Apple has confirmed that certain repairs for its new Macs, sporting the T2 chip, can only be carried out by officially sanctioned Apple repair shops.
That’s because it contains software locks which brick the computers if they’re not operated on by someone not using Apple’s proprietary diagnostic software, called the AST 2 System Configuration. iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens describes this as a “guillotine that [Apple is] holding over” product owners — and potentially third party, unauthorized repairers, too.
News of these changes came out last month when details of a document distributed to Apple’s Authorized Service Providers were shared online.
While this does not stop all repairs being carried out on Macs, they do mean that you’ll likely have to go to either an Apple Store or authorized Apple repair shop if the fault includes your computer’s logic board, flash storage, MacBook top case, and Touch ID board. Failure to do so will result in “an inoperative system and an incomplete repair.”
Read more at CultOfMac.com