MB Air - No Security Slot??

[apachie2k]

I wonder if some who bemoan the absence of a security slot on the MBAir are just looking for something to criticize.

personally, i'm glad it was brought up, and even if some people are just bored, it's important to understand everything about a certain product before we potentially buy it. The lack of a security slot is a real mystery to me, how in the world could they not include it? mostly any electronic product from radios to even big towers have a security slot...

 

[jnc]

I wonder if some who bemoan the absence of a security slot on the MBAir are just looking for something to criticize.

I don't see this as any kind of issue either, but maybe it's a deal-breaker for some... seriously, the thing is pretty diminutive - just pick it up.

Someone wouldn't have to steal your MBA to ruin it, anyway - all it'd take is a spilled coffee or a heavy book landing on it 😀

mostly any electronic product from radios to even big towers have a security slot..

Just last night, I noticed my WD external HDs had security locks 😵

 

[SeaFox]

no problem,
just use this
http://www.pioneerlock.com/FL50BCS11a.jpg

the round base will nicely fit over the apple logo on top. then you just need a bag of spare ones to glue on chairs, tables beds, depending on where you go.

Or, you could just glue two on them to the laptop and use the cable as a loop. 😉

I know not one person who uses the lock. I've considered it, but the lock is expensive, plus I take my MBP to nearly every class so it's rarely in my room without me there.

Yes, it's much cheaper to just buy a new laptop when it gets stolen.

I wonder if some who bemoan the absence of a security slot on the MBAir are just looking for something to criticize.

I think it was a rather stupid omission.

 

[PeckhamBog]

I wonder if some who bemoan the absence of a security slot on the MBAir are just looking for something to criticize.

"some" - maybe. But to me it is big problem. Is it the 'deal breaker'? Well ... since the MBA was unveiled, it does seem a very attractive alternative to replace my work hack this summer. At the moment, until they're [MBAs] are out in the real world, I can't see how it would work (ownership) [without a security slot].

 

[Hyuga]

Try stealing THIS laptop!:

Yeah I know you'd think twice. 😉

Where I can get this! giev! 😱

 

[antrabbit]

Just as long as they keep one on the MacBook Pros when they update them.

I always lock my old 12" Powerbook to the desk, even at home. I may have insurance but I don't want to lose it.

 

[JSchwage]

Maybe Apple thinks you're just going to carry the MacBook Air around with you in a Manila envelope everywhere you go.

 

[flyinmac]

Maybe Apple thinks you're just going to carry the MacBook Air around with you in a Manila envelope everywhere you go.

I can't my iBook is already in it.

Oh, wait... You mean I have to buy a second Manilla envelope? What a rip.

The MacBook Air should slip in on-top my my iBook. Why'd they make that darn MacBook Air so thick anyway?

 

[zync]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1829799

Thanks, I didn't think of checking Tiger. I had only found strange expensive systems online when I check after posting that.

And yes, snipping a wire is ultra silent.

Yes, it's much cheaper to just buy a new laptop when it gets stolen.

It'd be worth it if the lock guaranteed a certain amount. But I don't think it does. Their site doesn't have a guarantee listed.

 

[flyinmac]

It'd be worth it if the lock guaranteed a certain amount. But I don't think it does. Their site doesn't have a guarantee listed.

That's because they're selling a sense of security, not actual security 😉

 

[SeaFox]

It'd be worth it if the lock guaranteed a certain amount. But I don't think it does. Their site doesn't have a guarantee listed.

http://us.kensington.com/html/2221.html

 

[Mechcozmo]

Linkety
Maybe it will come it white...

 

[SeaFox]

Linkety
Maybe it will come it white...

Note: That item is not available on the U.S. Amazon site, and can only be delivered within the U.K. when ordered from amazon.co.uk. Also, I don't think that would be a an acceptable attachment with the guaranteed cable I linked to. It would probably invalidate the insurance.

Edit: One thing that has occurred to me, I wonder if the equipment replacement would apply if the computer is damaged in the attempt to remove it. Like lets say I have a flat panel monitor hooked to a Kensington cable in my home and a thief breaks in when I'm not there. He attempts to grab the monitor, but discovers the security cable. He yanks and yanks and nothing works. He finally drops the monitor in frustration and leaves.

I come home later. Find my monitor laying on the floor with a big diagonal crack from hitting the floor on a corner, but still attached to the security cable. Do I get a replacement since the monitor was damaged in a theft attempt? Or since it wasn't actually stolen does this prove that the cable did it's job so I get nothing? If that's the case it would actually make more sense to not use the security cable since if it actually got stolen then I could have it replaced by my renter's insurance.

 

[zync]

http://us.kensington.com/html/2221.html

I meant to say that I didn't think their site had a guarantee on it. So they replace $1500. Well, since most Apple laptops cost more than that you're out an average of $1044 on a loss with a Kensington lock. Unless, of course, you recover the laptop and it's stolen again. Then it pays for itself. 🙂

Couldn't you just buy one if your laptop gets stolen then? How do you prove it was on your laptop? Seems to me like it'd be much easier to just take your computer with you.

Linkety
Maybe it will come it white...

What good would white do?

And then the more important question: what good would ANY color do? I've never stolen a thing but I'd steal someone's Apple laptop if they put that on there just to remove it, and then return it to the moron and tell them to take better care of their things.

 

[SeaFox]

I meant to say that I didn't think their site had a guarantee on it. So they replace $1500. Well, since most Apple laptops cost more than that you're out an average of $1044 on a loss with a Kensington lock.

Well, it would be enough to replace most PC laptops. Maybe the solution is for Kensington to offer an upgrade for the warranty for people with more expensive machines. But then you'd have some jackinape claiming it's an unfair "Apple tax".

What good would white do?
And then the more important question: what good would ANY color do? I've never stolen a thing but I'd steal someone's Apple laptop if they put that on there just to remove it, and then return it to the moron and tell them to take better care of their things.

I think those stick on pads are kinda dumb anyway. They wont be as secure as locking into the case itself, and unless you can find an out of the way place to put it they'll look ugly and effect the resale value of the computer for cosmetic reasons.

The ones that leave a "STOLEN PROPERTY"-type message etched in the case if you remove them are a real hoot; like you can't just put a bumper sticker on the case to cover it up. No one's going to ask you to remove the sticker so they can see if you're hiding a property mark unless you're already the main suspect.

 

[X38]

I don't mean to be argumentative, but would you really leave your computer unattended in a coffee shop, lock or no lock, while you went to the toilet?

I certainly wouldn't...

Steve.

I work at in a secured building on a secured site of a large federal government agency. We are required to use security locks on laptops at all times. (I know of at least two friends in my building who have had their laptops stolen right off of their desks; turned out to be a security guard who stole them.)

I would expect the lack of a security slot to be a serious detriment to corporate sales. Just one of many shortcomings of the MBA. It's a fantastic concept and an amazing job of engineering, but it is fatally flawed in execution. I have to agree with the many posts to the effect that it is the next Cube. Hopefully Steve will get over himself and they will release a fixed version soon instead of just killing it when sales falter.

 

[e12a]

hey, if you need the security, those stick on pads work.

I work in the summer with a computer contractor that sets up networked computers in office buildings and locks them down using a similar device. If a new computer, printer, or monitor is missing one, they'll just glue (this isnt just any glue) it back on.

the type we use uses a thick gauge cable (none you would carry around in your laptop bag...its thicker than a bike lock cable) connected to a padlock.

these computers are put into high risk places as well (probation centers, juvenile detention centers, etc.)

i'm not saying the MBA needs one or what not, but to say that you can simply tear the pad off as if it were a sticker is nonsense.

 

[atarin]

Well maybe things have changed IMMENSELY since I graduated 2.5 years ago but I never saw a single person use a kensington lock, not people living in dorms not people in the lab, no where (and yes, "back then" they had them, my laptop has one). It really just seems like an excuse to be haphazard with your laptop. Don't leave it anywhere, locked or not. Just because you locked it doesn't mean it's even REMOTELY safe. Oh great, so no one will steal it. What about some guy who trips and knocks it off the table or some other idiot who accidentally spill soda or something on it. I'm just saying there are SOOOO many things that can go wrong with leaving your laptop somewhere unsafe that even if it's locked you still shouldn't leave it. If you're in the dorm room put it in your locked cabinet when you go to the restroom, or, heaven forbid, room with someone you trust to keep an eye out and not let some stranger come in yank your laptop. It's really not that hard to prevent, just use your brain and don't be lazy.

I agree. It's been a few years since I've lived in a dorm, but this leads me to wonder...did they take the locks off of the doors since I left? Seriously, who leaves the door unlocked to take a shower, go to class, or...EVER? Who leaves valuables lying around unattended in libraries and student unions? And honestly, I think your textbooks are more likely to disappear than your laptop, especially around book buy-back time (easier to get away with, too). If you're smart enough to be in college, you should be smart enough to properly care for and look after your things. Just MHO.

If you leave your laptop unattended in public, lock or no lock, you're just begging for it to be stolen! Take it with you!

 

[e12a]

it must be different at the school you went to, because we always left our room open as long as we were still in the building. I guess i was lucky that I could "trust" people, but my MBP was always locked down when it was in my room.

i couldnt say the same for the common room dvd player. That thing was stolen time and time again (it was returned, and borrowed again).

in a dorm setting, get to know people and your roommate. its no use not getting along with someone you're going to be living with for the better part of a year and sharing your college experience with. I lived right across from the bathroom so i never locked my door when i went to the shower. My neighbor did and we always thought he was a little paranoid. Luckily my roommate and I (randomly picked) got along so well that we're roommates again this year.

 

[Toe]

For clarification of the thread, this is the general principle behind the Kensington lock:

When your laptop is safe, lock it and feel comfortable stepping away from it for a few minutes.

When your laptop is not safe, take it with you.

Doesn't make sense at first glance, but you have to understand what the lock is for. The lock is not generally thought of as a way to leave your laptop sitting alone in the middle of Central Park for a week with nobody watching it. It is there to make it a chore for someone to steal it, such that they would:

1. have to be prepared with tools
2. have know-how to defeat the lock
3. have to make a spectacle of themselves while they steal it
4. have to take some time doing it

My company owns several expensive DLP projectors; and staff use them in rooms in convention centers. I instruct my staff to always lock the projectors with the cable no matter what. The two times a projector was not locked, it disappeared in the 2-3 minutes it was left unattended. We have never had a projector get stolen when it was locked with a Kensington cable. The thief would have had to take too much time and make too much noise.

 

[Yankees 4 Life]

if you had a MBA, why would you leave it anyways. It's so light, just carry it with you.

 

[jnc]

For clarification of the thread, this is the general principle behind the Kensington lock:

When your laptop is safe, lock it and feel comfortable stepping away from it for a few minutes.

When your laptop is not safe, take it with you.

Makes sense, but I guess I always class it as not safe. 😉

if you had a MBA, why would you leave it anyways. It's so light, just carry it with you.

That's how I think, heh. If it's not in my line of sight, I'll be holding it.

 

[nagromme]

I want a lock slot. I do use it with my old PBG4. I'm more paranoid that anyone I know. Sometimes I lock it while at a meeting or event, just in CASE I get up to talk to someone and forget! Kind of insulting to everyone else in the meeting, who presumably would notice if someone walked in and grabbed it 🙂

However, I also often just pick the laptop up when I go anyplace--and that will be even easier with the Air. I can deal with that. In fact, my lock cable is one of the most annoying extras I have to carry around. Being forced to leave it at home will in part be a relief!

I hope someone makes a lock cable that attaches to the rear vent though. It would have to attach in a slim, rear-facing way kind of like the Air's magsafe plug.

If nothing else, I'd use that to lock it to my car, as an added precaution when stopping for groceries etc. Hiding it is my first defense, but a lock to slow a thief down would be nice too. I can generally find some kind of loop or structure in any car's trunk that I can lock to.

Another defense is that my computer is named: "Wireless Theft Tracking Activated" and the screensaver shows that 🙂 And the password hints all give my phone number to return it to if found by someone other than the thief.

As for bag-grabs, my preference is for a laptop bag that doesn't look like one to attract thieves--and which is distinctly colored, making a getaway feel riskier.

A lock cable through the handles of some two-handled bags could slow someone down too--if the laptop can't be removed without ripping the handles apart.

But the best security I have is a cereal box and a cloth grocery bag. No matter how heavy those Wheaties seem to be, I've never had anyone try to take them 🙂 I just remove the box bottom and slip it over my PowerBook. Hidden in plain sight.

 

[Lord Sam]

woweee

Then what are they going to do at the Apple Stores? They are always locked down there, and like someone pointed out, you could hide one in an envelope and walk out of the store. There must be some way that they can stop these things being stolen. If there isn't, shame.

 

[nagromme]

Stores have various devices they can use (powered electronic devices generally) which could either glue on the case or use the USB port. Apple locks down their iPods, for instance.