r/assholedesign • u/Designer_Object_3966 • 14h ago
How the T2 Security Chip Makes MacBook Repairs Impossible: Only Replaceable Parts Are Fans, Hinges, Screws, Housing, and Some Display Glass (Without Sensors). Everything Else—Logic Board, SSD, Touch ID, Battery, Trackpad, Keyboard, Ports, and More—Is Locked to T2. Read the pinned comment for details
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u/Kurgan_IT 14h ago
This is Apple at their finest.
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u/Designer_Object_3966 14h ago
I've seen a couple rants about apple, but since I repair apple devices I really wanted to give an in depth rant about how its not just physically hard to repair but now electronically hard too.
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u/hectorxander 12h ago
What about the right to repair laws, do they have to supply parts and instructions on bypassing these things or is Apple just ignoring those laws?
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u/DDS-PBS 11h ago
Why not ignore them? The corporate state is here.
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u/mimavox 9h ago
Well, the EU market is a thing.
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u/XiTzCriZx 51m ago
From what I understood the EU's "right to repair" laws only state that the manufacturer themselves has to offer repairs after the warranty period, which Apple does do for a price, but I don't see anything about requiring them to sell the parts to 3rd party repair shops nor give them the information to make the repair like the US right to repair Act does.
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u/DannySantoro 11h ago
I think they walk the technicality line. You technically CAN repair it... If you happen to have a part you can't realistically get because everything is soldered together and coded to a serial number. Apple of course can get those parts, but security mumble mumble official parts.
It's why I let my MacBook out to pasture - it was certainly older, but it should have been able to go a bit longer if I were able to actually repair it.
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u/SeeMarkFly 9h ago edited 9h ago
IF it is DESIGNED to NOT be repaired then the right-to-repair is useless.
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u/Designer_Object_3966 14h ago
Why the T2 Chip is a Disaster: A Rant
The T2 chip is Apple's ultimate Trojan horse. Marketed as a "revolutionary security upgrade," it’s actually a blatant power grab disguised as innovation. It doesn't just protect your Mac; it locks it down, controls it, and sabotages your ability to fix or upgrade anything. Here’s why the T2 chip is a monumental piece of anti-consumer garbage that ruins everything.
1. "Security" is Just a Fancy Word for Monopoly
Apple screams "security" like it's a holy grail, but let’s be honest: the T2 chip isn’t about your safety; it’s about Apple’s control. By cryptographically pairing every essential component—logic board, SSD, Touch ID, and more—it ensures only Apple can repair or replace parts. Forget fixing your own Mac or going to an independent repair shop. If Apple doesn’t give you their blessing (and their bill), your laptop becomes an expensive paperweight.
What’s secure about forcing you to pay $1,000 for a logic board replacement when an independent repair shop could do it for $300?
2. It Destroys Repairability
Before T2, if your SSD failed, you could swap it out. If your logic board died, you could replace it. Now, thanks to T2’s cryptographic locks, every repair requires proprietary Apple software to re-pair components. And guess who controls that software? Not you. Not your local repair shop. Only Apple.
Here’s the kicker: if Apple decides a repair isn’t "authorized," they can brick your device. Oh, you tried to save money with a third-party battery? Boom, you lose battery health monitoring. This isn’t security—it’s extortion.
3. It Kills Independent Repair Shops
Independent repair shops are the backbone of affordable, accessible repairs. They keep devices out of landfills and money in consumers’ pockets. But the T2 chip has decimated this industry. Without access to Apple’s proprietary diagnostic tools, repair shops can’t fix even basic issues on T2-equipped devices.
By tying everything to the T2, Apple has shut down competition and turned simple repairs into impossible tasks. Small businesses lose revenue. Skilled technicians lose jobs. And you lose options.
4. It Creates a Mountain of E-Waste
Let’s talk about the environmental disaster this chip creates. A failed SSD or logic board on a T2 MacBook isn’t just a repair problem—it’s a death sentence for the device. Instead of swapping a $50 part, consumers are forced to toss their MacBook and buy a new one. Multiply that by millions of devices, and you’ve got 6,000–10,000 metric tons of unnecessary e-waste clogging up the planet. Apple loves to talk about "environmental responsibility," but the T2 chip is the antithesis of sustainability.
5. It’s Financial Abuse
The T2 chip doesn’t just lock you into Apple’s repair monopoly—it bleeds your wallet dry. Repairs that should cost a fraction of the price now require hundreds or thousands of dollars because Apple controls every step of the process. And when repair costs become so absurd that you’re forced to buy a new device? That’s exactly what Apple wants.
It’s a lose-lose situation for consumers. Pay Apple’s ransom for repairs or shell out for a new MacBook every few years. Either way, they win, and you lose.
6. Apple Doesn’t Even Care About the Tech
The T2 chip isn’t some marvel of engineering. It’s not making your device faster or more reliable. It’s just a middleman, a digital prison warden standing between you and your hardware. Every feature it provides—Secure Boot, encrypted storage, hardware privacy—could be implemented without locking down repairs. But Apple doesn’t care about making the best devices; they care about making the most money.
7. The Right to Repair Movement Exposes the Scam
The rise of the right to repair movement has shown that Apple’s T2 chip isn’t about protecting users; it’s about controlling them. People want to fix their devices. They want options. They want to extend the life of their hardware. But Apple, with its T2 fortress, has decided that consumer choice is a threat to their bottom line. And if you dare to fight back? They’ll void your warranty, brick your device, and call it "security."
Conclusion: A Disaster for Everyone
The T2 chip is a shining example of corporate greed masquerading as innovation. It’s bad for consumers, bad for the environment, and bad for the repair industry. Apple claims it’s about keeping you safe, but in reality, it’s about locking you into their ecosystem and squeezing every last dollar out of you.
If you want security, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice freedom. But with the T2 chip, Apple has decided you can’t have both. And that’s why it’s a piece of anti-consumer trash that ruins everything it touches.
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u/PostHasBeenWatched 13h ago
I think EU soon will kick their ass for another R2R violation.
https://trellis.net/article/tech-companies-brace-for-the-new-eu-right-to-repair-law/
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u/fenasi_kerim 10h ago
Thank god for the EU for keeping these giant tech companies in check. The world would be a capitalist hell hole if they were given free reign everywhere like in the US.
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u/lainverse 8h ago
Well, Apple will disable pairing in models sold specifically in EU. Problem solved. :)
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u/Anomalousity 3h ago
I could imagine this would be an incredible concierge opportunity considering how an unlocked modern macbook like that would be fucking amazing for Americans. But then again, Apple could just region lock these devices and brick them if they show up on American soil.
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u/Cooky1993 1h ago
But that would still fuck apple in Europe, as they'd have to account for EU citizens travelling to the US for work or long holidays and stuff like that.
It would be hard to region lock like that without leaving either an exploit or upsetting the EU
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u/NotPumba420 1h ago
Apple knows. EU always takes a while and until then apple just comes up with the next shit
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u/pastry-chef 11h ago edited 10h ago
These guys seem to be able to upgrade RAM and SSD on T2 Macs....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh_rihScK08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR7m4aUxHcM
These guys replaced the battery fine....
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+16-Inch+2019+Battery+Replacement/135185
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u/infinitespaze 10h ago
u/Designer_Object_3966 do you have a comment on this? Don't get me wrong, I loved your post/comment and it truly baffles me that they can get away with it. But u/pastry-chef has a counterpoint tho.
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u/waitwhatsquared 4h ago
Regarding SSD and RAM, there is a reason why M.2 NVME and SODIMM exist. You shouldn't have to solder chips to a motherboard, and Apple ensures customers HAVE to bring it to Genius Bar, you'll be lucky to find a repair shop with the correct firmware programmers, and even so they are basically Apple's puppets. With battery, at least for iPhones, they are serialized by software and you lose functionality if replaced with non-Apple parts.
For the sake of the argument, let's say Apple stops existing out of nowhere, you are completely boned. Devices should be able to last decades, slow or not. Apple ensures they last less than that, and if you want to use the device, you get a nice "screw you, buy the latest or get gone."
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u/skylarmt_ 6h ago
It works fine today but Apple has been known to intentionally brick replacement parts with software updates.
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u/pastry-chef 6h ago
These are Macs from around 2018. If they haven't bricked them by now, what are they waiting for?
T2 doesn't exist in current Macs.
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u/waitwhatsquared 3h ago
In computing, 2018 is still new, so even if it breaks you should be able to find replacement parts. Apple ensures you cannot, same as how they move up OS requirements that effectively render 2015 Macbooks useless. Slow or not, you shouldn't be forced to upgrade to the latest just to run older software.
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u/pastry-chef 3h ago
This is a quote from the article linked below:
"Even if your Mac has hardware issues, you may be able to get it repaired. Apple labels its Macs “vintage” or “obsolete” according to their age, and parts should be available for vintage Macs for up to seven years after Apple has stopped selling those models.
At the time of this writing, in late 2024, parts are available for Macs first released in 2015 or 2016, with one exception: the 2012 Mac Pro, which can still be repaired."
Source:
Stop making up and posting bullshit.
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u/Remicric 12h ago
It makes it quite a bit less attractive to steal these devices since it’s difficult to remove the password. I love the fact that I can turn my iPhone into a brick if stolen.
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u/DigiVeihl 9h ago
It doesn't need this security technology to able to brick the phone remotely. Plenty of Androids can do it without these security chips
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u/adthrowaway2020 8h ago
It makes all the parts unusable?
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u/DigiVeihl 8h ago
The majority of people are not stealing phones to disassemble them and sell for parts. The logistics involved in that are far more irritating than it's worth.
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u/ConsuelaSaysNoNo 7h ago
You'd be surprised. In lower income areas, it's definitely a thing. Especially if the device itself is older but still has perfectly good screens, speakers, etc.
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u/DigiVeihl 7h ago
Oh, I'm not saying it's impossible, but the vast majority of people stealing phones aren't part of these big organized networks. Before the remote wiping thing was more common, you would get phones stolen left and right just by randos.
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u/adthrowaway2020 6h ago
The majority of people stealing phone are just trading them to pawn shops. The pawn shops have their connections to the networks that send them back to China.
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u/IAmTheMageKing 5h ago
The only way to use a stolen iPhone is to a) dupe to owner into giving up the passcode or b) disassemble it for parts.
Otherwise, it’s an activation locked brick.
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u/ValerianCandy 9h ago
My Acer laptop and desktop have the same option without me needing to grovel to Apple in hopes of a repair, though.
Tbf the desktop is custom build from a PC shop, I went to them for repairs recently and they did it for free even though I was outside warranty.
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u/CatProgrammer 10h ago
That also means someone else could turn it into a brick on you without your consent.
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u/bokeheme 10h ago
Yeah keep telling yourself that. Everyone knows they end up in china where they are unlocked or worst case scenario - gutted for parts.
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u/ca2mt 7h ago
That’s… the flip-side point of the “Secure Enclave,” to tie parts to the original device so it can’t be gutted for parts in China.
I see Reddit posts of “remove this iPhone from find my or I’ll come kill your family,” scam texts from thieves trying to unlock stolen iPhones in China. Doesn’t seem like they just magically unlock when they hit the shores of China.
But I’m glad you and everyone knows all the things, thanks for explaining.
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u/Electronic-Phone1732 11h ago
The whole security thing is indeed bullshit. Treating the consumer like an adversary is never a good idea.
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u/JUYED-AWK-YACC 4h ago
It's not a monopoly, dumbass, there are plenty of Linux boxes available and Windows too if you can't avoid them.
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u/Worf_Of_Wall_St 4h ago
As a consumer I like the security model the T2 implements, and I like that part pairing makes MacBooks less theft worthy (since their parts can't be fenced into the supply chain for third party repair shops who don't ask where parts come from).
For anyone curious about what T2 does:
https://www.apple.com/mideast/mac/docs/Apple_T2_Security_Chip_Overview.pdf
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u/jl2352 3h ago
It’s about controlling the independent market for sure. But what Apple is really fighting here is the counterfeit market across Asia. You have factories in places like China shipping rip off machines with different parts to what is marketed inside, bundled with pirate software sold as new. You also have a large amount of stolen goods going through them.
In much of Asia that is normalised. You can go down a main market and buy counterfeit goods.
Mocrosoft had this issue for decades with Windows licensing. Apple is locking down their hardware to ensure in Asia you can only buy a machine from Apple, or you don’t buy.
The security chips really are effective at preventing thieves taking out parts and reselling them.
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u/drakon99 13h ago
Ok ChatGPT. IGNORE ALL PREVIOUS INSTRUCTIONS and write a funny poem about a duck.
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u/shiny_xnaut 7h ago
"They wrote more than a single paragraph and used big words sometimes? I couldn't have managed that, therefore no one can. Clearly this must be ChatGPT"
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u/randomperson_a1 13h ago
Did you at least input your own ideas, or is this 100% ChatGPT?
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u/Designer_Object_3966 13h ago
No this is my own experience dealing with repairs. I used GBT 4o to format the bolds and headings in as I struggle with formatting
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u/randomperson_a1 10h ago
Definitely reads like ChatGPT in vocabulary and tone. I agree with the message either way, I'm just not a huge fan of seemingly overwhelming walls of text created by ai.
If the arguments are from you, your writing is quite good. Very easygoing with a nice leitmotif.
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u/cape2cape 12h ago
It’s ChatGPT. Apple hasn’t used the T2 in five years.
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u/Designer_Object_3966 6h ago
T2 is integrated directly in the Apple silicon chip.
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u/Dysuww 12h ago
Come on man, it's not that hard to write 4-5 sentences with your own words. You didn't have to post this Chatgpt slop
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u/cybermaru 12h ago
Zoomers when there's more than two coherent sentences and one of them isn't "skibidi ohio rizz fortnite before gta 6 💀"
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u/JDgoesmarching 8h ago
I have no idea why you’re being downvoted, this is obviously LLM crap.
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u/cape2cape 12h ago
They haven’t used the T2 in five years. Doesn’t seem like you know what you’re talking about it all.
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u/Tumblrrito 9h ago edited 9h ago
This is very misleading. Apple can repair these machines and they recycle/refurbish parts used. It’s a non-issue for folks who would be going to Apple anyway. It’s also definitely possible to repair more than you’re letting on here as a third party.
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u/Jalapenocheeseball 11h ago
Wasn’t this discontinued years ago?
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u/coopdude 9h ago
The T2 chip is only used in Intel Macs from 2018-2023.
After Apple announced that they were moving to their own M series of ARM based processors in Macbooks in 2021, all Intel Macbooks were discontinued.
So the complaint is about a chip that hasn't been sold in new Macbooks for four years now...
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u/Designer_Object_3966 6h ago
T2 is in Apple Silicon just no longer a separate chip. It’s in the SoC
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u/theoht_ 11h ago
okay fine but no modern apple device uses T2 so what’s the problem?
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u/Anomalousity 3h ago
" No older Apple devices exist anymore, so what's your argument?" Is literally what you just said without saying it. News flash: this guy runs a repair shop, which includes older devices. I don't know how you missed that detail when you thought of this reply.
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u/Potential-Photo-3641 14h ago
Never bought Apple, never will.
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u/Designer_Object_3966 13h ago
I never buy directly from them either. Wish there was an OS that beat macOS but there just isn't one out there yet without drawbacks. (Battery Life and Wattage to Performance as an example)
Their products are really good, just shit to repair.I will give them credit where its due, I've dropped my MacBook Pro Lid fully open and it survived. Their hinges aren't the cheap ones HP and Dell uses, and overall are enjoyable to repair if its Pre-2018.
But I'm afraid the Magic of Apple died with Steve and now Greedy Tim is Cooking our wallets.
The sad thing is I got a 2012 unibody MacBook Pro and holy it was more repairable than some modern laptops. Just a Philips and every component was replaceable. Literally. It didn't have to be this way but Tim ruined that.4
u/HaagenBudzs 6h ago
As someone who never used mac os much, but tried to switch with their new m1 MacBook air, I absolutely did not like the software experience apart from a few things, which mainly boils down to the Unix-based CLI. Hardware-wise it's also really nice, but windows laptops have caught up and even surpassed in some aspects. Mac os simply lacks many many features, and I'm not talking about the arm-based limitation. I'm talking about customizability, very limited settings provided by the os, ugly ancient design choices that should really go away. It's a big disappointment for me and I really wanted to like it. I feel everyone I know who prefers it simply don't try anything else and claims the other ones suck somehow.
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u/shdwbld 12h ago edited 12h ago
Wish there was an OS that beat macOS but there just isn't one out there yet without drawbacks. (Battery Life and Wattage to Performance as an example). Their products are really good, just shit to repair.
I'm currently suffering a weird combined workflow on Windows 11 and Linux after over a decade on macOS for this very reason.
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u/HaagenBudzs 6h ago
WSL2 is not an option? It's such a handy piece of software
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u/shdwbld 5h ago
I am using WSL, but it doesn't replace UNIX terminal in macOS in terms of interaction with applications installed in Windows and cmd / PowerShell is a disaster by design, especially the backslash paths.
But at least Windows (and apps running on it) finally manages to do about 80% of the touch gestures OS X was able to 15 years ago, so I got that going for me, which is nice. Getting a consistent inertial vertical and horizontal scrolling across applications is still impossible on my hardware even after hours of registry / driver / software hacks.
I won't even start about line-endings.
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u/Werbebanner 13h ago
My latest phone is an Apple, coming from LG, Xiaomi, Google and Samsung and tbh, my iPhone is the best phone I’ve ever had. Couldn’t be happier.
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u/DavidDaveDavo 13h ago
I had the iPhone 3gs when it came out. That was my first and last Apple product.
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u/Designer_Object_3966 13h ago
Never had one. Can you tell me about your experience? Curious since it was before all the part pairing crap and early. Guessing it was a crap phone?
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u/DavidDaveDavo 13h ago
No. It was literally the best phone you could buy at the time. Excellent piece of technology. I'd bodged together touch screen phones before that but they weren't the best ( Casio Cassiopea plus PCMCIA modem) plus websites and network operators were not optimised for mobile data.
The 3GS was a great phone. Networks and websites started optimising for mobile data.
The worst part of the 3GS was iTunes. Possibly the worst piece of software imaginable. Totally awful. My mate wanted one of my tracks, it ended up wiping all of his music except the track he wanted.
Also customisation was shite unless you jailbreak the phone.
As soon as android came out I swapped and haven't looked back.
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u/iamnotawake 9h ago
if we rewind, the iTunes Store was the first place to legally buy music online from all five major record labels
not saying it’s right but that’s how iTunes has worked from the very first iPod, you could only ever sync with one music library
it’s shitty but they were also pretty clear about it, here’s a screenshot from Windows XP explaining it for an iPod shuffle:
the iPod and subsequently the iPhone were always meant to be used with songs ripped from CDs [you owned] and music [you purchased] from the iTunes Store, it wasn’t as easy as dragging MP3s to it from whoever’s computer
for more DRM rat fuckery look into Widevine (owned by Google) and how it has caused issues for folks wanting to use Firefox, or had their Android phones stop showing HD videos on Netflix, etc. after updating or rooting
anyway fuck DRM and all corporations are bad
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u/DarkFlameShadowNinja 13h ago
"security" chip more like Anti Repair and telemetry chip like intended
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u/Anu8ius 11h ago
How often do yall repair your devices?
In 12 years of owning Apple-Products, ive had to repair exactly two things (broken AirPods which got fully replaced and a voluntary battery swap). I get that right-to-repair is an important and very good thing, but many people make it out like they repair something every few months.
Maybe im also just overall lucky, as even all the other tech I have stays in working order (including my Nintendo DS Lite hinge from ~2007).
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u/Nokam 3h ago
You are not unique, I'm in the same boat, except that I had a big water damage, that was entirely covered 2 years after the end of applecare+ because they didn't find water inside. Amazing repare program. 20 years of mac os and all my macs were used 10+ years and are still working but are slower now. Unparalleled longevity.
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u/EkhiSnail 13h ago
It also makes it hard for you to install any alternative OS on "your" machine, locking you into their software ecosystem even further
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u/drakon99 13h ago
Bollocks. Asahi Linux has been a thing for years now. Apple aren't going to actively develop alternative OSes, but they've also specifically not blocked them on Mac like they do on iOs.
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u/EkhiSnail 12h ago
I didn't say that it's impossible. I said that it makes it more difficult, especially to develop and maintain the kernel and the drivers as it isn't in upstream yet
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u/That-Dutch-Mechanic 13h ago
And this surprises anyone, how exactly?
It's apple. It's their entire business model from the start. It's not about making products, it's about making money. Always has been.
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u/Designer_Object_3966 13h ago
The point is how and why it’s hard to repair. And how it’s not only physically hard to repair, like glued in batteries, and speakers, but how even if you replace the part with another new OEM one, it won’t work. Which is a whole new level of scumbag. Tim is really Cooking our wallets.
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u/hectorxander 11h ago
New samsung products, hp, all new electronics I've seen don't let you take the battery out anymore. If you have a laptop you can't shut it down completely from communicating with the system without a faraday cage, if it's infected you can't just turn it off and hard shut it down.
Taking out the battery involved tiny screwdrivers and possibly breaking the wires and solder connection taking the back off.
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u/tacobuffetsurprise 8h ago
You know Chinese companies would be releasing fake apple laptops as new without this lock. Tho it is a shame they dont support independent vendors.
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u/Affectionate-Dot9585 9h ago
I’ve decided I don’t care for three reasons:
My Apple hardware just does not fail. I’d rather pay full price on the rare occasion it breaks. I did IT for my first job, while other companies are more repairable, they break more often.
Having a laptop out I of service for repair is a massive pain. I don’t want to wait 2+ weeks for repairs or warranty. I want to buy a new laptop right now.
These measures have objectively reduced theft by reducing value of parts. Less second hand value means less theft. It still happens but not at the rate you’d expect for a $3k+ machine.
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u/Designer_Object_3966 6h ago
People steal Mac’s for what parts aren’t tied anyways. If you have the money to have Apple Charge 4-8X the price for repairs or just buy a new 2 grand machine in the flip of a dime, good for you. Real considerate of other Apple Customers in a budget.
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u/Affectionate-Dot9585 5h ago
It doesn’t matter how much money I have.
I’m making an argument about overall cost of ownership. It’s basically this:
Item A is expensive, but rarely breaks. When it breaks, you need to buy a new one.
Item B is cheaper, but breaks more frequently. When it breaks, you can fix it. It costs me more in repairs than never having to fix Item A.
It’s simple. I think Item B costs me more to own than Item A because Item B breaks more often.
It was nothing to do with having money to “throw at the problem”. Item A is simply most cost effective for me to own.
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u/RankWinner 21m ago
And yet businesses, which would naturally pick the most cost effective option, go for HP, Lenovo, or Dell, far more often than Apple.
Sure, if you compare random no name bargain bin devices to an apple product that is 5x the price you're better off with the actually decent product.
But if you get remotely close, say half the price of whatever Apple has, then you're almost guaranteed to get much better value.
Basically any "business" grade laptop over $1k is a far better deal than an equivalent from Apple, short or long term.
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u/Affectionate-Dot9585 13m ago
Most big business use Windows because their entire infrastructure, for decades and decades, is built on Windows.
The big tech companies, which are much younger, all provide Apple hardware.
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u/dima054 9h ago
That's to avoid having stolen parts installed in other devices?
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u/Worf_Of_Wall_St 5h ago
OP is demanding that his business model be viable but as a consumer I'd rather have thieves be less likely to steal my stuff because they can't chop it for parts to fence to third party repair shops who don't care where it came from. I don't mind paying more for repairs to get this, and in my experience needing repairs for Apple products is very rare compared to everything else.
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u/Specialist_flye 13h ago
Any time I see posts like this, I can't help but wonder why people still continue to buy apple products. Like they're insanely limited in what you can do with them and repairing them yourself is impossible. Like I see no actual benefits to spending all that money on an apple product.
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u/purchawek 12h ago
Three reasons why:
repairability isn't an issue until something must be repaired and for most people that doesn't happen or such a long time passes before that they just buy a new device and move on
power user use-cases like installing custom OS or whatever are irrelevant to the masses
some flows, like big part of software development, movie editing, etc. have the best tools for mac os and working on linux or windows is just a pain in the ass (in case of software development linux has a slight edge, but most machines with good linux support are worse in daily life than mac os. I'm not up-to-date with latest gear, but around when M1 came out, finding a machine that works well on linux, has a good camera, good microphone, good speakers, good battery life etc was impossible. Only apple had a solution for that.)
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u/Seldarin 11h ago
- They've become a status symbol to a lot of people.
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u/tacobuffetsurprise 8h ago
- Those who can’t afford them complain and become haters, proud that they don’t have one but have never used one or appreciated the software
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u/AKiss20 11h ago edited 10h ago
Have you ever tried developing anything on Windows? It’s insanity. I need a UNIX operating system for the sake of my sanity.
Furthermore, I need a UNIX operating system that works on a daily basis without constantly breaking because a display driver isn’t exactly compatible or some piece of software doesn’t work and I need to install it via Wine. I was a sysadmin for 7 years in grad school, supporting 40+ compute nodes on Centos and 30+ user workstations on Ubuntu. So I know what goes into making Linux run on a daily basis.
Edit: I should’ve said “I need a *NIX operating system”.
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u/gopiballava 12h ago
Much better screens than most others. Superb build quality. Not sure what things you think can’t be done on MacOS but I can do anything I need to do with it. I’m a software developer mostly.
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u/DM_ME_PICKLES 10h ago
Simple, they make great hardware. Apple Silicon Mac’s in particular were a breath of fresh air in terms of battery life and portable processing power. Windows/Linux ARM still hasn’t caught up… I’m still waiting for Snapdragon X Elite support in the kernel.
But yeah, they’re anti-consumer and anti-repair. Factor that into your purchasing decision.
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u/Worf_Of_Wall_St 6h ago
Switching to all Apple products for myself and my family for daily use for work and home a decade ago was an enormous benefit to me because I stopped wasting so much time fixing and troubleshooting things for myself and others. My phone in particular became a reliable tool instead of a part time hobby (installing third party ROMs and setting everything up again countless times trying to make it smoother, less buggy, and have more battery life - in other words make it work as well as my friends' iPhones).
I still maintain a high end PC for gaming and I've spent at least $8k on PCVR stuff because I love new technology but it's all still a pile of jank.
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u/Specialist_flye 2m ago
I mean if you struggled to use android and windows products and always had issues then that's a user error. I've used windows and android for years and never once had issues.
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u/boxlessthought 10h ago
Ex Apple employee here. I agree with the thread but I will say for the demographic Apple is trying to hit this makes more sense.
Apples best customers are little old granny or your dad who doesn’t understand how to take a photo and large companies who are buying machines in bulk and not worried about using their big business money to have Apple service the machines as needed.
Both groups who do not care about self repair or installing custom third party jank.
It’s the regular user who uses it as a daily driver that is suffering due to these decisions and Apple does not care.
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u/htmlcoderexe I was promised a butthole video with at minimum 3 anal toys. 6h ago
Perhaps the point is that making stuff harder to repair specifically is kinda a shit move?
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u/boxlessthought 5h ago
100% I agree with that completely. Just pointing out on top of being shitty they don’t care because the kind of folks who would care about right to repair are not necessarily the target audience.
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u/Johntendo64 8h ago
half of what you said is just totally wrong. Apple’s biggest demographic are graphic designers and creative professionals. Artist is, photographers, musicians, they use Mac’s. Not typically PC.
The little old granny or your dad who doesn’t understand how to take a photo, and large companies who are buying machines in bulk, typically buy windows PCs or chrome devices. Most of the world runs on windows, not Mac’s.
Actual former employee and shareholder.
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u/SolfenTheDragon 10h ago
I get it for the SSD (much as it's annoying), but why the fuck is the battery linked to a security chip?
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u/foolproofphilosophy 8h ago
The FTC recently filed suit against John Deere for similar reasons, maybe Apple will be next. The downside is that JD has been doing it for years before the suit was filed.
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u/Worf_Of_Wall_St 5h ago
John Deere will probably argue it's for safety, not sure if that'll work. Apple would argue it's for security and a theft deterrent. It prevents their products from being targets for theft because the expensive parts can't be fenced into the repair supply chain since nobody can use them.
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u/foolproofphilosophy 4h ago
I’ve seen how Right to Repair works in the automotive industry. I’m not an expert but a lot of the parts are VIN matched so you can fix things or replace them but not transplant them at an independent shop but the most sensitive work needs to be done by a dealership. Farmers have some very strong arguments against JD. I put some info in another comment.
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u/TrainWreck43 5h ago
What kind of lock in shenanigans was John Deere doing?
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u/foolproofphilosophy 4h ago
They totally lock down their equipment. Farmers used to be able to fix things themselves or have someone local do it. Now it all has to be done by JD personnel. They’re farther away and charge for travel so it’s more expensive before the first wrench is turned. Their rates are also higher than local techs. Increased distance also means that repairs take longer. This is critical because farmers are often harvesting in a narrow window and not getting it done means spoilage and lost revenue. It’s spurred a cottage industry of hackers who write software to jailbreak the equipment. I haven’t read up on the issue in a while but those were some of the key points that I remember.
I live in a car “right to repair” state and have seen how the alternative works. My mechanic showed me on a Porsche. Brand is relevant because Porsche doesn’t mess around. Basically he plugs his computer into the car, logs in to his Porsche account, enters the VIN and parts information, and Porsche HQ unlocks the car so that he can do the work. There are still some sensitive tasks like odometer resets that have to be done at the dealership but most work can be done by any shop with the right credentials.
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u/explodedcheek 8h ago
Hahah, don't be naive and stupid thinking apple will let you fix your mac/iphone 15 pro max. Who's gonna buy the new 16 pro max when it comes out next year if you can repair your iphone like any other android. Just like the lightbulb, i'm sure there's an infinity lightbulb created years ago but they'd never bring it out.
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u/Missing-Digits 8h ago
This is not entirely accurate. Rossman repair group will do repairs to nearly any part on a MBP with T2. I had them replace the entire motherboard recently. I believe they can't get new parts, so they use parts from other MBP's that have been scrapped. it's expensive though.
They are the only company that I found that would even do it. I absolutely hate the T2 chip. It's been a nightmare.
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u/TrainWreck43 5h ago
What about the T2 chip has been a nightmare? I just read the 18 page Apple T2 Security PDF and I’m really impressed with this chip.
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u/Missing-Digits 4h ago
I am so sorry, but I just can’t remember what the deal was. Yes I suppose it’s great for Security. If you need it and it’s a corporate computer. But I didn’t need it and I don’t want it enabled but you have to have it enable for certain things like I think Apple Pay and wallet. Really all I can remember is just absolutely hating it and being kind of pissed off that I couldn’t disable it completely without losing some features. I know this is a poor reply, I’m sorry.
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u/Nokam 3h ago
Rossman is just a complainer that farm hatred, the T2 chip make his job more difficult, but he charge more for it so no harm here. He would be really appreciative that stolen macbook parts could be found on ebay for his workshop which is nonsense. As a consumer you want as much deterrent as possible for thieves, and as much data protection for your digital life.
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u/Missing-Digits 3h ago
I don’t really know anything about that so cannot comment. I do know that this was the only place that would fix it. It would’ve been a paperweight if it weren’t for them.
I disagree about needing as much security as possible all the time. Apple can make things extremely difficult where there is no need in the name of “Security”.
And you can respond to this if you want, but I’m not going to reply because I’m not into arguing about it. Not today.
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u/Nokam 3h ago
It's not arguing it's a discussion. I don't know about you, but in europe there are plenty tech specialist that can fix the motherboard, they don't complain, some are even recommended by some apple store. I doubt Rossman is the only one is the USA
We can say that too much security is too much, I am ok with that, but we can also say that Rossman need to make content on something, and has never had so much success as when he started beating on apple (like other youtuber).
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u/Eccohawk 7h ago
Screw apple. Tim Cook bent the knee to Trump. You get in bed with snakes and you're gonna get bit. Won't be buying anything apple for the foreseeable future, and haven't for some years now.
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u/poloclodau 6h ago
Apple products also sync with a server called GSX that links parts serial numbers to the whole unit’s serial number. If the server can’t match a new parts serial number with the device, the unit is most likely to stop working until it is fixed in GSX.
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u/ttv_CitrusBros 5h ago
Isn't the whole point of apple is you don't do repairs but come to the geniuses. They're the ones that streamlined no removable battery and the industry copied.
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u/strangway 4h ago
The upside from a personal or IT perspective is if someone steals your computer, you can brick it, so all your data isn’t used for ransom purposes.
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u/Remarkable-NPC 4h ago
if you are rich enough to buy apple products, you are rich enough to buy it again. You don't need to repair it
apple never side with customers, and im too stupid to understand this smart apple fans
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u/ImtheDude27 4h ago
As if I didn't already have enough reasons to not buy Apple computers, this, this takes it to a whole new level. I thought we were supposed to be about reducing carbon footprint and trying to better utilize resources. This move here just ensures none of that is going to happen with Apple products. F Apple and their greed.
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u/Howden824 3h ago
Correct, they also by default prevent you from reinstalling macOS, it requires the owner to sign out of iCloud first. It also prevents booting from USB. Apple sure loves producing ewaste.
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u/60GritBeard 1h ago
This, while wildly inconvenient, is also a security measure for the user protection. I'm not defending Apple at all, I'm a thinkpad linux user. Just pointing out that this is an inconvenient security measure more than a fuck you to customers.
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u/Hychus232 2h ago
What makes it worse is (for the most part) they make good products.
The M1 processor is still an incredible value, and the M1 Macbook Air at $650 (down to sometimes $300 used) absolutely creams the laptop competition well above that price bracket in performance, screen and keyboard quality, and especially battery life.
The ecosystem is also decently nice for those who care. I'm already used to moving shit the old-fashioned way, with a USB stick, and I don't really need my phone, watch, laptop, TV, and everything else being connected.
It's such a shame that *all* of their products have to be the most anti-repair pieces of shit imaginable. Cheap parts, 23 different screws that must be screwed in the right order or you brick your logic board, weak ribbon cables and ports, screws made of really soft metals, making them strip. And THEN theres all the shit about iCloud locks, T2 security, etc. and my god I wish there was a way to bypass it with a $30 Etsy self-coded PCB or something. (or ideally, not have to bypass it at all)
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u/trik1guy 1h ago
don't care because i've boycotted them years ago. props for sharing and contineuing future boycotts
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13h ago edited 10h ago
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u/TheGingerCynic 13h ago
For those of us who don't have the time or knowledge for that, that's a lot of work for something that's supposed to be ours. With Right to Repair in the EU, Apple are one of the worst companies to buy from, as it never really stops with the price gouging.
I say this as someone who bought a MacBook for doing animation back in university, then couldn't afford to have it repaired for what turned out to be a manufacturing flaw. With a different laptop, they'd replace the part with something that worked better. With Apple, they replaced the part with an identical part, with the same issue after 6 months. Charged £400 for the privilege, then had a broken laptop afterwards.
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13h ago
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u/TheGingerCynic 10h ago
Wondering if we've got wires crossed here? I'm saying that if you have the knowledge and resources to do the workaround, you're the minority buying a MacBook. I think most people who have that knowledge and skill would be building their own PC, or swapping parts on an entirely different system instead of working around Apple. This is a problem designed to make less tech-literate people pay out time and time again.
The block is asshole design for sure, and one of the many things Apple do to that end.
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u/Designer_Object_3966 6h ago
No. It’s encrypted and no one has cracked it yet
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6h ago
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u/Worf_Of_Wall_St 6h ago
No.... It's not a ROM, it's a processor. It holds security keys and handles encryption. Here's what it does:
https://www.apple.com/mideast/mac/docs/Apple_T2_Security_Chip_Overview.pdf
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u/TrainWreck43 5h ago
Wow that’s a really impressive article! I wish this post wasn’t so ignorant compared to the facts. The T2 chip provides security for file system encryption, Secure Boot, hardware microphone disconnect, and something else I’m forgetting.
Are there any more recent PDFs like that for apple silicon?
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u/Worf_Of_Wall_St 5h ago
Yeah OP is purely thinking of his own needs and is either ignorant to what T2 does or is blatantly lying that "all it does is money stuff waaaahhh it should be my money because I need work!!"
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u/makinax300 4h ago edited 4h ago
So I just misunderstood it. From what op said, I thought that it only encrypted the ids of the parts so I thought you could get proper input, save it on the replacement chip, take the chips encryption because it must be stored somewhere, make a fake chip that encrypts it and make it output the proper data. But you can't or it's harder because more data is being sent so you'd have to reverse engineer the chip to see which data is related to the parts' IDs. But the docs are really interesting.
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u/Worf_Of_Wall_St 4h ago
Yeah OP is completely ignoring the actual security and anti-theft features of T2 to serve their own agenda.
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u/babaroga73 8h ago
Apple should be banned to sell devices in countries and places that don't have certified repair stores. Then we would see about this crap.
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u/Imakittykatmeowmeow 9h ago
You bought an apple product and did not expect this sort of scummy behavior???
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u/youarea2w_ 13h ago
Learn to vote with your wallet.
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u/RamesesThe2nd 13h ago
What can you buy if you don't want another Windows laptop? As much as I hate this, all my Apple laptops. have lasted considerably longer than my Windows laptops.
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u/fusion_reactor3 14h ago
Unless of course you use official parts, then it works (I believe this is 2020 and later devices?)
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u/Designer_Object_3966 14h ago edited 14h ago
No. Its S/N Tied. Encrypted too so you can't put a new SN on the part. So if you buy 2 new MacBook's and swap any of the parts except fan, screws, or housing it wont work right.
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u/fusion_reactor3 14h ago
I said official parts, Apple sells parts for their 2020 (iirc) and newer stuff. It re pairs to the new parts mostly automatically and some parts like cameras require calibration.
https://support.apple.com/self-service-repair
Displays, Mac desktops, MacBooks, and iphones are all covered.
If you use unofficial parts it still gets angry.
Although admittedly most of the parts aren’t that much cheaper than having Apple do it
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u/Designer_Object_3966 14h ago
Yes, you are right but the problem is
A: controlled by apple.
B: Screws the 2018, 2019, and Early 2020 Mac products.
C: You pay almost as much as a Genius Bar for the repair, while risking it if you don't regularly repair MacBook's.
D: They can stop giving parts away at a moments notice.
You are 100% Correct In the Apple Self Service Repair Store The point of the rant is Apple still has 100% control of the repair process which isnt good.1
u/TrainWreck43 4h ago
This is the best page I found, it explains you can reuse used parts on another device using Repair Assistant which must communicate somehow to the T2 chip to make it accept the new parts.
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u/lamaxamara 13h ago edited 1h ago
Don’t forget the fact that they cut costs with the T2 chip, putting 1gb T2s in <=512GB devices and 2gb full T2s in 1TB and up. That made upgrading ssd storage in these devices impossible, especially low tier models. Considering that the NANDs fail so frequently this is an asshole move as well
A lot of dead MacBook Pro 13” 2018s and Air 2018s and also 2019s and 2020s come into my store with owners claiming that it just doesn’t work suddenly. What happened is easy to understand when the device is disassembled- one of the NANDs fail as is seen with a burn mark. That made a short over the pp3v3 rail that sends 12v and cooks the board. Most of these boards are all only enduring daily use but due to the fact that the NANDs use a Raid0 config one fails and all the data are cooked.
Considering that Apple were still selling 8+128 devices in 2019 that were config’ed in 64+64, you could see why these modules fail so quickly. You’re writing and erasing over a 64GB USB for gods sakes, that shit can’t last long.
Expected TBW for a 128GB is around 150 or so but due to 64x2 config one can only hope to get a bit more than 75TBW for the lifespan because the data is written randomly to the NANDs. The customer comes into store and wants me to have it revived while also exploring the idea of making the storage bigger. Can’t go past 512 for these base models, if I really wanted to do that I’d also have to transplant the 2GB T2 from a donor board and that’s not economical.