Apple planning to use randomized serial numbers in 2020

[pastrychef]

Apple Plans to Switch to Randomized Serial Numbers for Future Products Starting in 2021 [Updated]

In an internal memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple has indicated that it plans to update its serial number format to a...

www.macrumors.com

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Apple Plans to Switch to Randomized Serial Numbers for Future Products Starting in 2021 [Updated]

In an internal memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple has indicated that it plans to update its serial number format to a...

www.macrumors.com

Curious idea. Will that make it hard for us to generate *new* serials for our builds? Or because old style numbers are still supported are we able to carry on as before?

 

[Edd1024]

You're thinking it could affect the Hackintosh community? If everything before 2020 remains the same then I don't see how. I don't see myself getting new hardware in the next 5-7 years. I just did a refresh...

 

[Feartech]

if you were to use a pre 2020 smbios then older serial generator will be fine

 

[pastrychef]

Curious idea. Will that make it hard for us to generate *new* serials for our builds? Or because old style numbers are still supported are we able to carry on as before?

It's not something that will affect hackintoshers in the short term because as Feartech stated, users can use pre-2020 system definitions. It will be a problem when pre-2020 system definitions hit EOL.

This in conjunction with T2 and proprietary Wi-Fi chipsets means it will only get more difficult for hackintoshers.

 

[Edd1024]

Actually I don't think Apple can break out of industry standards and leave the planet completely. Interfaces and protocols are defined globally, the manufacturers rely on those. It is costly and inefficient re-inventing the wheel over and over and who will produce all that? Genuine Apple hardware is already at the market, WiFi chipsets can be operated in regular PCs and laptops, I have two or three of those swapped in. (to be correct it's not even Apple made, it's Broadcom)

As for the T2 chip, it is bold by Apple to go their own way here but again, it's a costly effort helping Apple - how exactly? Losing more current and future mass market customers? Nah. I strongly doubt that. I think the T2 strategy is a simple move to stay in the business with governments and other highly secured environments. And they've learned that added value from their iPhones. So that will remain an option and offers Apple the possibility to clearly earn more money with the gov institutions. There is a clear return on investment there. For the mass market? Who cares about T2 chips anyways...

 

[pastrychef]

Actually I don't think Apple can break out of industry standards and leave the planet completely. Interfaces and protocols are defined globally, the manufacturers rely on those. It is costly and inefficient re-inventing the wheel over and over and who will produce all that? Genuine Apple hardware is already at the market, WiFi chipsets can be operated in regular PCs and laptops, I have two or three of those swapped in. (to be correct it's not even Apple made, it's Broadcom)

As for the T2 chip, it is bold by Apple to go their own way here but again, it's a costly effort helping Apple - how exactly? Loosing more current and future mass market customers? Nah. I strongly doubt that. I think the T2 strategy is a simple move to stay in the business with governments and other highly secured environments. And they've learned that added value from their iPhones. So that will remain an option and offers Apple the possibility to clearly earn more money with the gov institutions. There is a clear return on investment there. For the mass market? Who cares about T2 chips anyways...

If you look at the teardown of the iMac Pro, Apple is using Universal Scientific Industrial Wi-Fi/Bluetooth. I haven't seen anyone else use this on any PC laptops and/or desktops. The 2019 MacBook Pro also uses a proprietary Wi-Fi chipset.

As far as I know, the last real Mac to use BCM94360xxx chipsets were the 2017 MacBook Airs. Once that goes EOL, I'm sure BCM94360xxx support will die just as BCM943224xxx support died.

Unless someone writes drivers for something like Intel CNVi, we're going to be stuck with ethernet or kludgy USB Wi-Fi solutions.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

A possible hiccup for us that I can see is that if Apple switches to the new method they could simply say, right there are no further old-style serials being used so therefore we won't accept or authenticate any newly created (old-style) ones not in our database. We know all the ones in circulation and we now draw a line ...

 

[remington]

A possible hiccup for us that I can see is that if Apple switches to the new method they could simply say, right there are no further old-style serials being used so therefore we won't accept or authenticate any newly created (old-style) ones not in our database. We know all the ones in circulation and we now draw a line ...

I doubt it. It's more likely changing the serial number formats. Apple could have shut down the serial number checker on their website and force the customer to call or visit their Apple shop to check the serial number or macOS will have limited functionality due to invalid serial number like Windows. None of this has occurred and Apple would have done this long time ago.

Apple is doing this to reduce warranty fraud or stolen macs using different spoofed serial number. The current format is very easy to predict or guess.

 

[Edd1024]

As far as I know, the last real Mac to use BCM94360xxx chipsets were the 2017 MacBook Airs. Once that goes EOL, I'm sure BCM94360xxx support will die just as BCM943224xxx support died.

Thanks for the heads-up. Let's hope for the best. In this case it's soldered anyways.

I was wondering if it would be possible to solder the guts of a thumb size USB WiFi somewhere internally. In most cases the USB ports sometimes offer direct access to the contacts. A precise soldering iron and 10 minutes of steady hands and you're done. Some of the bigger laptops even might have enough room for the antenna or one could just hijack the existing ones with the U.FL extensions. I bet there are enough hardware hackers around to figure it out. We're not done here Apple...