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How does Apple not know a database of real serial #s that match products it has sold? Why would an API that goes to the lengths of expecting a serial # not vali

How does Apple not know a database of real serial #s that match products it has sold? Why would an API that goes to the lengths of expecting a serial # not validate and instead accept a fake "real-looking" serial # instead of a known- matched-in-the-database real serial #?

rezonant 3y ago
Well, Apple does not actually know which serial numbers have been sold. You can still buy Apple products outside of an Apple store, and even at an Apple Store, knowing which serials are sold is logistically difficult. They could probably implement a process at Apple stores but to do it for third party stores would be more difficult. To avoid simply adding a step for a user to claim a serial number as sold when they set up their Hackintosh or HackiPhone (can we coin this?), you'd probably need a way to authenticate as the store when you mark one off. But there's nothing stopping stores who have excess inventory from selling it off at cost or even a discount when a particular product isn't doing well- and at that point those purchasers will need to be able to mark off serial numbers when they sell those devices. It's not impossible but it's not terribly likely, at least any time soon.
- MuffinFlavored 3y ago
  > Well, Apple does not actually know which serial numbers have been sold. What about "serial numbers manufactured?" I'm going to guess "Beeper Mini stealing manufactured-but-not-yet-sold serial #s for themselves" will be shut down super quickly. If you are a user who finally gets a device with a serial # "stolen" by Beeper Mini... that seems like bad luck/bad user experience?
  - maxloh 3y ago
    That kind of collision is very unlikely to happen. It is comparable to someone stealing your Windows license key by guessing randomly. More on collision: https://stackoverflow.com/a/23253149/ https://stackoverflow.com/a/23253149/
    - grishka 3y ago
      Are Apple device serial numbers hashes, though? Suppose you look through a factory-packed box of iPhones, the kind that Apple resellers get delivered, would their serial numbers not be sequential or at least numerically close to one another?

rezonant 3y ago

Well, Apple does not actually know which serial numbers have been sold. You can still buy Apple products outside of an Apple store, and even at an Apple Store, knowing which serials are sold is logistically difficult. They could probably implement a process at Apple stores but to do it for third party stores would be more difficult. To avoid simply adding a step for a user to claim a serial number as sold when they set up their Hackintosh or HackiPhone (can we coin this?), you'd probably need a way to authenticate as the store when you mark one off. But there's nothing stopping stores who have excess inventory from selling it off at cost or even a discount when a particular product isn't doing well- and at that point those purchasers will need to be able to mark off serial numbers when they sell those devices. It's not impossible but it's not terribly likely, at least any time soon.

MuffinFlavored 3y ago
> Well, Apple does not actually know which serial numbers have been sold. What about "serial numbers manufactured?" I'm going to guess "Beeper Mini stealing manufactured-but-not-yet-sold serial #s for themselves" will be shut down super quickly. If you are a user who finally gets a device with a serial # "stolen" by Beeper Mini... that seems like bad luck/bad user experience?
- maxloh 3y ago
  That kind of collision is very unlikely to happen. It is comparable to someone stealing your Windows license key by guessing randomly. More on collision: https://stackoverflow.com/a/23253149/ https://stackoverflow.com/a/23253149/
  - grishka 3y ago
    Are Apple device serial numbers hashes, though? Suppose you look through a factory-packed box of iPhones, the kind that Apple resellers get delivered, would their serial numbers not be sequential or at least numerically close to one another?