Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

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Apple Strengthens Anti-Piracy Measures in Intel Version of OS X


http://www.macobserver.com/article/2005/09/13.11.shtml

Developers who purchased Apple's Intel Transition Kit, which consists of an Intel-based Power Mac that must be returned in a year, have now received version 10.4.2 of the Intel version of Mac OS X. According to Web site Twin Mac (as referenced by Macworld UK), this update strengthens the operating system's anti-piracy measures, starting with the prevention of any software built with this release from running on previous builds of Intel OS X.

What this means, according to Twin Mac, is that software built with this update won't run on the pirated copies of Intel OS X that are currently floating around the Internet. The site notes: "Apple is expected to deploy much stronger TPM [Trusted Platform Module] checks to final candidate builds, if not already implemented, in order to ensure the release versions of Universal Binary software will not run on non-authentic systems."

The Mac Observer reported last month that CNET had confirmed the existence of the TPM in the Intel Transition Kits. The TPM "handshakes" with the Mac OS X installation process, which is supposed to prevent the software from being installed on non-Apple Intel-based PCs. Apple won't stop users from installing Windows or Linux on the upcoming Intel Macs, but the company clearly wants to prevent OS X from showing up on garden variety Intel PCs.