A second-hand MacBook M1 or M2 is worthless if it is blocked by its former owner
Apple has installed stricter security on MacBooks with an M1 or M2 chip. These prevent any user other than the original owner from creating a session. Consequently, the computer is unusable by a person who buys a second-hand copy. The situation is such that dealers end up dismantling them to use their spare parts.
Smartphones are getting more and more expensive. When they are not simply lost, they are often the subject of theft. In addition to the memories they may contain, these smartphones represent a security risk, whether you are an individual or a professional. Numeric identity. Means of payment. Dematerialized keys. The protection of this data is essential. If all telephony players have acted to improve the security of this information, Apple has gone much further, going as far as make a blocked smartphone virtually unusable.
Apple launches M2 Pro and M2 Max processors and almost says goodbye to the M1 chip
A strategy that was then extended to laptops. From 2018, MacBooks have been equipped with “T2” chips, components developed by Apple to be digital safes. Virtually impossible to circumvent, the T2 has contributed to the sharp reduction in the market for used Apple computers and prevents certain repairs carried out by an unlicensed service provider. Units bought back by resellers are sometimes blocked by the previous owner. Owners who may be companies that have renewed their computer equipment or that have filed for bankruptcy. It is then difficult, if not impossible, to retrieve the necessary information.
Stuck MacBook M1s or M2s become sources of spare parts
The issue has become more critical since MacBooks upgraded to M1. Indeed, the chip now incorporates all security features of T2. If some hackers claim to have circumvented the security of T2 when it was isolated, the same ones have admitted being unable to achieve the same feat with M1 or M2. A situation aggravated by the fact that more and more spare parts are soldered to the motherboard. In fact, if a MacBook is not properly unlocked by its previous owner, it will not have no more valuable secondhand than a paperweight.
Interviewed by our American colleagues from Vicea retailer explains that these MacBooks, bought back legally, but whose former owners (especially professionals) are unreachable, are then used as a source of spare parts. A shame for machines in very good condition and whose purchase price can go up above 3000 euros. According to this retailer, Apple would have been contacted on multiple occasions. The goal: to ask the firm for a way to unlock computers after redemption, while ensuring data security, of course.
The firm never responded positively. For the retailer, this is blatant proof that Apple wants Stem the used MacBook market outside of its stores and partners. In its defense, the Cupertino company has always claimed to be unable to unlock a MacBook (or an iPhone), because it does not have a backdoor. Additionally, she claims that she cannot decode encrypted backups or passwords. And, in a way, it’s reassuring: who wants a device that the manufacturer is able to access? No one.
Source: Vice Motherboard
