually worthless.
Instead of finding a second home for these machines, Bumstead and others are said to have disassembled them and sold the parts.
THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED, THEY DO NOT CALL ON THE PHONES!
According to the transfers, previous owners of devices are often companies or schools that buy and sell machines in bulk and are not interested in helping recyclers or renovators unlock the machines. According to Bumstead, previous owners don’t answer phones, and large companies that sell more than 3,000 machines assume they’ve already been destroyed.
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Every year Apple makes life a little harder for the second-hand market. claiming “When we come across a legitimately acquired locked machine, we should be able to log into our Apple account, enter the serial number and any information provided, then click a button and send the machine to Apple to be unlocked. Then Apple can review its records, question the original owner if it wants to, however, if there are no ‘red flags’ at the end of the day and the original owner does not object within 30 days, the device should automatically unlock.” He suggested a solution.
Although there is no response from Apple on the subject yet, what the company will say is eagerly awaited. However, Apple frequently states that it cares about the security of its users. This situation can be considered as a security measure taken by Apple to protect its users rather than a problem.