Apple + Intel + Infineon

4 August 2005 22:24 UTC

Apple sneak DRM/TPM onto new Intel boxes.

Contradictory stories are all over the net right now but all the proof you'll ever need is in the photo on the right.

An Infineon chip used for 'trusted computing' on the Apple Intel mobo.

Apple Intel boxes began shipping this week. They're on loan to developers for a facile $999 and to be returned within one week of the end of 2006.

However the 'Developer Transition Kit' install DVD was leaked onto Bit Torrent already by 29 July.

TPM

TPM is the 'Trusted Platform Module', a concoction from the TCG ('Trusted Computing Group'), an alliance of Intel, IBM, HP, AMD, and of course Microsoft. It's basically Microsoft's 'Palladium' under a new name.

Rather than trying to make computing safer for users, the TPM attempts to shore up DRM ('Digital Rights Management') so that nobody is allowed to enjoy an audio track, a video movie, or even an operating system without paying (and perhaps paying again and again and again).

Resistance to the TCG has been strong. Members of the TCG, formerly known as the TCPA, have continually changed names of projects and products in an attempt to hide their true intentions from the public.

The data sheet on the Infineon chip has been removed from the Infineon website but may still be found in Google cache.