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Apple's Strict Security Measures for Pre-Release Hardware

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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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leaked_ipad_photo.jpg

Leaked photo of iPad bolted to table (Source: Engadgethttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/is-this-the-apple-tablet/)​

Business Insider offers some details from one of the first outside developers to work with the original iPad before its debut, describing the steps Apple went through to ensure secrecy. While some of the same details were reported last year, the new account offers a few additional items of interest.
The criteria was that we had to have a room with no windows. They changed the locks on the door.

Three developers and I were the only people allowed to go in the room. Apple needed the names and social security numbers of the people who had access.

Apple needed to be able to drill a hole in the desk and chain the devices to desk. They used those bicycle cables.

They had these custom frames built around them so we couldn't even tell what the iPads looked like. We could plug into them so we could code to them and we could touch the screen and play with that, but we couldn't see the form factor.

Then they took pictures of the wood grain. If any pictures leaked out, they could trace it back to which desk they came from.
Click to expand...
While those security measures were obviously quite strict, they were not enough to prevent several photos of the device in testing from leaking out the night before the iPad was unveiled.

Article Link: Apple's Strict Security Measures for Pre-Release Hardware
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/09/apples-strict-security-measures-for-pre-release-hardware/
Last edited by a moderator:
A

alent1234

macrumors 603
Jun 19, 2009
5,688
170
and if apple didn't take these measures then pictures and all kinds of details would leak out months prior to release
 
R

Rayday

macrumors member
Aug 13, 2009
31
0
Michigan
Sites like this wouldn't exist without Apple's strict secrecy. How many Intel rumor sites are out there?
 
K

kolax

macrumors G3
Mar 20, 2007
9,181
115
I heard they were chained down by iPadlocks.
 
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A

alex2792

macrumors 65816
Jun 13, 2009
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This is a little ridiculous IMO. It's a a toy not a top secret black project with national security implications.
 
R

rickbdotcom

macrumors newbie
Aug 18, 2007
2
0
Yep, my company had one of these pre-release iPads. When even put a bilingual message up on the door telling the cleaning staff to stay out. I don't know if we actually had the locks changed as well.
 
840quadra

840quadra

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,256
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Twin Cities Minnesota
It is just Apple's way. IMO, the secrecy of their unreleased products is part of what works for them. They don't often subscribe to the old method of showing off pre-realease products for customer feedback.

In some ways this hurts apple, however the hype of an Apple Debut often grants them lots of Press that competitors rarely match.

It is interesting hearing a bit of what went on behind the black curtain prior to the iPad release.
 
BC2009

BC2009

macrumors 68020
Jul 1, 2009
2,237
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alex2792 said:
This is a little ridiculous IMO. It's a a toy not a top secret black project with national security implications.
Click to expand...

It's not a toy... Its a multi-million dollar investment with potential multi-billion-dollar revenue. To a single person its a toy, to the company who makes and sells the product, its the company's revenue stream.
 
Kwill

Kwill

macrumors 68000
Mar 10, 2003
1,595
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"...and then we were told not to tell anyone about the measures I just described as we signed the NDA." ;)
 
nwcs

nwcs

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2009
2,722
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alex2792 said:
This is a little ridiculous IMO. It's a a toy not a top secret black project with national security implications.
Click to expand...

Actually, corporate espionage is far more pernicious than national espionage. And there is no concept of friendly nations or allies in corporate espionage. With a hot product Apple's right to try to keep a lid on it.
 
G

Gjwilly

macrumors 68040
May 1, 2011
3,216
701
SF Bay Area
The funniest thing about the particular pic above is that Engadget used it to confirm the pics of the iPhone 4 that Gizmodo released.
Despite all the censoring, there in the top right corner you can see the iPhone 4 with its new mute switch and round volume buttons.
 
M

MacTheSpoon

macrumors 6502a
Jun 19, 2006
514
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Well, they seem to have gotten things right with the iPhone 5. I can only imagine what security measures they're taking now, if all those previous ones still didn't suffice for the iPad.
 
Shrink

Shrink

macrumors G3
Feb 26, 2011
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BC2009 said:
It's not a toy... Its a multi-million dollar investment with potential multi-billion-dollar revenue. To a single person its a toy, to the company who makes and sells the product, its the company's revenue stream.
Click to expand...

My initial reaction was that the security was excessive. But your post is persuasive.:D

It may be seem nuts, but when a company invests a bazillion dollars in something, protecting it makes corporate sense.
 
U

unlinked

macrumors 6502a
Jul 12, 2010
698
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nwcs said:
Actually, corporate espionage is far more pernicious than national espionage. And there is no concept of friendly nations or allies in corporate espionage.
Click to expand...

Sure there is and exactly like with nations it is a convenient lie.
 
MacSince1990

MacSince1990

macrumors 65816
Oct 6, 2009
1,347
0
Hah... they took pics of the wood grain? Clever, sort of, but easily fooled by cropping or a quick photoshop black background.

Might've made more sense to inlay the iPads themselves with unique designs-- would make it pointless to post pictures if you had to crop out most of the iPad itself, and make it easily identifiable.
 
BJMRamage

BJMRamage

macrumors 68030
Oct 2, 2007
2,713
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Secrecy is key to Apple. It keeps people buying products until the new is announced. No sense announcing a new gadget is coming in 2-3 months and loose those sales in between.
Also it was a NEW device. The lost iPhones are as valuable really as they were not a new device that another manufacturer had no idea about. This keeps other from stealing the look of it and debuting there own device.


makes sense.
 
Y

Ynot

macrumors member
Jan 14, 2006
62
20
and thy will catch you.

What most will not know is that probably the number of screws in the Case on the different sides also allow them to identify the unite that was photographed. So all that white and Unfocused table doesn't do Shi--- .

So if you Sign a NDA with Apple, they will have you by your Balls :eek:

or as thy say "those that say don't know" and "those that know don't say"
 
*LTD*

*LTD*

macrumors G4
Feb 5, 2009
10,703
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Good. The tighter the security the better. Although one would think Apple already had this area locked up a long time ago.
 
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