This makes me wonder: Cellebrite makes tools for law enforcement to break into iPhones, likely exploiting weaknesses/vulnerabilities. Does Apple buy Cellebrite’s tools and reverse engineer them? Or would they not have a way of acquiring them legally?
Cellebrite sells their lower-level devices to Apple directly for things like data transfer at Apple Stores. The ones above that are unlikely to be sold to Apple.
> Cellebrite sells their lower-level devices to Apple directly for things like data transfer at Apple Stores.
Please substantiate that claim. Why would Apple need mystical third party devices to transfer data? They've designed both the user devices and the software, and they're both capable of exchanging data, and I'm sure Apple can do even more once they put the devices in diagnostic mode. What am I missing? What is Cellebrite providing here?
Because it’s a pain in the arse to design, manufacture and build a specialist device just for use in your stores.
I’m sure Apple could do everything that box does and more. But why bother designing, building and manufacturing your own specialist device when someone else already sells a perfectly good tool that does the job.
Don’t forget this is for use in a retail store by people who will have been given 5mins training on how to use the device. You want something that just requires a person to plug two phones in and hit a big “go” button. And it needs to work 99% of the time with zero messing around.
They built specialized tools to update iOS through the cardboard box without opening it before it goes on sale. I’m sure they can build something with a big “go” button if it’s important.
Nobody is arguing whether or not Apple could build the box. Apple could do almost anything that another company does. "Why doesn't Apple build their own planes to ship iPhones". Well, obviously because it's way cheaper, faster, and rational to use the perfectly good existing planes/boxes/you-name-it.
That’s true, but it seems unlikely to me that they would partner with the company that helped the FBI unlock iPhones and is in general an adversary to Apple.
> Nobody is arguing whether or not Apple could build the box.
People aren’t debating whether or not Apple could theoretically find a way to transfer data between the devices they make and sell. The question here is if there is any evidence for the assertion that Apple buys Cellebrite devices in lieu of making their own solution for transferring data between the devices that they make and sell.
They did?
Yes!
https://www.macworld.com/article/2107557/iphone-ios-update-i...
https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/apples-in-box-device-update...
Apple was not always a 4 trillion dollar company.
Do you have a link that talks about this in more detail?
Sure: https://www.zdnet.com/article/more-evidence-that-apples-morp.... Also you can just ask people who've worked in the stores: https://old.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comments/sodt49/most_us_cab...
That is an article from 2010, the same year that “The US military buys PS3s for compute” was a true statement.
https://phys.org/news/2010-12-air-playstation-3s-supercomput...
It’s like saying “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé is topping the charts.
Do you have a link that talks about Apple buying cellebrite devices presently?
No, I don't think they are using Cellebrite devices currently.
I can’t imagine a scenario where Apple couldn’t legally buy them on the grey market. I can imagine it being illegal to sell them, like contractual restrictions blocking purchasers from reselling them. But short of the tools being a munition or controlled substance, you can buy whatever you want.
I bet Apple has access to Mythos now.
Not saying they should use it to reverse engineer hacking tools.
Just saying they have access to Mythos now.
You bet that the company that was prominently mentioned as a parter in the announcement for a thing, has access to that thing?
Wow, such a risky bet, I'm not sure it'll pay off.