Apple uses proprietary software to lock MacBook Pro and iMac Pro against third-party repairs



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Apple would use proprietary new software diagnostic tools to repair MacBook Pro and iMac Pro which, while not being used for key component repairs, will result in "inoperative system and incomplete repair", reads a document distributed to Apple Authorized Service Providers last month. A copy of the document was obtained by MacRumeurs and Motherboard today, both have reported on the content of the document and the apparent implications for third-party repair services.

It seems that, without the proprietary software, third-party repair services will not be able to repair MacBook Pro that have problems with the display assembly, the logic board, the keyboard and touchpad, and the touch card according to Motherboard. For iMac Pro, the lock will lock if you replace the logic board or flash memory. The computer will no longer be available until one of the Company's Authorized Service Provider Program Members uses Apple Service Toolkit 2, the name of the diagnostic tool.

The measures are probably there to ensure safety. Apple's proprietary chips are assuming more and more responsibility for various functions within the Mac, including secure enclave data storage and disk encryption processing. Especially in this day when hardware security is very topical, it seems reasonable to think that Macs must go through an Apple-approved diagnosis. But it's not as traditionally what we like to think about PCs, which have not always been sealed devices. The Mac seems to be going a little further in this direction. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technical critics and e-waste activists, however, claim that electronics manufacturers make the devices difficult to repair in order to tightly control the repair market and encourage the purchase of new devices. Apple, along with other computer hardware manufacturers, has been fighting in recent years to prevent the passing of so-called "right to repair" laws that would compel technology companies to make parts available and instructions to both users and repair specialists. At present, 19 states have proposed a bill on the rules relating to the right to repair, but no state has passed a bill banning the use of tools to exclusive diagnosis, for example.

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