apple news/media reports
04/11/2006, 9:15am, EDT
Tuesday, April 11th
Apple: Boot Camp doesn't void warranty
Users of Apple's new Boot Camp beta technology can breathe easy. Apple has assured Intel Mac users that installing Boot Camp will not invalidate the warranty on their machines, according to PC Pro. "Installing Boot Camp does not invalidate your Apple warranty," a spokesperson for Apple UK confirmed. The report counters rumors and speculation that had begun circulating on its own tech support discussion boards as well as reports that some staff at Apple's retail stores had told some users that installing Boot Camp would negate the warranty on their MacBook Pros, according to the publication.
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Hell, if they could do that, they could just say "Anyone who has installed any version of OS X has broken their warranty and we are not supporting their computers..."
When Apple says it won't support BootCamp, that only means that if you screw up your hard drive or lose your data, they aren't responsible. If the hard drive STOPS SPINNING, then presumably the warranty coverage should kick in.
It's the same with the iPod, when people started saying matter-of-factly, that the iPod only had a 90 warranty, when it was actually 90 days free tech support. Frankly, if you can't figure out how to use your iPod after 90 days, then you probably have other problems, like tying your shoes.
There are two perceived risks with a camera. The MacBook owner taking pictures with it, and someone hacking into it to take pictures. Let's look at those two things:
The owner taking pictures - this is much bigger than a camera phone - you can't discretely take a picture without being noticed. Sneaking a tiny digital camera is a risk. Nobody's going to try it with a laptop when it's much easier to do with a $100 digital camera.
Someone hacking into the MacBook and snapping a picture - if someone is clever enough to hack into your MacBook through corporate firewalls, etc. which do you think would be more important to them: - a picture of the user's face? - audio of what the user is talking about on the phone and to coworkers? - the actual data on the computer itself?
The 2nd and 3rd things might prove useful which could be done on most laptops. Many laptops have microphones, but why aren't you labelling those as a security risk?
How would a picture of the user be a greater risk than the other two?
Yeah, all those companies and gov't agencies are idiots for banning cell phones and cameras. You tell them!
The owner taking pictures - this is much bigger than a camera phone - you can't discretely take a picture without being noticed. Sneaking a tiny digital camera is a risk. Nobody's going to try it with a laptop when it's much easier to do with a $100 digital camera.
Yeah, but, like a camera phone, it doesn't look like a camera. As such, it isn't going to be examined as closely as other devices. And what do you mean you can't 'discretely' take a picture. Screw that, you can discretely take a movie. Just start capturing, and turn the computer around. It's not like you're going to hold it up to your face to focus or anything.
Someone hacking into the MacBook and snapping a picture - if someone is clever enough to hack into your MacBook through corporate firewalls, etc. which do you think would be more important to them: - a picture of the user's face? - audio of what the user is talking about on the phone and to coworkers? - the actual data on the computer itself?
You're assuming they hack the computer through the firewall. However, you're more likely to get hacked OUTSIDE the work place, where then software is placed on your computer to take pictures, capture audio, etc. Take it in the next day, bingo, nice shot of the white board with that new toothpaste formula or soda marketing campaign!
Finally, you also make the assumption that the computer would contain the data that's being discussed. That's not always the case. If you're in a secure building, there's no outside netowrk access. But, hey, now you've got the computer taking pictures and recording conversations.