Back in the late 80's, I did board level repair for a tech company. It didn't matter what computer came in, they all used off the shelf parts that were easy to source. Power supplies, motherboards, hard drives, monitors, you name it, we fixed it. Not allowing right to repair is a scam. It is a money grab. Keep fighting the good fight Louis, or we all lose.
Because of what I've learned from Louis, about how Apple truly treats its customers, I will no longer purchase another Apple device. I'm not an Apple fanboy, but I've spent over 10 grand on Apple products over the years. No more. I'm switching to a brand that allows third party repair to fix any problem I might have with no hassles.
@@Mizuumisan Sometimes we need those even though we don't want to. I know a friend who is a Windows fanboy (he's a hardcore gamer and can do game from 6 to 6) but he forced to used Mac's ecosystem because he needed to. Poor him.
@@Bialy_1and after 350 units are sold the project goes open source. This way the work which was put into it for development and research gets compensated. Not a bad thing.
@@Bialy_1 You mean... He is planning to sell a tool to help repairmen better fix your property? OH NO! How could someone sell things to professionals for them to do their jobs.
It's insane how innovative and smart the whole repair industry is becoming. And all because these big companies don't want them to do it. This is really a perfect example of how life will find a way and humans being at their best!
I also don't want them to do it, currently Louis is enabling dumbass apple users to keep depending on apple products by fixing it instead of saying "it's dead, buy a brand that can be repaired". Of course he's running a business and money is money so that point is moot after all, but the solution to this is obvious, just not obvious to dumbass apple consumers who keep giving Louis money whose business would cease to exist if people learned to cope with buyers remorse, deal with losses, and buy a repairable laptop that's so easy to fix that Louis isn't needed and anyone can fix their laptop at home.
It also brings money to your business. "I/My business can repair/replace [Apple Product] (components) at a cheaper price than Apple WITHOUT the [Apple Product] knowing!"
Very good point (though no one will read this). Nature will find away to protect its interest, in any given situation. Since the human interest seems to be our own security, which then is equated in our minds and society to money, these large groups of people work together to create systems that assure they make the most possible by protecting against the actions of others. We get into the aspect of right to repair and the meaning of ownership in a different conversation. It is and amazing aspect of nature here; apple not letting anyone else repair their custom devices. Really, we as a larger group of people (consumers) can fight this easily. We just don’t mess with the group defending a it’s interest. By not buying their product at all. They will die out and the groups making things that are repairable will thrive. Easy peasy.. right? That said, I fight for right to repair, and support it fully, and yet just bought a MacBook used. So, exhibiting a nice bit of cognitive dissonance right there (another aspect of human nature)
I don’t fix Apple devices anymore because of all the crap Apple does to stop us nowadays, but I LOVE to see their anti-repair tactics foiled. Hopefully we get more of this. Great job to everybody involved!!!
@@silverhawkscape2677Given enough time, _any_ booby trap these fat-cat companies set can and _will_ be circumvented and/or neutralized. Consider how much (or how little) time it took hackers like Empress to defeat Denuvo!
They are open sourcing the software to do this after 350 orders (already 14% there). This is really a great thing; it pays for the development of the device but allows everyone access it eventually. Really impressed.
They need to add a second item, for those of us with no need of the tool, but will to throw €5 toward the cause of open sourcing this. Maybe throw a nerdtool sticker in an envelope, but not necessary.
I love the way they sell their boards. After 350 orders they will open source it. That's perfect. It takes care of the missing income of open source hardware/software, and is still open source once the developer has made "enough" money to sustain their living. From that point, people are welcome to create their own so that also those people who cannot afford one, can use it.
Damn that is actually an awesome model to keep open source running as a concept. I always liked those projects that open source everything so you can DIY but if not you can still buy the completed product straight from the source
This right here is why I'm against "intellectual property". The ability to be paid for the work *you do* should have nothing to do with the ability to leverage the "product" of that work against those that need it more and can therefore be extracted from with greater prejudice. Legally this is called largess and it means to have an *arbitrary* choice over which laws apply to whom with regards to A piece of property.
@@webbugt Especially when something is primarily made for consumers and even if it doesn't require any coding, a LOT of people would rather pay 150 bucks for a finished gadget than tinker around for even an hour with some OSS.
I hope they will go for something like CERN-OHL-S. It would let anyone develop the product further, but at the condition that the hardware design stays open
even the faceid pairing is not a security problem because the device REQUIRES a pin after a reboot which is also required to recognize a new faceid device. apple's claims for "security" are just pure bullshit
@@zahnatomif they had just 1 or 2 things that requires pairing and DETAILED reasons why, I think most would be like ok. But when EVERYTHING is paired for just generic safety and security reasons. It has to be safety and security of thier revenue stream.
If it were a real security issue, Apple would have used an old-fashioned, mechanical switch, and / or would have added a light to the lid to show the operator that the laptop was still active.
Wait, you mean a mechanical interlock that is so dead simple it never breaks, AND keeps the lid closed until you want it open?! That would make far too much sense! We must think different!
Going forward, that last part of the video might be the most important. That the current gen of hardware is now reparable is great, but without some sort of sword of Damocles to stop them, does anyone want to give odds on the next version breaking that tool? Public shaming is about the only tool we have that can be used right now to avoid getting kicked back down the hill. I don't know how well it would work to make it clear that they will get called out for changing things, but I don't know of a better strategy.
Unfortunately once Apple sees this bypass, rest assured they will come up with an uncrackable version with better encryption. It's a never ending cat and mouse game (Clinton vs. Apple lol) By the way, normally there should be NO need for calibration as each MacBook has the same case and closing angle. Obviously this just another Apple BS.
Kudos to Stephan and his partners for making this happen! Here's hoping the word gets out and repair shops can support the work of his team to keep fixes like this coming!
When I was a kid - my parents bought my Grandfather a Hifi set. It came with a user guide AND **SCHEMATICS** - so any company could fix it. That should be the default for any over the counter electronic device.
This is fantastic news! Heaven knows you needed a morale boost like this. We're rooting for you and the Right To Repair movement from all over the globe.
The sensor needing calibration is fine and normal. The procedure not being built into the device with a simple wizard in some service mode is beyond any explanation - amazing work on reverse engineering that!
That's not even normal nor acceptable. A new sensor should be flashed so that it assumes that its initial state is closed because the technician working on the machine would only be able to do so with a closed lid. Edge cases could be worked around by having a reset button in the motherboard.
We had our commercial espresso machine go out on us recently. After some troubleshooting I found the problem was with the circuitboard somehwere. I contacted the manufacturer and described the problem - the heating elements in the boiler weren't turning off and it was overheating. They said it needed a new board, but they cost nearly $2000 (!) So this was a huge incentive for me to get out my multimemeter and go around the board looking for a fault. I found two faulty triacs (they control the heating elements and there were three of them). I replaced them and it's working perfectly now. They cost about $8 each. I replaced all three triacs and with shipping it cost me $46. I had to get help from an electronics forum, with pictures and start to build a picture of how the circuit board worked and find out what the various components were, what they did and what they controlled. I'm glad this was a fairly easy fix, but they weren't too forthcoming with a circuit diagram or any other help. They also ghosted me when I told them I'd found the problem and was ordering the new parts for $46 🙂
@@onemprod Yeah, it was the cherry on the top and I learned something new along the way. 🙂 I ain't paying two grand for something that should only cost maybe a few hundred tops, even if it was a bit specialized. 2 big ones? They're having a frikkin laugh....
Good idea. Only problem is that Android accessibility is nowhere near as good as Apple, so, us blind folks are just going to keep buying IPhones.@@cagneybillingsley2165
Don't worry, this will be fixed in the next patch "Removed the ability to use external calibration tools to calibrate the angle sensor". Apple don't want you fixing their stuff, they want you to buy new ones!
CVE2023-1111A There exists a vulnerability in the screen angle sensor replacement that will allow an unauthorized attacker to home invade you and kill your kids and kick your dog. Apple has removed the ability to replace the sensor after version 10.15.7 blocking this attack and providing pie and punch for everyone.
Likely impossible without new parts. It's most likely a standard SPI flash just like a bios. Which means that the Apple calibration tool is likely something like flashrom (because why not rub it in by using open source software) which flashes the tiny rom with the calibration settings. At a guess, the way this was reverse engineered was by reading the SPI flash of a few working units and seeing there were no differences in the code. From there it's just a matter of making the board to make it easy.
well apparently the people still buying apple products want to...how else can they brag to their fake friend coffee group that they got the new iphone gazillion and are having louis rossman repair it 😂😂😂
Brilliant work to the team. It's people like you all that make the world a better place. Shame on you Apple for not being supportive. Now, IF Apple does something malicious to make it so this calibration tool stops working, I say it's time to take action against Apple.
Apple really doesn't have any leverage in this case as I see it. Unless they start using their own proprietary angle sensors, which wouldn't make economic sense.
I was having quite an exhausting day and been watching your videos. I can't remember if I told you, but I called your shop and told them how much I appreciate all the good work they are doing. They were very receptive of it, and that was awesome. I share your channel with people almost every day. You do great work, as always. Thank you.
It comes to mind that basing their business model on increasing absolute losses to only spur repairmen to innovate both loses them massive amounts of money, but makes repairmen richer. **Ideally, we wouldn't need this rigmarole, but I love how it always tends towards the benefit of the product owners and secondary markets in spite of a malevolent first party** .
Congratulations to everybody involved in this tool's development and thank you Louis for sharing it with us. You have become a symbol to us all. May God bless you in your journey, we all support you man!
German engineering triumphs again. No but in all seriousness, even though I don't even own any Mac, thanks to everyone involved for sticking the finger to Apple.
This wonderful German man is doing God's work. The fact his team developed a tool to make this possible is truly a good thing for Mac owners. Thank you Louis for featuring him.
This wonderful German man is doing God's work... Since at least 1939 this sentence isn't usually followed by good news. Glad we finally get to celebrate something good coming from Germany again.
Ah yes I remember that passage, apple1 verse 2 "and God wanted to have apple parts replaceable and so he buildeth thy calibration tool, but was lost to the floods".
You guys are doing God’s work. Because of your videos and the iFixit guides I have been able to repair a few of my MacBooks. Seriously it’s people like y’all that directly stick the middle finger in Apple’s face for deciding to treat the consumers like idiots and puppets.
I wouldn’t call myself a security expert, but I am currently working on my masters in cyber security. I personally can’t think of a single way that Apple’s “solution” provides security to the end user. It does the opposite lol
yes, the only precaution against eavesdropping would be a clear indicator that the mic is on (or at least that the machine is running - which they deliberately _removed_ in the newer ones by replacing the transparent logo with an all black one!)
This is fantastic news! Having access to a third-party repair service that not only costs less but also delivers superior quality over Apple is a significant advantage.
@@ReelixThat's very disingenious, €169 per unit and after 350 units it will be opensource, that does get to ~60k, but you have to think about the time and cost it has taken to make this tool. He just wants to be compensated for that time, and also the time and effort to build each of those units. He could've also decided to never make it open source
I love the international collaboration and effort in the fight for right to repair. This tool is so cool! I hope you guys are able to help as many customers as possible before Apple pins them down again.
Louis, i love you man. the amount of people who come together to circumvent nonsensical things like this warms my heart. and i appreciate everything you and everyone else can do.
I love it when intelligent people get together and solve problems such as this. Corporations use the "security " excuses to keep you from getting your own product repaired.
This really is a nice new invention that opens up doors to calibrating other components in other apple products. If apple software or hardware engineers make amendments to this then they will have made a conscious decision and we will have concrete evidence of this. Evidence against all those supporters and legislators who oppose right to repair.
The way to calibrate this specific sensor does not necessary have anything in common with anything else in a Apple product. The caibration routine is device- and manufacturer-specific.
Was wondering if this means a solution could eventually be reached for calibrating a new screen? Or if their system configuration tool is a different ballgame.
It depends on what calibrating a new screen entails. Is is something in the screen (display) that needs to be set, or is it something in EFI (the mainboard) that needs to be set - i don't know. But everything is doable is you just probe and research enough. With stuff being obfuscated and no way of "looking over the shoulder" while Apple calibrates a screen, it's hard to know what is really going on.@@notmyname6452
The German dude said he was tinkering in Arduino and then got other people, more proficient than him, to finish the fix, so yeah, the path to achieve the fix is now open but it will need to be reimplemented for all other devices that Apple shits out too
I love how it's such a small tool too. And simple! Just two buttons and three LEDs. One two done. Everybody should be able to repair stuff as easily as this.
I've never even owned an Apple product but this is great. A lot of Apple BS trickles down to other manufacturers so stuff like this might be something we'll see more often in the future. Great to see there are people finding their way around it.
THIS is why the community and the industry NEED you Louis, your leadership and your team. It makes a difference in hearts and minds and eventually that shines through. The business soup is slow and stuck in its ways but you are doing important work yourself and with FUTO.
Louis, I'm not an Apple fan, but I am a fan of Right To Repair and Apple has always been one of the largest violators of Right To Repair. So, any time someone can "stick it to the man" it makes me smile and feel like we're all winning just a little bit. I applaud and thank you for all of your hard work on Right To Repair and I also thank and applaud your German friend for his hard work on "sticking it to the man".
I was expecting Stephan to capitalise on this genius tool by selling it for $500+ but was happily surprised that he's made it extremely affordable, even for a DIY repair, at only €169!!! Even though I do not own ANY Apple products, I thank you wholeheartedly for your efforts with this and wish you all the best with developing similar devices for other locked out anti repair hardware on other Apple devices. ❤ To Louis and Stephan From Australia ❤
@@DaRealV i mean he did really heavy lifting in reverse engineering so i completely understand that he wants to earn some money from it i just really hope apples cease and desist doesn't come to him
@dairiskuznecovs7233 Huh ? He just did the one thing people didn't bother to do and read the fucking chip datasheet to send i2c calibration commands. 169€ is extremely expensive. That card should not cost more than 15€ all in to make.
yhe and wat about the time to make sure it works? you pay for more then just the parts you pay for a proven solution and the parts. also aparently after 350 unit sold it wil go open sorce. YOU are not made to buy it you are perfectly within your rights to do it yourself if you can@@henria.277
As a avid hardware hacker/phreaker I love exploring people's custom hardware builds like this device. I love when there's a successful instance of breaking hardware and software limitations and I would of loved to have been in the room with the team that cracked this problem and ended up with the prototype. At defcon last month we did a lot of cool stuff like this and this makes me miss it all over again. Very cool success story
@@elenabob4953 That's highly unlikely, they already have engineers that do their every bidding, and even if somehow it did happen, Apple would just find new engineers.
Louis we appreciate your tenacity, energy, and hard work on these items. We need to clone you into other neglected fields to oversee and promote positive trends.
It's weird when I miss Jobs, Apple got so much more anti-consumer after he died, and they were far from perfect beforehand but at least you could still fix things without having to homebrew tools to do tasks that used to be possible in the device's software.
What an excellent tool. Thanks for helping the community in one more way Louis and thanks for showcasing what us non-geniuses can still accomplish. Already purchased mine and I hope he sells a ton more.
Love the enthusiasm and the willingnes to promote other peoples' solutions to our common problems. Definitely sharing with my IT friends if they hadn't seen it already (Louis is a minor celeb in Croatian IT community)
Why do I feel like that'll play out like the McDonald Ice-Cream Machine story where the company who made the machine tried to sue the couple who made the tool to allow the store workers at McDonald to fix the basic stuff, like unclogging the nozzle and delete the error code to allow operation to continue?
@@mantacid1221 Seems like you found the story I was referring to... But if you concider that the maker of the ice-cream machine is one of the largest shareholders of McDonald and McDonald one of their largest shareholders...it kind of makes sense :(
The one thing that makes me most angry is that consumers are our own biggest enemy. It’s so hard to educate the average person to actually care about R2R. If you explain it, they get it, but they don’t care enough to fight for it. This is because of dozens of reasons, but we honestly need to drag the average person kicking and screaming into the future if we’re going to get anywhere. I understand why so many people get burnt out trying to help this movement. Thanks Louis and Nerd Tool!
It's the same everywhere. Fast fashion? It's a problem, but how do we realistically fight it? Predatory freemium monetization that abuses FOMO in games? Even though everyone recognizes it's bad at this point, that doesn't stop it from being effective against the consumer it's psychologically designed to target. Unfortunately these problems are bigger than individuals, or boycotts, etc, because they're designed either to trap people in a dependency for which there is no alternative, or to weaponize understandings about statistically significant populations' psyches. I can't blame the consumers for a tool designed to manipulate them being effective, but at the same time, the only way for us to claw our way out of these things is by making them ineffective, which requires leveraging those same consumers. Definitely a vicious cycle, definitely doesn't feel like it's likely to get better in many of these areas for a long time, and if it does, it seems likely to me that it gets a lot worse before it gets any better
It's not the average person you need to educate, that's why it's so hard. iPhones are a status symbol, a luxury brand. It's not for the average Joe. Not owning a refurbished piece of equipment is part of the image. What apple want to establish is you're practically unable to join the club by buying second hand.
Is it still a case though? It doesn’t feel a luxury anymore, around me at least. I think people wants to be able to fix their iPhones and macs for reasonable price and not buying new one often
@@gusteyigor It's not that it's luxury because it's good, it's luxury because it's overpriced for its value. That's all "Paying for the brand" ever is. A lot of people still have that mentality, as someone who works in an IT space and noting some of the people who request macs, not because they have any actual reason to want a mac (Softwares, use cases, etc) but just because they wanna look like a certain kind of person and they think a mac fits that image better. They're essentially cosmetic as far as some of these peeps are concerned, so the status symbol overview is pretty on the nose. Those are the same people who will get annoyed at us when Apple does some random anti-consumer thing, as if we have control over Apple and as if they didn't very intentionally go into that ecosystem themselves lol
@@Nudgarrobot I understood what he meant by that. But I thought people don't do this any more, at least in US. I live in US now but I'm from East Europe and there is definitely the case. People obsess about Iphones, some even buy iphones with credit money just to look "cool".
I love that you and your team reach around the world to defeat apple's anti-repair antics. If apple wasn't so heavy handed and controlling with both it's hardware and software, I might actually like them.
Their main business is hardware. The operating systems come free with the hardware It makes sense that THEY are able to do the repairs (against a fee, of course). But they're going about it the wrong way right now
8:02 I learned from Big Clive that auto-focus is looking for *contrast*. Focusing on screens is much easier if you slap any type of high-contrast thing on it for the camera to focus on (like printed text on paper/label/sticky note)
Its why they gave China the data of hong kong protesters and full access. they use the lie of privacy but the protestors had to switch to samsung and most likely utilized its customizability to download a better OS.
I can't say they are malicious/evil in EVERY way, but definitely in most ways that *matter* Aluminum as a casing material? Fancy. Silicon tech? Rad. Software design? Refined as heck. *Then they DRM the shit out of their stuff, overprice and gatekeep.*
@@johnpublic6582 My cousin played in MLB. His High Desert affiliate coach always said : "if you dont work hard this year, next year there is always someone YOUNGER, SMARTER , FASTER, STRONGER than you that will take your job"
yup... this is exactly what i was saying about the sobny headphones, batteries run down becaue they ARE IN USE. whether mic or camera or what have you.. you're not only tracked (blutooth to phone to gps etc), but also recorded. .. NON STOP surveillance. :(
Good solution! This problem only occurred in new models due to the changed magnet design! In previous models (a2141), the magnet was always in a certain position and this problem did not arise.
Really hoping a tool (software or hardware) for calibrating more complex interchangeable parts happens soon-if Apple isn’t going to release their internal calibration tools, then clean room reverse engineering like this is really the only way to go. Damn good work.
It's not an engineer problem, it's an consumer problem. Engineers are the one who create these problems because they know consumers are will eat shit from a shovel when it comes to apple.
Thank you for your kind words. We share the same perspective, which is why we've included an extension port on the nerd.tool.1. We would greatly appreciate it if the community utilizes this board to address various MacBook issues. We are actively working on developing different extension boards with various MacBook connectors to encourage experimentation and the discovery of innovative solutions.
@@lot.bajramiA bit impossible here in America, most of the populace has an iPhone. Owning a business for example makes things so so so much easier if you have Apple devices. If Apple would stop the authoritarian levels of lock down, nobody would buy an android again.
I'm sure there are now 3 teams at apple trying to 'fix' this based on this video. They would be saying, Oh no the world is coming to an end, if they can do this for one part they might think they can do others.
It was never about customer security, always about money. I think I've said it before here but I'm certified to work on Macs, it's become routine but a part of me hates that places like the one you operate can't access these tools. At the same time I also hate that all I'm able to do is replace the part, I'm not allowed to fix board issues. It sucks man.
If Apple really care about security and privacy, the most common sense is that they release the software for the calibration to the public, easily accessible, because then the user can trust that the sensor is calibrated by the trusted party, heck, the user don't even have to send the macbook to "shady 3rd party repair store", they can just change the sensor and calibrate themselve, 3rd party doesn't get money (perhaps what apple wants) and Apple still true to their words.
@@Damien.D I guess there is some calibration need to control at which point it goes from on to off at least if you plan to use the same switch for 50 different lids. But yes the way Apple does it is just stupid.
This guy is great Louis thanks for highlighting him. You know how you know its not about security, you said it right in the beginning, the thing stays awake with a bad sensor. smh..
"If you don't pay us we'll keep this mic on 24/7 and further defile your privacy. As you can see, paying us would do a lot of good for your privacy and security" It's basically a mob shakedown
Thats a really nice sensor you got there. Would be a shame if something happened to it. But dont worry, we got people for that if the worst would happen. Just *trust* us.
It's not even a mob shakedown at this point, it's *extortion.* Too bad every Apple defender will gladly bend over and let Tim Cook extort their finances no questions asked.
Excellent job guys! Now if you can figure out how to do the same for the new M1, M2 MacBooks when you swap the lcd screens on them with an oem Apple screen. Apple makes them distort until you buy a lcd screen from them and then only they can run the configurator software to match it to your logic board. REWA figured it out and you have to remove the original chips under the lcd and put them in the replacement lcd just to get the lcd to work. This is ridiculous if you are using OEM Apple parts from the start IMHO.
One step closer to making a homebrewed Apple de-obfuscator. Eventually we'll be able to bruteforce syncronization of replacement parts. You practically just need to find a way to tell the machine to flip a couple of 1s and 0s through a direct line into the motherboard, like shown here.
I have to give this man credit for not only figuring out how to program the sensor, but creating a tool and deciding to sell it to anyone that wants it. It would have been more profitable to buy the sensors from the manufacturer, program them, and then sell the programmed sensors for 10-100 times the cost of the unprogrammed sensors. It would result in many more sales at a higher profit margin and no one other than apple would complain about it. The repair community is much richer for the work this man has done and his ethics in not choosing to maximize his profits.
Back in the late 80's, I did board level repair for a tech company. It didn't matter what computer came in, they all used off the shelf parts that were easy to source. Power supplies, motherboards, hard drives, monitors, you name it, we fixed it. Not allowing right to repair is a scam. It is a money grab. Keep fighting the good fight Louis, or we all lose.
Because of what I've learned from Louis, about how Apple truly treats its customers, I will no longer purchase another Apple device. I'm not an Apple fanboy, but I've spent over 10 grand on Apple products over the years. No more. I'm switching to a brand that allows third party repair to fix any problem I might have with no hassles.
@@ptick16damn, that took lots of money and time to release.
@@ptick16 a lot of money wasted for a non fanboy 😂
@@Mizuumisan Sometimes we need those even though we don't want to. I know a friend who is a Windows fanboy (he's a hardcore gamer and can do game from 6 to 6) but he forced to used Mac's ecosystem because he needed to. Poor him.
@@Mizuumisan thats about 2 imac's ou 10 sets of wheels xD
Good to see the repair community is so supportive of each other. He didn't have to share this.
This guy's a fucking hack man. Like a serious hack and anyone who listens to him is just as stupid
He is planing to sell it...
@@Bialy_1and after 350 units are sold the project goes open source. This way the work which was put into it for development and research gets compensated. Not a bad thing.
@@Bialy_1even if, what’s wrong with that?
@@Bialy_1 You mean... He is planning to sell a tool to help repairmen better fix your property? OH NO! How could someone sell things to professionals for them to do their jobs.
It's not a security issue, it's just anti-repair tactics. Thanks for doing this.
With pleasure we hope it will help a lot in your daily business.
Exactly. As Louis pointed out, the uncalibrated sensor behavior is the exact opposite of security.
Just like the BS about no charger included to save earth somehow lol
only security issue is tying yourself to just one company
@@H.EL-Othemanythey wanna be carbon-neutral as of late. i guess they’re gonna disappear and before that stop eating and breathing…
It's insane how innovative and smart the whole repair industry is becoming. And all because these big companies don't want them to do it. This is really a perfect example of how life will find a way and humans being at their best!
I also don't want them to do it, currently Louis is enabling dumbass apple users to keep depending on apple products by fixing it instead of saying "it's dead, buy a brand that can be repaired".
Of course he's running a business and money is money so that point is moot after all, but the solution to this is obvious, just not obvious to dumbass apple consumers who keep giving Louis money whose business would cease to exist if people learned to cope with buyers remorse, deal with losses, and buy a repairable laptop that's so easy to fix that Louis isn't needed and anyone can fix their laptop at home.
It’s a classic cat and mouse game. Who outsmarts who. Just like the 90’s computer. someone creates a virus, someone else creates an anti virus
It also brings money to your business. "I/My business can repair/replace [Apple Product] (components) at a cheaper price than Apple WITHOUT the [Apple Product] knowing!"
Very good point (though no one will read this). Nature will find away to protect its interest, in any given situation. Since the human interest seems to be our own security, which then is equated in our minds and society to money, these large groups of people work together to create systems that assure they make the most possible by protecting against the actions of others.
We get into the aspect of right to repair and the meaning of ownership in a different conversation. It is and amazing aspect of nature here; apple not letting anyone else repair their custom devices.
Really, we as a larger group of people (consumers) can fight this easily. We just don’t mess with the group defending a it’s interest. By not buying their product at all. They will die out and the groups making things that are repairable will thrive. Easy peasy.. right?
That said, I fight for right to repair, and support it fully, and yet just bought a MacBook used.
So, exhibiting a nice bit of cognitive dissonance right there (another aspect of human nature)
Becoming? it has always been like this.
Nothing makes my day more than seeing Louis winning and giving Apple the middle finger. 😁
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
It's fun to see apple sucking on it like a little bitc#
/r/apple is seething because they couldn't take it that Louis made them all look like a bunch of fools.
@@johnnycheung5536Oh I gotta see this 🤣
Those guys call him a ragebait channel lol@@johnnycheung5536
I don’t fix Apple devices anymore because of all the crap Apple does to stop us nowadays, but I LOVE to see their anti-repair tactics foiled. Hopefully we get more of this. Great job to everybody involved!!!
Exactly what Apple wants.
@@silverhawkscape2677Given enough time, _any_ booby trap these fat-cat companies set can and _will_ be circumvented and/or neutralized. Consider how much (or how little) time it took hackers like Empress to defeat Denuvo!
Don’t worry about not repairing Apple devices any more. A lot of us aren’t going to buy Apple devices any more.
Avoiding all repair BS by not buying any of their stuff.
You think other manufacturers are not doing this?@@gdutfulkbhh7537
When Apple says something is a 'Security Feature', they mean it secures their revenue streams.
💯
Facts bruh
😂
Preaching the truth.
Now, I wonder what kind of security and repair challenges those technician shops will encounter with the Apple iPhone 15?
They are open sourcing the software to do this after 350 orders (already 14% there). This is really a great thing; it pays for the development of the device but allows everyone access it eventually. Really impressed.
They need to add a second item, for those of us with no need of the tool, but will to throw €5 toward the cause of open sourcing this. Maybe throw a nerdtool sticker in an envelope, but not necessary.
@@RossReedstromI would agree with this to, i don't want time took i just wanna support.
I love the way they sell their boards. After 350 orders they will open source it. That's perfect. It takes care of the missing income of open source hardware/software, and is still open source once the developer has made "enough" money to sustain their living. From that point, people are welcome to create their own so that also those people who cannot afford one, can use it.
Wait that's actually genius.
Damn that is actually an awesome model to keep open source running as a concept. I always liked those projects that open source everything so you can DIY but if not you can still buy the completed product straight from the source
This right here is why I'm against "intellectual property".
The ability to be paid for the work *you do* should have nothing to do with the ability to leverage the "product" of that work against those that need it more and can therefore be extracted from with greater prejudice.
Legally this is called largess and it means to have an *arbitrary* choice over which laws apply to whom with regards to A piece of property.
@@webbugt
Especially when something is primarily made for consumers and even if it doesn't require any coding, a LOT of people would rather pay 150 bucks for a finished gadget than tinker around for even an hour with some OSS.
I hope they will go for something like CERN-OHL-S. It would let anyone develop the product further, but at the condition that the hardware design stays open
Yeah no its not a security issue, its a lazy greed issue
even the faceid pairing is not a security problem because the device REQUIRES a pin after a reboot which is also required to recognize a new faceid device.
apple's claims for "security" are just pure bullshit
Remove lazy.
@@zahnatomif they had just 1 or 2 things that requires pairing and DETAILED reasons why, I think most would be like ok. But when EVERYTHING is paired for just generic safety and security reasons. It has to be safety and security of thier revenue stream.
Not lazy; they're putting in ungodly amounts of effort to make sure you can't fix their shit.
They can make it simple, they just choose not to
German engineering at its finest.
Its* finest.
I saw this and thought to myself "apple isn't German" then immediately after, Steve walks in haha
Germany isn't having any of a dumb American Corporation
Don't mind the 3 BMW's leaking oil in my driveway though
@@ireallyreallyreallylikethisimg it is preventing the engine bay from rusting ;)
It is a feature
If it were a real security issue, Apple would have used an old-fashioned, mechanical switch, and / or would have added a light to the lid to show the operator that the laptop was still active.
Wait, you mean a mechanical interlock that is so dead simple it never breaks, AND keeps the lid closed until you want it open?! That would make far too much sense! We must think different!
@@williamking9707 planned obsolescence isn't incorporated into the design????
stoked to see a win for you guys. hope more stuff like this pops up
Love it, keep circumventing Apples bs anti-repair tactics and show they're full of crap!
Going forward, that last part of the video might be the most important. That the current gen of hardware is now reparable is great, but without some sort of sword of Damocles to stop them, does anyone want to give odds on the next version breaking that tool? Public shaming is about the only tool we have that can be used right now to avoid getting kicked back down the hill. I don't know how well it would work to make it clear that they will get called out for changing things, but I don't know of a better strategy.
Ever wonder why people are going back to there Intel macintoshes.
Simple the m1 is powerful as all heck the m2 lags has performance issues it's a mess
Unfortunately once Apple sees this bypass, rest assured they will come up with an uncrackable version with better encryption. It's a never ending cat and mouse game (Clinton vs. Apple lol) By the way, normally there should be NO need for calibration as each MacBook has the same case and closing angle. Obviously this just another Apple BS.
The second tool is to simply not purchase Apple products (nor products from any other company using similar tactics) @@benjaminshropshire2900
The fbi and cia is looking for this guy now on behalf of apple....this tech didn't kill himself.....
Kudos to Stephan and his partners for making this happen! Here's hoping the word gets out and repair shops can support the work of his team to keep fixes like this coming!
Thank you for your kind words. We genuinely appreciate it 🙏
When I was a kid - my parents bought my Grandfather a Hifi set. It came with a user guide AND **SCHEMATICS** - so any company could fix it. That should be the default for any over the counter electronic device.
This is fantastic news! Heaven knows you needed a morale boost like this. We're rooting for you and the Right To Repair movement from all over the globe.
I wish Apple could be sued when they are caught lying about repair estimates when they have the know how to do better.
They can be. Best case scenario, they lose, pay a fine and invent a new way to screw the customer to avoid precedent rulings.
But for them it's easy to just replace the mobo, so technically they aren't lying
As Louis has really opened my eyes to: the FTC is not there to protect the consumer.
If you could sue companies for overcharging, the American healthcare companies would be in big trouble.
instead the independent repair people will likely be sued for making this tool
The sensor needing calibration is fine and normal. The procedure not being built into the device with a simple wizard in some service mode is beyond any explanation - amazing work on reverse engineering that!
That's not even normal nor acceptable. A new sensor should be flashed so that it assumes that its initial state is closed because the technician working on the machine would only be able to do so with a closed lid. Edge cases could be worked around by having a reset button in the motherboard.
We had our commercial espresso machine go out on us recently. After some troubleshooting I found the problem was with the circuitboard somehwere. I contacted the manufacturer and described the problem - the heating elements in the boiler weren't turning off and it was overheating.
They said it needed a new board, but they cost nearly $2000 (!)
So this was a huge incentive for me to get out my multimemeter and go around the board looking for a fault. I found two faulty triacs (they control the heating elements and there were three of them). I replaced them and it's working perfectly now. They cost about $8 each. I replaced all three triacs and with shipping it cost me $46. I had to get help from an electronics forum, with pictures and start to build a picture of how the circuit board worked and find out what the various components were, what they did and what they controlled.
I'm glad this was a fairly easy fix, but they weren't too forthcoming with a circuit diagram or any other help. They also ghosted me when I told them I'd found the problem and was ordering the new parts for $46 🙂
Telling them for how cheap you fixed it and them just realizing they lost a lot of money is just pure karma 😂😂😂😂
@@onemprod Yeah, it was the cherry on the top and I learned something new along the way. 🙂 I ain't paying two grand for something that should only cost maybe a few hundred tops, even if it was a bit specialized. 2 big ones? They're having a frikkin laugh....
Anything you can do to foil Apple's anti-consumer behavior is deeply appreciated. Thank-you for sharing this.
i know one way. stop buying apple products. but we all know the maroon won't do that, so he has to keep making these videos.
Good idea. Only problem is that Android accessibility is nowhere near as good as Apple, so, us blind folks are just going to keep buying IPhones.@@cagneybillingsley2165
@@cagneybillingsley2165who tf is ”the maroon”??
@@joarsund3855 maroon is the new purple anon
He fixes them?
Don't worry, this will be fixed in the next patch "Removed the ability to use external calibration tools to calibrate the angle sensor". Apple don't want you fixing their stuff, they want you to buy new ones!
Bingo.
CVE2023-1111A There exists a vulnerability in the screen angle sensor replacement that will allow an unauthorized attacker to home invade you and kill your kids and kick your dog. Apple has removed the ability to replace the sensor after version 10.15.7 blocking this attack and providing pie and punch for everyone.
Likely impossible without new parts.
It's most likely a standard SPI flash just like a bios. Which means that the Apple calibration tool is likely something like flashrom (because why not rub it in by using open source software) which flashes the tiny rom with the calibration settings.
At a guess, the way this was reverse engineered was by reading the SPI flash of a few working units and seeing there were no differences in the code.
From there it's just a matter of making the board to make it easy.
well apparently the people still buying apple products want to...how else can they brag to their fake friend coffee group that they got the new iphone gazillion and are having louis rossman repair it 😂😂😂
at some point making even MORE money is not worth the effort
Steve from Germany, you're fucking awesome for sharing this to the world, we need more people like you!
Thanks! Good on ya
Brilliant work to the team. It's people like you all that make the world a better place. Shame on you Apple for not being supportive. Now, IF Apple does something malicious to make it so this calibration tool stops working, I say it's time to take action against Apple.
Honestly, I think action should have been taken against them a long time ago.
So true.@@veritassyfer1185
Like a global Molotov cocktail through the window of every Apple Store.
The best action is to not buy their products.
Apple really doesn't have any leverage in this case as I see it. Unless they start using their own proprietary angle sensors, which wouldn't make economic sense.
I was having quite an exhausting day and been watching your videos. I can't remember if I told you, but I called your shop and told them how much I appreciate all the good work they are doing. They were very receptive of it, and that was awesome. I share your channel with people almost every day. You do great work, as always. Thank you.
Nothing makes me feel better than a major W from the Repair community, we totally kicked their ass this time!!
It comes to mind that basing their business model on increasing absolute losses to only spur repairmen to innovate both loses them massive amounts of money, but makes repairmen richer. **Ideally, we wouldn't need this rigmarole, but I love how it always tends towards the benefit of the product owners and secondary markets in spite of a malevolent first party** .
@@Dan-gs3kg I don't understand,
Congratulations to everybody involved in this tool's development and thank you Louis for sharing it with us. You have become a symbol to us all. May God bless you in your journey, we all support you man!
German engineering triumphs again.
No but in all seriousness, even though I don't even own any Mac, thanks to everyone involved for sticking the finger to Apple.
German engineering is the best in the world! 🤚
This wonderful German man is doing God's work. The fact his team developed a tool to make this possible is truly a good thing for Mac owners. Thank you Louis for featuring him.
This wonderful German man is doing God's work... Since at least 1939 this sentence isn't usually followed by good news. Glad we finally get to celebrate something good coming from Germany again.
@@MrGruzefixyou know, the famous painter was Austrian 😉
I thought for a second it was der8auer 😂
Ah yes I remember that passage, apple1 verse 2 "and God wanted to have apple parts replaceable and so he buildeth thy calibration tool, but was lost to the floods".
@@MrGruzefixGermans make a lot of great things.
stuff like this puts a huge grin on my face and I don't even own a single Apple product
You guys are doing God’s work. Because of your videos and the iFixit guides I have been able to repair a few of my MacBooks. Seriously it’s people like y’all that directly stick the middle finger in Apple’s face for deciding to treat the consumers like idiots and puppets.
I wouldn’t call myself a security expert, but I am currently working on my masters in cyber security. I personally can’t think of a single way that Apple’s “solution” provides security to the end user. It does the opposite lol
yes, the only precaution against eavesdropping would be a clear indicator that the mic is on (or at least that the machine is running - which they deliberately _removed_ in the newer ones by replacing the transparent logo with an all black one!)
if the device was flushing RAM to the SSD when it detected being closed, a paired sensor would make sense. but does it?
Indeed, but the thing is all the users of apple are low IQ people with no technical experience.
security through obscurity
i'm studying for my Bachelor in IT engeneering, and i too can't think of how this sensor could provide in any way, shape or form security to a device
This is fantastic news! Having access to a third-party repair service that not only costs less but also delivers superior quality over Apple is a significant advantage.
You can see the guy smiling all the time and enjoying every moment of what he's doing
That's because he knows he's just made bank. The source code to the tool (How it's used) is only being released once he's paid €60,000.
@@ReelixThat's very disingenious, €169 per unit and after 350 units it will be opensource, that does get to ~60k, but you have to think about the time and cost it has taken to make this tool. He just wants to be compensated for that time, and also the time and effort to build each of those units.
He could've also decided to never make it open source
Plus he paid other engineers to do the tech stuff!@@Stroopwafe1
@@Reelix I’m reporting your comments for spam as you know you’re lying to people who might think the circuit costs €60,000
lmao you're funny @@baconwizard
Thanks!
I love the international collaboration and effort in the fight for right to repair. This tool is so cool! I hope you guys are able to help as many customers as possible before Apple pins them down again.
Louis, i love you man. the amount of people who come together to circumvent nonsensical things like this warms my heart. and i appreciate everything you and everyone else can do.
the world need more technicians like you guys
Apple went from throwing hammers at a monolith, to being the monolith.
Which is only natural...you know the saying...absolute power etc etc
They all have. Literally every single company is evil. Google has become the thing they used to demonize.
Closed source was Jobs's vision from the beginning. Unfortunately, corporate greed has outweighed any positives of the design philosophy.
Its all about building up so much market power that you can just do whatever the f you want and nobody can do much about it :) No matter the company
nice reference
I love it when intelligent people get together and solve problems such as this. Corporations use the "security " excuses to keep you from getting your own product repaired.
not 100% sure if it's even the corporation in this case, or just the apple simps trying to FUD-cope
This really is a nice new invention that opens up doors to calibrating other components in other apple products. If apple software or hardware engineers make amendments to this then they will have made a conscious decision and we will have concrete evidence of this. Evidence against all those supporters and legislators who oppose right to repair.
The way to calibrate this specific sensor does not necessary have anything in common with anything else in a Apple product. The caibration routine is device- and manufacturer-specific.
Was wondering if this means a solution could eventually be reached for calibrating a new screen? Or if their system configuration tool is a different ballgame.
It depends on what calibrating a new screen entails. Is is something in the screen (display) that needs to be set, or is it something in EFI (the mainboard) that needs to be set - i don't know. But everything is doable is you just probe and research enough. With stuff being obfuscated and no way of "looking over the shoulder" while Apple calibrates a screen, it's hard to know what is really going on.@@notmyname6452
The German dude said he was tinkering in Arduino and then got other people, more proficient than him, to finish the fix, so yeah, the path to achieve the fix is now open but it will need to be reimplemented for all other devices that Apple shits out too
@@LudwigVaanArthans Exactly.
"if this is for security, this dude just defeated it with a tool you'll be able to find in the link down below" what a power move
I love this guy! His excitement over his success was so heartwarming! That and Louis' middle finger to Apple. So heartwarming. 🤣
I love how it's such a small tool too. And simple! Just two buttons and three LEDs. One two done. Everybody should be able to repair stuff as easily as this.
I've never even owned an Apple product but this is great. A lot of Apple BS trickles down to other manufacturers so stuff like this might be something we'll see more often in the future. Great to see there are people finding their way around it.
THIS is why the community and the industry NEED you Louis, your leadership and your team. It makes a difference in hearts and minds and eventually that shines through. The business soup is slow and stuck in its ways but you are doing important work yourself and with FUTO.
My first question: How is such a security-sensitive sensor left so exposed that it can just… corrode??
Apple.logic
How is such an important device so unimportant to apple users that they keep spilling soda on their phones and laptops that cost $2000?
@@shinobuoshino5066 you know there exists a thing called condensation and water has 3 forms of state.
@@renegranit240 if you live in a tropical forest without a dehumidifier and with a macbook I don't have much to tell you.
@@shinobuoshino5066 some very sensitive water damage indicators can 100% trigger from humidity in the air
Louis, I'm not an Apple fan, but I am a fan of Right To Repair and Apple has always been one of the largest violators of Right To Repair.
So, any time someone can "stick it to the man" it makes me smile and feel like we're all winning just a little bit.
I applaud and thank you for all of your hard work on Right To Repair and I also thank and applaud your German friend for his hard work on "sticking it to the man".
I was expecting Stephan to capitalise on this genius tool by selling it for $500+ but was happily surprised that he's made it extremely affordable, even for a DIY repair, at only €169!!!
Even though I do not own ANY Apple products, I thank you wholeheartedly for your efforts with this and wish you all the best with developing similar devices for other locked out anti repair hardware on other Apple devices.
❤ To Louis and Stephan From Australia ❤
And it should be mentioned, after 350 units are sold, the project goes open source.
@@DaRealV i mean he did really heavy lifting in reverse engineering so i completely understand that he wants to earn some money from it
i just really hope apples cease and desist doesn't come to him
how did louis forget to mention it@@DaRealV
@dairiskuznecovs7233 Huh ? He just did the one thing people didn't bother to do and read the fucking chip datasheet to send i2c calibration commands.
169€ is extremely expensive. That card should not cost more than 15€ all in to make.
yhe and wat about the time to make sure it works? you pay for more then just the parts you pay for a proven solution and the parts. also aparently after 350 unit sold it wil go open sorce. YOU are not made to buy it you are perfectly within your rights to do it yourself if you can@@henria.277
Great job German guy! Hats off to you and engineers like that willing to put in the work
Nice work. We need more guys like Chris coming up with great tools.
I'm sure Apple will ensure that this process does not work either with new hardware or with a software update.
Yup
The simple solution is to not update your phone and don't buy a new one.
They will probably just sue him.
Sadly
@@IvanKorsinskyyou mean that thing they eventually force
As a avid hardware hacker/phreaker I love exploring people's custom hardware builds like this device. I love when there's a successful instance of breaking hardware and software limitations and I would of loved to have been in the room with the team that cracked this problem and ended up with the prototype. At defcon last month we did a lot of cool stuff like this and this makes me miss it all over again. Very cool success story
This is neat! I'm glad that it's just calibration and not pairing as well, that would be a pain.
Not until the apple execs see this video :p
Don't give Apple ideas...
Soon... :)
I hope Apple engineers see this and dare to say "I'm not going to do that"
@@elenabob4953 That's highly unlikely, they already have engineers that do their every bidding, and even if somehow it did happen, Apple would just find new engineers.
Brilliant. Great that we are still fighting to repair our stuff. By our, I mean you and that German repairer and his colleagues. Absolutely fantastic
Louis we appreciate your tenacity, energy, and hard work on these items. We need to clone you into other neglected fields to oversee and promote positive trends.
What really needs calibration is Apple's attitude.
It's weird when I miss Jobs, Apple got so much more anti-consumer after he died, and they were far from perfect beforehand but at least you could still fix things without having to homebrew tools to do tasks that used to be possible in the device's software.
@@cericatit was in Jobs' DNA to be anti consumer. Don't you remember the whole "you're holding the phone wrong" debacle?
A foot up the ass is the only tool capable of calibrating that...luckily there's plenty of those around. 😂
I’ve listened to enough Wozniak interviews to know that Jobs was always anti-repair.
Really liked your comment, but I think they need much more than just a calibration.
What an excellent tool. Thanks for helping the community in one more way Louis and thanks for showcasing what us non-geniuses can still accomplish. Already purchased mine and I hope he sells a ton more.
A genuine and heartfelt THANK YOU for everything that you are doing for us.
Fighting the power with ingenuity. Engineering is a tool of freedom. Love it.
Love the enthusiasm and the willingnes to promote other peoples' solutions to our common problems. Definitely sharing with my IT friends if they hadn't seen it already (Louis is a minor celeb in Croatian IT community)
Literal heros of right to repair. Never stop giving them hell, Louis!
I really need this tool!!! Thank you for inventing this amazing tool. Hopefully soon for all us small repair shops!
Thank you again
That's incredible! I'm not a mac guy but I'm happy you all found a solution!
Why do I feel like that'll play out like the McDonald Ice-Cream Machine story where the company who made the machine tried to sue the couple who made the tool to allow the store workers at McDonald to fix the basic stuff, like unclogging the nozzle and delete the error code to allow operation to continue?
Hang on lemme look something up real quick.
What the hell
@@mantacid1221 Seems like you found the story I was referring to...
But if you concider that the maker of the ice-cream machine is one of the largest shareholders of McDonald and McDonald one of their largest shareholders...it kind of makes sense :(
@@Kiramitsuoka so it was basically McDonalds screwing over their own franchises... classic.
Then he still can make it open source. It's just a "calibration tool for a sensor" then :)
Truly appreciate what rossmann group is doing, we love your work
The one thing that makes me most angry is that consumers are our own biggest enemy. It’s so hard to educate the average person to actually care about R2R. If you explain it, they get it, but they don’t care enough to fight for it. This is because of dozens of reasons, but we honestly need to drag the average person kicking and screaming into the future if we’re going to get anywhere. I understand why so many people get burnt out trying to help this movement. Thanks Louis and Nerd Tool!
It's the same everywhere. Fast fashion? It's a problem, but how do we realistically fight it?
Predatory freemium monetization that abuses FOMO in games? Even though everyone recognizes it's bad at this point, that doesn't stop it from being effective against the consumer it's psychologically designed to target.
Unfortunately these problems are bigger than individuals, or boycotts, etc, because they're designed either to trap people in a dependency for which there is no alternative, or to weaponize understandings about statistically significant populations' psyches. I can't blame the consumers for a tool designed to manipulate them being effective, but at the same time, the only way for us to claw our way out of these things is by making them ineffective, which requires leveraging those same consumers.
Definitely a vicious cycle, definitely doesn't feel like it's likely to get better in many of these areas for a long time, and if it does, it seems likely to me that it gets a lot worse before it gets any better
It's not the average person you need to educate, that's why it's so hard. iPhones are a status symbol, a luxury brand. It's not for the average Joe.
Not owning a refurbished piece of equipment is part of the image.
What apple want to establish is you're practically unable to join the club by buying second hand.
Is it still a case though? It doesn’t feel a luxury anymore, around me at least.
I think people wants to be able to fix their iPhones and macs for reasonable price and not buying new one often
@@gusteyigor It's not that it's luxury because it's good, it's luxury because it's overpriced for its value. That's all "Paying for the brand" ever is. A lot of people still have that mentality, as someone who works in an IT space and noting some of the people who request macs, not because they have any actual reason to want a mac (Softwares, use cases, etc) but just because they wanna look like a certain kind of person and they think a mac fits that image better. They're essentially cosmetic as far as some of these peeps are concerned, so the status symbol overview is pretty on the nose.
Those are the same people who will get annoyed at us when Apple does some random anti-consumer thing, as if we have control over Apple and as if they didn't very intentionally go into that ecosystem themselves lol
@@Nudgarrobot I understood what he meant by that. But I thought people don't do this any more, at least in US. I live in US now but I'm from East Europe and there is definitely the case. People obsess about Iphones, some even buy iphones with credit money just to look "cool".
I love that you and your team reach around the world to defeat apple's anti-repair antics. If apple wasn't so heavy handed and controlling with both it's hardware and software, I might actually like them.
Why is Apple so afraid of others stealing their business if they're so good and have unique products?
money
Why are you so sure they are afraid?
if a product you've made works reliably for 10 years without you, that means you won't be hearing from your client for the next 10 years.
@@AcidSugar1414Because they are constantly doing everything they can to stop right to repair legislation. It's CLEARLY a priority.
Their main business is hardware.
The operating systems come free with the hardware
It makes sense that THEY are able to do the repairs (against a fee, of course).
But they're going about it the wrong way right now
8:02 I learned from Big Clive that auto-focus is looking for *contrast*. Focusing on screens is much easier if you slap any type of high-contrast thing on it for the camera to focus on (like printed text on paper/label/sticky note)
Congratuations to Steve for inventing such a useful tool. And thanks, Louis, for letting us know about it.
Based. Keep up the incredible work Louis, you're a hero
Apple is a truly malicious company in any way
Puhlease!
Most any business. The goal is money. The stuff about free markets was just BS to allow unlimited profits.
Its why they gave China the data of hong kong protesters and full access. they use the lie of privacy but the protestors had to switch to samsung and most likely utilized its customizability to download a better OS.
*In EVERY way
I can't say they are malicious/evil in EVERY way, but definitely in most ways that *matter*
Aluminum as a casing material? Fancy.
Silicon tech? Rad.
Software design? Refined as heck.
*Then they DRM the shit out of their stuff, overprice and gatekeep.*
No matter how smart Apple think they are, there are other smart people in the world and they don't work for Apple
...There will be always someone smarter...
To wit, you're not actually smart if you agreed to work for Apple.
@@AttilaAsztalos well said, although their snow ball mac was fun to use . So much so to this day if i could find a good one id run linux on it.
🇬🇧
@@johnpublic6582 My cousin played in MLB. His High Desert affiliate coach always said : "if you dont work hard this year, next year there is always someone YOUNGER, SMARTER , FASTER, STRONGER than you that will take your job"
Impressive work! I hope you get the more attention your deserve and sound echoes stronger. Well done and great work
yup... this is exactly what i was saying about the sobny headphones, batteries run down becaue they ARE IN USE. whether mic or camera or what have you.. you're not only tracked (blutooth to phone to gps etc), but also recorded. .. NON STOP surveillance. :(
Great video Louis. It's not about security. I remember my locksmith friend saying man can undo what man can do. Kudos for sticking it to Apple. 👍❤️💪
It's guys like this that are doing God's work, who should get a grant from your repair preservation group. Amazing job meine Freund
Good solution! This problem only occurred in new models due to the changed magnet design! In previous models (a2141), the magnet was always in a certain position and this problem did not arise.
Really hoping a tool (software or hardware) for calibrating more complex interchangeable parts happens soon-if Apple isn’t going to release their internal calibration tools, then clean room reverse engineering like this is really the only way to go. Damn good work.
and there is a need to somehow pay the people doing that work...
Great Job Guys.
This is actually pretty amazing, as a comp sci student with little to no hardware experience I really want to learn shit like this. Keep it up.
Sir, you rock! Great to see your company has apparently grown since I last watched your videos! The "Inc." bit seems to be new. Keep on, keeping on!
I think engineers should just gather and fight against these practices in brilliant ways like this.
It's not an engineer problem, it's an consumer problem.
Engineers are the one who create these problems because they know consumers are will eat shit from a shovel when it comes to apple.
Not engineers, just people should not buy things that make anti repair things
Thank you for your kind words. We share the same perspective, which is why we've included an extension port on the nerd.tool.1. We would greatly appreciate it if the community utilizes this board to address various MacBook issues. We are actively working on developing different extension boards with various MacBook connectors to encourage experimentation and the discovery of innovative solutions.
@@lot.bajramiA bit impossible here in America, most of the populace has an iPhone. Owning a business for example makes things so so so much easier if you have Apple devices. If Apple would stop the authoritarian levels of lock down, nobody would buy an android again.
What? What exclusive features does the iPhone offer to business owners?
If only Apple cared as much about the security of their OS as they did about locking down repair.
I'm sure there are now 3 teams at apple trying to 'fix' this based on this video.
They would be saying, Oh no the world is coming to an end, if they can do this for one part they might think they can do others.
Repair people are the best people!
It was never about customer security, always about money.
I think I've said it before here but I'm certified to work on Macs, it's become routine but a part of me hates that places like the one you operate can't access these tools. At the same time I also hate that all I'm able to do is replace the part, I'm not allowed to fix board issues. It sucks man.
Should have stayed independent right?
Congratulations!
Are there more calibration things like this to defeat?
I'm an IT student who likes a challenge. 🙃
Try the iphone
Maybe something which can change the ID tags for the screen to fake a broken screen when replacing it?
@@eligiobudde PLEASE, if you do, name it "bad apple"
If Apple really care about security and privacy, the most common sense is that they release the software for the calibration to the public, easily accessible, because then the user can trust that the sensor is calibrated by the trusted party, heck, the user don't even have to send the macbook to "shady 3rd party repair store", they can just change the sensor and calibrate themselve, 3rd party doesn't get money (perhaps what apple wants) and Apple still true to their words.
a sensor designed to detect if a laptop lid is closed shouldn't have to be calibrated at all.... It's just a SWITCH
@@Damien.D I guess there is some calibration need to control at which point it goes from on to off at least if you plan to use the same switch for 50 different lids.
But yes the way Apple does it is just stupid.
@@Damien.D Unfortunately, that's the world we currently lived in
@@rynobehnke8289 it just needs to know the angle difference between the two hinge parts. That is pretty straightforward.
This guy is great Louis thanks for highlighting him. You know how you know its not about security, you said it right in the beginning, the thing stays awake with a bad sensor. smh..
This is great, Louis! Makes me wonder if Apple will serialize the angle sensor as well.
They will!
"If you don't pay us we'll keep this mic on 24/7 and further defile your privacy. As you can see, paying us would do a lot of good for your privacy and security"
It's basically a mob shakedown
Thats a really nice sensor you got there. Would be a shame if something happened to it. But dont worry, we got people for that if the worst would happen. Just *trust* us.
it also lets them blame the repair shop for "making it insecure"
It's not even a mob shakedown at this point, it's *extortion.*
Too bad every Apple defender will gladly bend over and let Tim Cook extort their finances no questions asked.
and we already proved we do watch and listen.
You can still hibernate the computer.
May Apple take as long to update that angle sensor as it did to change the iPhone from Lightening to USB C, or just actually support right to repair
That’s sick! Kudos for making that calibration tool and executing the repair.
Excellent job guys! Now if you can figure out how to do the same for the new M1, M2 MacBooks when you swap the lcd screens on them with an oem Apple screen. Apple makes them distort until you buy a lcd screen from them and then only they can run the configurator software to match it to your logic board. REWA figured it out and you have to remove the original chips under the lcd and put them in the replacement lcd just to get the lcd to work. This is ridiculous if you are using OEM Apple parts from the start IMHO.
It's not about security, it's about calling a bug/design flaw a "feature" that the marketing department can then use to sell more things.
I disagree. It's not a bug, not a design flaw, it does exactly what they want it to do. Screw people.
Yeah its not a design flaw, its the design.
@@BlackSlimShady as seen with a lot of video games, like Rain World, and Celeste, **Why can't a bug become a feature** ?
@@BlackSlimShady Exactly, if they didn't intend this they would "fix" it since the calibration process is time consuming for their own repair staff.
One step closer to making a homebrewed Apple de-obfuscator. Eventually we'll be able to bruteforce syncronization of replacement parts. You practically just need to find a way to tell the machine to flip a couple of 1s and 0s through a direct line into the motherboard, like shown here.
I have to give this man credit for not only figuring out how to program the sensor, but creating a tool and deciding to sell it to anyone that wants it. It would have been more profitable to buy the sensors from the manufacturer, program them, and then sell the programmed sensors for 10-100 times the cost of the unprogrammed sensors. It would result in many more sales at a higher profit margin and no one other than apple would complain about it. The repair community is much richer for the work this man has done and his ethics in not choosing to maximize his profits.