On why Secure Boot matters

When you launch your Mac, the T2 chip will boot itself first, launch its own firmware and only then begin to boot up the Mac. This gives the hardware the opportunity to ensure that the software it starts is legitimate.

Apple’s T2 chip has attracted some criticism, nearly all of it warrantless and much of what is said fails to recognise that smart hardware-based security systems will become an essential component of future security systems.

 

On Macs becoming iPhones

The company reps also confirmed the company’s continued dedication to porting technology ideas between its platforms. With this in mind it wanted to ensure the kind of rock-solid hardware security you expect on iPhones is also available to Macs.

On Apple Business Manager

Apple Business Manager is a device enrolment program that makes setup of enterprise devices as easy as entering your Apple ID). “MDM is absolutely core,” the Apple team explained. The way Apple Business Manager works lets admins choose their MDM vendor (eg. Jamf) and use their service in conjunction with ABM, which acts as a core for device and system management and setup.

 

On Apple’s growing place in the enterprise

The Mac is no longer the platform used by a few rebels in the creative department. “

Many customers are managing tens of thousands of Apple devices every day,” said Butcher. These include big firms like IBM and SAP. “When you think about the fact that an organization like IBM a has six-figure Apple device count and that there are tons of organizations that have tens of thousands of our products, it’s a pretty humbling thing,” Brooks said.

IBM recently open sourced its Mac@IBM software, a step which means enterprise users now have a Mac deployment solution accessible to them that has been proven sufficiently robust for use at one of the world’s biggest firms.

There were a few tidbits I’d not come across also available in the transmission, such as the revelation that when you close the lid on your MacBook Air the microphone is physically disconnected in your machine, making it impossible to use the device to listen in. Another nice touch? The podcast was allegedly recorded using Apple’s recently introduced Group FaceTime.