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> Any legitimate reseller would not have an issue because the original owner which sold the laptop to them would have wiped the device and removed the activatio
by mid-kid 4y ago
> Any legitimate reseller would not have an issue because the original owner which sold the laptop to them would have wiped the device and removed the activation lock.
This is exactly what goes wrong, way too many times. After encountering this issue with various friends and family, with locked iphones, I strongly believe we've gone wrong somewhere. People simply are not aware that their device is protected like this, until it actually hits them, which for way too many people, is simply "never". And in the case they are aware, they don't know how to remove the locks either.
Contacting the previous owner isn't as simple as it may seem, as iphones will typically obscure the owner's name. If the phone has passed any reasonable amount of hands, been locked in a closet for a few years, or was set up with another relative's account, disabling any of these kinds of locks is a losing game, usually ending up in frustration and the purchase of a new device anyway. Now consider what happens when workplaces discard devices en masse.
I completely agree with wanting good protection for my data on my devices, but people should be able to give away and sell these devices without worrying that the device will end up bricked in the process.
- lotsofpulp 4y ago>I completely agree with wanting good protection for my data on my devices, but people should be able to give away and sell these devices without worrying that the device will end up bricked in the process. This is not an acceptable compromise. These devices are the keys to a person’s entire existence, no compromise should be made to offset the user’s ignorance.
- KennyBlanken 4y agoI believe Apple will remove the activation lock if you can prove your identity as the purchaser/owner.
- RulerOf 4y agoWhich requires the purchase receipt. Good luck with that one.
- Gigachad 4y agoThis is the same problem as the account security problem. If the original owner did not remove their account from the device, you can't contact them, and you don't have a receipt, you are indistinguishable from someone who stole the device. It's like buying a car from someone who doesn't have the keys for it or any paperwork. Sure, it's not quite common knowledge like buying a car yet, but it will be eventually.
- RulerOf 4y ago>It's like buying a car from someone who doesn't have the keys for it or any paperwork. Sure, it's not quite common knowledge like buying a car yet, but it will be eventually. This is a really good point, but I'd like to counter with the observation that the anti-theft features of cars don't routinely brick products the way Apple does with activation lock.
- csomar 4y agoNewer cars will only work with their official keys. My car is locked and if I lose my two keys, I’d need to go back to the mother company for another key. However, a car parts are not molded like an Apple laptop. Most of them can be sold for good value.