An option to pre-load new devices with the users data won’t be available, but Gurman says it was in the works for a while.

He says it would have been called a “white-glove component,” and if the user opted into it, it would have arrived “preloaded with all of your data via your iCloud backup.”

Since the title doesn’t mention the feature in question, it’s having a device delivered to you with your iCloud data preloaded with it.

that’s really a pointless feature, since it doesn’t really take all that long to load the data yourself…

Especially since if you’re choosing that, you usually have the device handy. At which point a direct transfer is easy to do, and that’s been a feature for a while.

That doesn’t sound so sinister.

This post bears the marks of manufactured outrage. Not required; we have plenty of real outrage.

It’s Apple…

Not everyone with an iPhone is tech illiterate, but everyone who is tech illiterate has an iPhone

Those people might think that the only way for their data to get from one phone to another, is them typing a password onto the phone physically.

If they were offered this, they may realize that Apple could just clone their phone and everything on it.

Don’t forget how many social media savvy young celebrities had nudes leak a few years ago because they were iPhone users and iphones back everything up to the cloud by default. Most users most likely never realize that’s happening.

Appletards downvoting you because they don’t like criticism of daddy.

As somebody who would not want any corporation to be able to preload my data onto a phone it ships me, which implies it knows exactly what data I have to begin with, it sounds plenty sinister to me. Just swap “Apple” with “Samsung” or “Google” or “Microsoft” or literally any other company.

But they do know.

I think the idea is that the data is encrypted on the phone and password is needed to decrypt it. If Apple can load (decrypt) data without your password then they can decrypt it anytime they want, even you don’t want them to.

Eh?

This is if you a) purchase the phone in some way that is associated with your Apple account, b) have cloud backups already in place, and c) opt in to the preload.

If any of those things aren’t in place, it wouldn’t have happened.

Now your likely assuming they can get into that backup, which fair enough would be a concern. But (if you believe them, which I admit is a huge if) according to Apple, they can’t actually get into that backup without your password. Meaning (again, if you believe them) this would be as safe and secure as shipping your own phone cross country after rebooting it.

I think the biggest concern for the average person would be feeling like the promises of Apple privacy would be severely compromised by this, regardless of whether that’s the case.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but apparently all iCloud backups are encrypted? So either Apple was thinking of grabbing an unlock key from somewhere to decrypt before sending you the phone, or they were just going to include an encrypted backup file (or something) that you’d have to enter your password to unlock upon receipt (and then presumably wait for the decrypting).

none of the components are being used to assemble this self imposed panopticon sounded sinister because they were whitewashed through marketing – that same device that can keep track of your movements and who you talk to was adopted by everyone because it was marketed as a fun and convenient way to connect with friends.

I know people that assume apple can’t access their cloud data without them. This breaks that assumption. Meaning any cloud can be used and given to anyone at Apples discretion.

There’s actually a setting you can enable if you want Apple to not hold your iCloud keys. A necessary side effect is that you can’t recover access through Apple so you’ll have to set up another form of account recovery.

remember: the future of tech is owning nothing

I can’t confirm this, but I remember reading that Amazon will ship you devices with your wifi password already entered if you purchase a device from another Amazon device that is signed in.

Sorta similar. And equally creepy.

years ago, i bought an Echo Dot for my home automation system. it was great.

then, while testing out some digital signage devices, i bought a Firestick. connected that to my TV, and it said “one moment, while i connect to your network.” i literally said out loud “good luck without my (very complicated) password!”

somehow, it connected successfully. i instantly disconnected both devices from power, and properly disposed of them, and changed my network password.

i had always assumed the Echo Dot just handed the password over, but now i have doubts!

It is. The Echo Dot saves the password to your account, which the Fire Stick would have pulled from.

Maybe ‘end to end’ means different things to different companies

To be fair, every time I’ve had to setup a new iPhone for a relative the transfer data feature just freezes up the phone and I have to force restart things and try again.