Apples M3 Macs could have a surprise iPhone feature but it wont be as helpful

Date:
Mon, 06 Nov 2023 14:48:34 +0000

Description:
It seems that macOS 14.1 has a liquid detection system, but it wont work the same as the equivalent iPhone functionality.

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It looks like Apple is introducing a system to detect whether a Mac has been damaged by liquid entering via a USB port.

The sharp-eyed 9to5Mac noticed that macOS Sonoma 14.1 comes with a new system daemon named liquiddetectiond or to give its full name the Liquid Detection and Corrosion Mitigation Daemon.

This is a system ticking away in the background which monitors the USB ports on the host Mac for the presence of any liquid.

Why? Well, Apples warranty does not cover spilling liquid inside a MacBook
for example (or any device, even water-resistant ones the key word being resistant as opposed to proof to be fair).

So, if a laptop owner has a drink-based disaster, or drops the MacBook in a puddle or something, and the device is bricked as a result, if they then try to get Apple to replace the Mac as faulty well, Apple will know whats truly happened.

As well as this new daemon, Macs have Liquid Contact Indicators to also
detect a spillage or other liquid-based accident, so this is an extra line of defense. Analysis: Following in the footsteps of the iPhone

Another interesting point here is that Apples iPhones and iPads have a
similar daemon present, but this can warn the user about the detection of liquid in a port, making charging unavailable, and telling them to unplug the phone or tablet if its charging at the time.

The new introduction with macOS Sonoma appears to be a background piece of work just for Apple to be able to analyze damaged Macs, though, and doesnt issue any similar warnings. Although thats not to say it may in the future and this could just be the initial steps with the feature.

Its expected that this liquid intrusion detection system will debut in the
new M3 Macs , though its not certain. We dont know if Apple will introduce it for older models, as that could depend on if it requires a hardware component with the USB ports to facilitate detection.

For iPhone owners , the system has been a bit flaky in the past, as weve seen evidence of apparent false detections and warnings although they seem to resolve themselves. (Maybe with a software update, though some folks have
also talked about cleaning the USB port, and whether that might help perhaps removing dust or other particles causing the false positive. Be very careful with your ports, though, and dont go prodding them with metal things in cleaning efforts, for example). You might also like Leaked benchmark suggests Apples M3 Pro CPU isnt scary fast The 3 big ways the Apple M3 chips will change Mac gaming forever M3 MacBook Pro rushed out as Apples solution to flagging sales?



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/apples-m3-macs-could-have-a-surpri se-iphone-feature-but-it-wont-be-as-helpful


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