Apple today began selling a Kensington locking kit for the Mac Studio with everything needed to secure the computer to a desk or other surface, including an adapter, a combination lock, and a braided carbon steel cable with a nylon cover.
Kensington says the kit was "designed specifically for Apple" and can be installed in minutes, with no tools or modifications necessary. The adapter attaches to a slot that Apple built into the bottom of the Mac Studio and does not block any ports on the back of the computer. The kit is available to order for $64.95 on Apple's online store.
Kensington is a well-known brand for laptop security locks. Apple included a slot for a Kensington lock on many MacBooks until the early 2010s, and it appears that the companies partnered again to offer a security solution for the Mac Studio.
Apple first released the Mac Studio in March 2022. The high-end desktop computer is available with M1 Max and M1 Ultra chip options.
Physical security is all about deterrence, time, and inconvenience.
Detering crimes of opportunity. "hey, look at that snazzy new Mac Studio, I think I will take that". Not everyone carries wire cutters around.
Keeping something secure with sufficient time for someone responsible to respond. Along the lines of a safe or a home alarm system. IE, I have a safe in my basement. It would take someone probably about 4 hours to break into it without the help of the best safe cracking tools like a torch or a plasma cutter. Plus, after you got in my house, the alarm would be going off and the local cops are on the way. Hey, if what's in MY safe is worth that much effort, I got bad news for you. It's insured and your efforts were best spent elsewhere.
Inconvenience. Making it a pain in the but to swipe something. Keeping it locked (like with something like this) and being able to use Apple's "find my" tools to remote wipe or lock the device if stolen makes it less likely to be stolen.
The final unmentioned leg of all of this is GOOD INSURANCE. I try and tell people this, and a lot of time they don't listen. Anything of value can be stolen. Even if the thief is caught and prosecuted your chances of getting restitution is literally zero MINUS zero. You're not getting restitution. I deal with the back end of this as part of my career and I'm letting you all know you should never expect to get restitution in a theft case against a natural person.
So if you have good insurance, either through your homeowner's /renter's insurance, your credit card, or other insurance all you're ever out is your deductible. An amount you can budget for and control. Let the insurance company go after the restitution.
I can't emphasize this enough when it comes to theft cases. You should expect you will never be made "whole" by the legal system. This is what insurance is for.
Wednesday November 1, 2023 7:53 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The first benchmark results for the standard M3 chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a closer look at the chip's CPU performance improvements. Based on the results so far, the M3 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 3,000 and 11,700, respectively. The standard M2 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 2,600 and 9,700, respectively, so the...
Thursday November 2, 2023 1:22 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple appears to be internally testing an iOS 17.1.1 update for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs this week. iOS 17.1.1 will almost certainly be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues the update will address. The update could include the same fix for Wi-Fi connectivity issues that Apple rolled out in the first iOS 17.2 beta,...
Tuesday October 31, 2023 3:11 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's latest M3 Pro chip in the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro has 25% less memory bandwidth than the M1 Pro and M2 Pro chips used in equivalent models from the two previous generations. Based on the latest 3-nanometer technology and featuring all-new GPU architecture, the M3 series of chips is said to represent the fastest and most power-efficient evolution of Apple silicon thus far. ...
Tuesday October 31, 2023 11:26 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released a new firmware update designed for the AirTag item trackers. The firmware features a build number of 2A61, up from the 2A36 firmware that came out last December. It has been nearly a year since Apple updated the firmware on the AirTags, and there is no word yet on what might be included in the update. Today's firmware release will be rolling out on a staggered basis....
Wednesday November 1, 2023 7:27 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
The first benchmark results for Apple's M3 Max chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a look at CPU performance. Based on the "Mac15,9" model identifier shown, the results appear to be for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. The highest multi-core score for the M3 Max with a 16-core CPU is currently 21,084 as of writing. If this early result is accurate, this means the M3 Max is ...
Friday November 3, 2023 1:23 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers and public beta testers last week, and the software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones. Below, we have highlighted 10 of these new features and changes. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in December. Once available, the update can be installed in the Settings app under General → Software...
Thursday November 2, 2023 7:41 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Macs equipped with the standard M3 chip still support only one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, according to Apple's tech specs. So far, the chip is available in the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac. This limitation has existed since the first Apple silicon Macs with the M1 chip were released in 2020, but users can connect multiple external displays to...
Wednesday November 1, 2023 11:51 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The lower-cost Apple Music Voice Plan is being discontinued this month in the U.S. and all other countries where it was available, according to an Apple support document. Brazilian website MacMagazine was first to alert us to this news. "Beginning in November, Apple will discontinue the Apple Music Voice plan," said Apple. "We are focused on delivering the best, most robust music experience...
Top Rated Comments
Physical security is all about deterrence, time, and inconvenience.
Detering crimes of opportunity. "hey, look at that snazzy new Mac Studio, I think I will take that". Not everyone carries wire cutters around.
Keeping something secure with sufficient time for someone responsible to respond. Along the lines of a safe or a home alarm system. IE, I have a safe in my basement. It would take someone probably about 4 hours to break into it without the help of the best safe cracking tools like a torch or a plasma cutter. Plus, after you got in my house, the alarm would be going off and the local cops are on the way. Hey, if what's in MY safe is worth that much effort, I got bad news for you. It's insured and your efforts were best spent elsewhere.
Inconvenience. Making it a pain in the but to swipe something. Keeping it locked (like with something like this) and being able to use Apple's "find my" tools to remote wipe or lock the device if stolen makes it less likely to be stolen.
The final unmentioned leg of all of this is GOOD INSURANCE. I try and tell people this, and a lot of time they don't listen. Anything of value can be stolen. Even if the thief is caught and prosecuted your chances of getting restitution is literally zero MINUS zero. You're not getting restitution. I deal with the back end of this as part of my career and I'm letting you all know you should never expect to get restitution in a theft case against a natural person.
So if you have good insurance, either through your homeowner's /renter's insurance, your credit card, or other insurance all you're ever out is your deductible. An amount you can budget for and control. Let the insurance company go after the restitution.
I can't emphasize this enough when it comes to theft cases. You should expect you will never be made "whole" by the legal system. This is what insurance is for.
Sorry for the long form post.