Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Apple services are realtime keys to:

- activation: wiping an iOS/iPadOS/visionOS device, or reinstalling a mac after a full disk wipe

- apns: push notifications, used for realtime notifications for all apps on iOS/iPadOS, even things like Signal that do not use Apple's messaging infrastructure

- imessage: enough said

- boot ticket signing: required for any mac to do an OS update (it's serialized to the CPU's ECID)

any one of these going down for any significant period of time is going to cause widespread global economic disruption.



And this is precisely why you need decentralized systems. It's absurd that text messages are routed through Apple's servers, or that you need Apple's permission to wipe a device.


You need Apple’s permission to wipe a device so when you steal a device, you can’t wipe it and sell it. It’s part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to prevent stolen devices providing any value when stolen.


If this is mandatory, then it's not really your device.


Well, the alternative is that it's not your device either when someone steals it, it's now their device. The average user cares far more about that


If you can even opt-out of that, this is basically a nanny device.


> It's absurd that text messages are routed through Apple's servers

Well, that’s because…they’re not text messages.


If they were text messages, it's absurd that text messages are often routed through two servers even!


Aren't all text messages routed through a server? I guess it's more decentralized when it comes to telecom though.


> Aren't all text messages routed through a server?

For SMS, no not a central server for all carriers. When SMS service originally launched it wasn’t even cross-carrier.

MMS acts like a mailserver at each carrier, sends a push notification and your device has like a day to download full message.

For RCS it’s supposed to be federated but carriers gave up and it’s now centralized through Google Jibe.


I don’t think it’s any more decentralized than Apple if you are talking about MMS (instead of SMS). Your carrier still provides the MMS servers.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: