Filed under: Education, Apple, Security, MacBook
Apple customizing MacBooks for K-12?
Here's an interesting little tidbit. Apparently Apple has just landed large contracts to supply MacBooks to local school districts in Kansas City and southwest Louisiana. What's interesting though is that Apple is apparently customizing these MacBooks to meet various security requirements of the districts. The Kansas City Star notes that each of the computers has a sticker "clearly identifying them as the property of the Kansas City, Kan., public schools... [which] will not come off without virtually destroying the laptop." Furthermore, each computer will apparently have a GPS tracker and even "a remote device to destroy the hard drive" if stolen. One wonders whether Apple might eventually make these sort of security features available to the general public.Update: Re-reading the article, It's not clear whether the modifications are being doing by Apple or by some third-party after purchase.
[via MacVolPlace]
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Henry said 1:36PM on 11-09-2007
"if it was stolen" do you really have to destroy it aye? K-12 they dont keep "top-secret-classified-4eyesonly" stuff, yes?
Reply
Jon said 1:45PM on 11-09-2007
I thought this was about the government or the CIA at first. I had to re-read the title.
Reply
Samuel said 1:56PM on 11-09-2007
I'll eat my own hat if iPhoto v2 doesn't have GPS in it
Reply
Ben Stafford said 1:58PM on 11-09-2007
in Maine where there is a state 1:1 program with ibook and macbooks the reasons for security is to minimize theft. If there are things in place to make the resale of the laptop difficult or suspicious then it should lessen their initial theft.
I'd like to know what type of sticker destroys the laptop.
Also, it's real easy to take the hard drive out of the Macbook. Small price to pay for a macbook.
Reply
Pete said 2:24PM on 11-09-2007
"a remote device to destroy the hard drive"
Not needed if it has a Seagate drive in it already. It will destroy itself soon enough.
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/11/07/reported-seagate-drive-failures-may-affect-mac-laptops/
Reply
Patrick said 2:31PM on 11-09-2007
The headline here is entirely misleading. The article clearly states that "District officials have taken several measures to prevent theft." You think Apple "customized" their MacBooks by applying the "property of" stickers?
Reply
marooned said 2:37PM on 11-09-2007
@ Mr. Stafford — "I'd like to know what type of sticker destroys the laptop."
It's not the sticker that destroys the laptop. It's the attempted removal of it... My high school provided all students with iBooks (I'd assume now they've upgraded to MacBooks) that were loaned throughout the duration of their school career. These laptops had a metal "sticker" attached that were basically unremovable. Even if the removal didn't destroy it, a big ugly mark on the computer might deter potential buyers of hot merchandise.
Reply
Sele said 2:43PM on 11-09-2007
We have the same program in our local schools here in NC. You would probably break the plastic case of the MacBook before you could pull these security plates off.
Reply
ian said 2:53PM on 11-09-2007
Patrick has this exactly right. There is nothing in the article that clearly states any such customization from Apple. From the stickers to the porn filter to the GPS tracker, these are attributed to "District officials" who "have taken several measures to prevent theft."
The GPS tracker, provided it is not just some USB dongle, is the only thing that would really benefit from Apple's pre-sale modifications.
Reply
Tom von S. said 2:59PM on 11-09-2007
Though this is apparently not new, I think it's interesting that Apple is willing to customize bulk orders for customers. It makes them more appealing to potential business customers, that's for certain.
Reply
Tyrone Rugen said 3:47PM on 11-09-2007
Kansas school districts will be affixing another sticker advising students that the superiority of OS X is just a theory, not a fact.
Reply
James said 4:11PM on 11-09-2007
I wish you wouldn't just re-word Appleinsider, and say things like Apple is going to extra lengths for security just in these laptops. And if you want to know how the stickers work, here are the stickers KC Kansas have on the laptops. http://www.stoptheft.com/site/index.php
Reply
Jt Hollister said 2:25AM on 11-10-2007
One might wonder if Apple would release this to the general public...however, more pressing to me is the curiosity of what a school district is planning on doing with these that requires such strict security.
Reply
krye said 4:03PM on 11-09-2007
Yeh, the only way to get the sticker off is to have at it with a pocket knife or screwdriver. You'd break the plastic by doing so. It's not really a sticker, it's a thin metal plate with some really really strong adhesive. Anyone who planned on keeping it around campus would have a hard time concealing the fact that they stole it. Try selling it on eBay with a big honkin (& suspicious) hole in it.
Reply
Mike said 4:12PM on 11-09-2007
lol-now that's a feature that you can order for Dell pc's for years now...
Reply
Mat Lu said 4:51PM on 11-09-2007
@6: You're right; I actually meant to put a question mark in the title. I thought it was Apple that had done it because of the GPS tracking.
Reply
Daniel H said 8:54PM on 11-09-2007
I don't see why you people get so worked up about this. Apple's been supplying laptops to my county for ~6-10 years now. Well, I'm pretty sure there's no GPS tracker on ours, but other than that, we DO have a customized version of the OS. And a sticker.
The sticker that we have on ours takes about 600 pounds of force to rip it off, and after observing it, I'm pretty sure it involves magnets in some way.
Reply
artifex said 6:18PM on 11-09-2007
@Tyrone Rugen: hilarious
I want to know how they add GPS tracking internally on MacBooks. I'd like to do it to my own. Mat Lu, this is my Ask TUAW.
Reply
gregory cohen said 7:52PM on 11-09-2007
I bought an old 12" ibook used that originated from the Kansas school system (they sell the laptops used after a few years). It had a hot foil stamp saying it was their property on the back bonded hard to the plastic. Nothing could get rid of that. Well a can of Fusion red spray paint did, but that was not to hide that logo, that was to make my laptop colorful. http://www.gregorycohen.com/redibook.jpg
-GReg
Reply
Neil Anderson said 8:12PM on 11-09-2007
I hope those school boards aren't offended that Leopard is an evolutionary OS. :)
Reply