4 ms·

Why would these schematics hold such a high value? Apple will do a new generation of laptops, maybe they'll modify the form factor a little bit, maybe they'll u

by w-m 6y ago

Why would these schematics hold such a high value? Apple will do a new generation of laptops, maybe they'll modify the form factor a little bit, maybe they'll update some internal components, new processor. Who could benefit from knowing the exact changes, why would Apple care (millions-of-dollars-care) if they are leaked a few months in advance?

fredsted 6y ago
Perhaps other laptop manufacturers would be intersted in knowing how Apple's future machines are built, to give them a competitive edge. I could imagine accessory and case manufacturers would be keen to know about the form factor of future MacBooks. There's also a large ecosystem of Apple news sites that would probably pay for the scoop.
- segfaultbuserr 6y ago
  > I could imagine accessory and case manufacturers would be keen to know [...] There's also a large ecosystem of Apple news sites that would probably pay [...] The article says, "the group is demanding that Apple pay an undisclosed ransom for the images/schematics they obtained via the supplier by May 1 [...] Until then, the hackers will continue to post new files every day, REvil said on its blog." The target is only Apple itself, the random group does not accept third-party payment and will make all information public if it's not payed. So I don't think the group wants to sell the information to accessory manufacturers or Apple news sites.
  - csharptwdec19 6y ago
    > So I don't think the group wants to sell the information to accessory manufacturers or Apple news sites. That wouldn't be a viable business model for the ransom group; Any accessory manufacturer or news site would likely get in a legal entanglement for buying trade secrets.
  - fredsted 6y ago
    Thanks for the correction!
  - coldtea 6y ago
    >The target is only Apple itself, the random group does not accept third-party payment Because they're so ethical? If a third party wanted to pay them $50M or even remotely close to that, they'd accept in 0 seconds.
Cthulhu_ 6y ago
I think they're mainly betting on Apple wanting to keep the designs a secret until they are ready to reveal them. There's been numerous iPhone design leaks beforehand. I don't believe it actually impacted sales or reputation in any way, but Apple is still being secretive about it.
- high_density 6y ago
  but those leaks weren't 100% believable --- this case, it's different. (or apple can just change their future products...)
segfaultbuserr 6y ago
In my opinion it doesn't worth the ransom price at all. I don't see anything unusual in the schematics - it just looks like one of those laptop schematics online that would definitely leak from the OEM within a year after the machine is released and it would be used by all repair technicians all over the world.
newsclues 6y ago
Channel sell through may be impacted if new products are known ahead of their sales schedule, resulting in unsold inventory or discounts
- quesera 6y ago
  I would expect the impact to be small -- Apple releases new hardware on a very predictable schedule, and this kind of news is a bit esoteric to influence the casual buyer.
  - newsclues 6y ago
    Unless you have a big product change, and consumers realize it would be stupid not to wait for the improvement. If the information of the new product provides consumers even a reason to wait that could cost Apple dearly, this is why they are notoriously secretive.
    - Tagbert 6y ago
      We’ve already had rumors that closely match what was revealed by the schematics so the impact of this latest release would not be that large. Most customers are not even aware of possible model changes when they purchase. A reasonably technically adept friend of mine just bought a new iMac the other day. When they told me, they were very happy about and and I had to avoid noticeably wincing. If I had known before the purchase i would have advised them to wait for the upcoming redesigned models with the M-series chips instead of the old stuff. I think that this is how most customers approach purchases. They don’t pay attention to rumors and news about newer products.
    - quesera 6y ago
      Right, that's the "Osborne Effect"[0], which is certainly a consideration. But I think Apple's secrecy is more about maximizing the marketing impact of announcements, and making competitors work harder to predict product directions. 0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_effect
    - 6y ago

by w-m 6y ago

fredsted 6y ago

Perhaps other laptop manufacturers would be intersted in knowing how Apple's future machines are built, to give them a competitive edge. I could imagine accessory and case manufacturers would be keen to know about the form factor of future MacBooks. There's also a large ecosystem of Apple news sites that would probably pay for the scoop.

segfaultbuserr 6y ago
> I could imagine accessory and case manufacturers would be keen to know [...] There's also a large ecosystem of Apple news sites that would probably pay [...] The article says, "the group is demanding that Apple pay an undisclosed ransom for the images/schematics they obtained via the supplier by May 1 [...] Until then, the hackers will continue to post new files every day, REvil said on its blog." The target is only Apple itself, the random group does not accept third-party payment and will make all information public if it's not payed. So I don't think the group wants to sell the information to accessory manufacturers or Apple news sites.
- csharptwdec19 6y ago
  > So I don't think the group wants to sell the information to accessory manufacturers or Apple news sites. That wouldn't be a viable business model for the ransom group; Any accessory manufacturer or news site would likely get in a legal entanglement for buying trade secrets.
- fredsted 6y ago
  Thanks for the correction!
- coldtea 6y ago
  >The target is only Apple itself, the random group does not accept third-party payment Because they're so ethical? If a third party wanted to pay them $50M or even remotely close to that, they'd accept in 0 seconds.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago

I think they're mainly betting on Apple wanting to keep the designs a secret until they are ready to reveal them. There's been numerous iPhone design leaks beforehand. I don't believe it actually impacted sales or reputation in any way, but Apple is still being secretive about it.

high_density 6y ago
but those leaks weren't 100% believable --- this case, it's different. (or apple can just change their future products...)

segfaultbuserr 6y ago

In my opinion it doesn't worth the ransom price at all. I don't see anything unusual in the schematics - it just looks like one of those laptop schematics online that would definitely leak from the OEM within a year after the machine is released and it would be used by all repair technicians all over the world.

newsclues 6y ago

Channel sell through may be impacted if new products are known ahead of their sales schedule, resulting in unsold inventory or discounts

quesera 6y ago
I would expect the impact to be small -- Apple releases new hardware on a very predictable schedule, and this kind of news is a bit esoteric to influence the casual buyer.
- newsclues 6y ago
  Unless you have a big product change, and consumers realize it would be stupid not to wait for the improvement. If the information of the new product provides consumers even a reason to wait that could cost Apple dearly, this is why they are notoriously secretive.
  - Tagbert 6y ago
    We’ve already had rumors that closely match what was revealed by the schematics so the impact of this latest release would not be that large. Most customers are not even aware of possible model changes when they purchase. A reasonably technically adept friend of mine just bought a new iMac the other day. When they told me, they were very happy about and and I had to avoid noticeably wincing. If I had known before the purchase i would have advised them to wait for the upcoming redesigned models with the M-series chips instead of the old stuff. I think that this is how most customers approach purchases. They don’t pay attention to rumors and news about newer products.
  - quesera 6y ago
    Right, that's the "Osborne Effect"[0], which is certainly a consideration. But I think Apple's secrecy is more about maximizing the marketing impact of announcements, and making competitors work harder to predict product directions. 0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_effect
  - 6y ago