It’s nice to see Apple adding Kensington locks to their PCs again! 🔑
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Apple Begins Selling Kensington's Mac Studio Locking Kit
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You need to read more carefully before typing lengthy, flawed rebuttals like this. I didn't say my bike was stolen with a tiny tool and I take issue with your other flawed assumptions. You're missing the core point here. If an attacker can break down a locked door, then they can definitely cut your cable. But by all means, spend $65 on a lock that can be cut with a $5 tool. I'm not going to debate with you the nature of my experiences, or basic known facts about cable locks, so this is where this ends.
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Don’t be! After the asteroid post, yours is the next best. A great way to think about security. I bet most people here complaining about the Kensington lock lock their cars overnight, even though car locks can be easily overcome by anything from a coat hanger to a well-placed brick.
My lawyer has advised me not to answer this question.
@MacWiz_007 is correct that the Kensington lock cables can be cut almost instantly with some simple cutters that fit in a pocket. In the late '90s I taught graphic design and multimedia development classes at a local technical college and the Zip, Jazz, MO drives and CD-R's were all walking off leaving cut cables behind. Eventually the school wised up and added RFID tags to everything so alarms would sound if the hardware tried to leave the computer lab or certain sections of the school. Myself and some other staff had to give a demonstration of how easy the cables were to cut in order to explain to the administration and insurance people what was happening. They weren't understanding just how easy it was for kids to nip a cable and slip the item into their bag in a matter of seconds.
@subjonas -- Cables and chains are quick and easy to cut with the right tools. And those tools are readily available at big box hardware stores, Amazon, wherever... A $30 ratcheting cable cutter will fit in the side pocket of my cargo pants no problem and it will sever the toughest bike cable-lock I know of in under 5 seconds if someone knows what they're doing. I had a bike stolen in college when it was locked with a Kryptonite U-Lock... The busted lock was left for me to find. Big rash of bike thefts there at that time (University of Colorado, Boulder). Campus security guy told me the thieves usually stick a piece of wood like a 6" piece of 2x4 through the lock to brace it against the bike rack so as not to damage the bike frame. Then smack the lock with a sledge hammer and they're gone.
For smash and grabs breaking into offices or stores, equipment that is locked is normally left behind just for times sake. Kensington cable locks within schools or corporate spaces are easy targets if there are not other means to track and safeguard the equipment. These locks are just means to slow or offer a mild deterrent. A cable lock will stop an opportunist that might have a sudden impulse to slip that Mac Studio into their bag. They're not going to stop the guy who really wants the Mac Studio and will bring his cable cutters to work/school with him the next day.
As others have pointed out, the insurance aspect is important. To properly insure and have full coverage, these schools or companies need to enact most reasonable measures to protect their equipment to begin with. There are also active loop locking cables now, that we didn't have back when I taught at that school. So they can be connected into a base unit that will sound an alarm if the cable is cut.
My work desk have metal crossbars on each side. I've never seen someone dumb enough to install the cable so it could just be slid out the bottom, but then I only work with engineers. I'm sure somewhere, someone have done what you describe but it's meant to be installed better than that.
Neither have I, but it's entirely possible it has discouraged some grab-n-run temptations, I'll never know.
I had one of these for my iBook back in college. I would leave the computer locked to the library carrel so I didn’t have to clear the desk or anything. Was an excellent device.
For a while I tried some alarm app that would make a blaring nose if someone removed the power cable or (unless I’m just inventing this) even bumped the computer.
For a while I tried some alarm app that would make a blaring nose if someone removed the power cable or (unless I’m just inventing this) even bumped the computer.
Before one of my backpacking trips, I told my dad I got a little luggage lock to lock up my tent when I was gone. He said “they’ll just cut through the tent.”
It was a disagreement about worldview. He figured people would break into the tent no matter what, so if I locked it they would just do something more destructive.
I figured it was opportunism. Someone might zip open the door and peek in for anything good, but wouldn’t go so far as to destroy anything.
Can’t prove which of us what was right, or whether the lock did anything, but over 14 weeks across Europe nothing was taken and my tent was intact.
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Thanks yeah I was looking for first hand experience since I’ve never cut this thickness cable before myself. Too many people speak matter of factly without citing a source and many times the statements end up being false assumptions, so I had to check. But a lot of people take offense to skepticism.
But of course my main point was that, regardless of how quickly and inconspicuously the tool can be used, there are some situations where any tool requirement is a barrier, eg. for smash and grabs and opportunists, as you mentioned. If a low key $65 purchase prevents one of those types of thefts of a $3000 machine, then it’s worth it. It’s not for everyone and every situation, just for some.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Please link the video showing _you_ cutting through a Kensington lock cable in 2 seconds.
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Two words: prove it. Please post a video with actual time stamps that shows how long it takes to cut through this cable with any (non-pneumatic) wire cutters.
My desk is a c. 20 year old IKEA business model with inverted "T" legs; the "feet" are nearly 2 feet long. If someone can slip the short, looped cable over one of those, we can call them Houdini.
They could try deconstructing the desk, that is, unbolting the desk leg from the underside of the desktop, but it turns out the top of the legs are "T" shaped as well, and about the same size as the feet.
Contrary to their reputation for shoddiness, IKEA (once upon a time, anyway) sold business furniture that was pretty solid, and the legs weigh a ton. My desk is part of the security solution (currently for a 2020 iMac, but I can dream).
One of my favorite YouTube channels is the “LockPickingLawyer” (which is exactly what the name suggests — a lawyer who picks locks).
In additional to picking locks, he also sometimes demonstrates how easy and quick it is to cut through far thicker wires/cables with easily-concealable tools (tools that can fit in you pocket).
I remember a few years back I was looking for a bicycle cable (for a bicycle, obviously, lol). I was set to buy what I thought was a good cable… until I saw a video of him destroying it in just a handful of seconds. It was shocking how quickly he cut through it. He very quickly wised me up on what is junk and what will actually provide a challenge for thieves.
I couldn’t find any videos of him cutting through something as thin as this cable though. Probably because it would be so easy as to not make for an interesting video. But here is a video of him cutting through a coil four-cables thick at the same time (because cutting through just a single bicycle cable would have been boring, lol):
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That's kind of the point. They made the questionable design choice of making the mouse so thin, you can't charge it from its edge.
With the 2021 iMac, they ran into similar limitations — it's so thin it can't fit Ethernet or headphone jacks at the back. But they found reasonable workarounds: put Ethernet on the power adapter (which is arguably even better), and put the headphone jack on the side. The mouse, OTOH, can't even be used while it's charging. You'll rarely need to charge it, but that's a bit silly nonetheless.
As you say, perhaps they should've added inductive charging of some sort.
(Personally, I don't particularly care. macOS is better with trackpads anyway. But I think it's fair to question whether they picked the right design tradeoff there. Why not make it a millimeter or two thicker so it can fit a thin charging plug like Lightning?)
Well I guess we can mostly blame Jony Ive. Aesthetic design usually took precedence over the practical aspects of connecting to the world. Every mm of thickness was precious to him.
I decided to open my 27" 2017 iMac to finally clean it out. Cutting and re-applying the double stick tape took a lot longer than the cleaning. It's a ridiculous alternative to screws. For me, being able to clean inside is important.
I agree about trackpads. I haven't used a mouse in years.
You should see the chains/locks the messengers use here in NYC. They weigh more than the bikes.
You don't get to pretend to be engaging in good faith skepticism when you are making wild claims and assumptions. If you don't want to be called out, then don't make up your own facts just to have arguments with people.
Agreed.
Agreed.
You'll have a long time getting through the plastic and the twisted-threaded wire within the Kensington cables. You need something with more leverage-force ... proper bolt cutters not something held in 1 hand. A portable buzz-saw ... 3 seconds.
Floor mounted safe with 6 inch concrete reinforcement that is welded shut.
OK...so why does this help your insurance? Seems like 'they broke into my house and took my Mac Studio' would be enough to claim with out forking out for this placebo....I mean, casual theft deterrent.