On: Apple's T2 chip will prevent hackers from eavesdro...

[ridgeguy]

Physical switch could be done with a very small magnet behind the lid surface and an opposed micro-reed switch (or other magnetically actuated on/off device) buried behind the body surface. No surface penetrations, no exposed moving parts (reed relays are hermetically sealed).

[brirec → ridgeguy]

Reed switches are pretty damned huge when working at the scale of a laptop.

Not to mention it would make the case of the computer microphonic — bump it hard enough and that’ll be transmitted through the reed relay.

[ridgeguy → brirec]

Yeah, I agree. Reed switches might even resonate with music played through laptop speakers. This needs a no-moving-parts magnetic sensor.

[happyopossum → ridgeguy]

And a magnetic switch is far too easily defeated

[jws → happyopossum]

My parent’s table pads do precisely that. After a particularly baffling family tech support call I drove over. Their kitchen table pads magnetically lock to stay nicely aligned, and also either put a laptop to sleep, or keep it awake when closed depending how you place them.

[bdamm → happyopossum]

How? The point is to prevent invisible eavesdropping not prevent some spook on the table from hacking you.