In 2024 I worked for US client and they sent me a Macbook M1 pro 14″ (model a2442) for work. By some reason, the package came from Germany. The hardware is pretty beefy: 32 GiB RAM, 512 GiB NVME. After ~6 months the project was cancelled, and they blocked the laptop via MDM. Maybe it was GitHub - munki/munki: Managed software installation for macOS — · GitHub, maybe JAMF or even Kandji — I don’t remember.
I waited for information how to send it back, but they didn’t notify me about it. I’ve written to the client’s support line twice, but they didn’t answered me. Probably for them it is easier to get rid of the device than to send it back (maybe to US) and to have possible problems with customs.
When I power it on, I see a screen “This Mac is locked”. When I press for a power button for 15 seconds, which should give me a recovery screen and choice how to boot, instead there is the same screen “This Mac is locked”.
I visited the official Apple service center in Wrocław https://imad.pl/salon-wroclaw , they suggested to call to the official Apple support line, maybe they could unlock. So I called to +488004411875 and they told me they technically can’t unlock a device which is locked by MDM. They can only remove “Apple lock”, no more.
I found some instruction how to install Asahi Linux using DFU GitHub - carissab96/mdm-bypass-guide: A guide for bypassing MDM locked Apple Silicon laptops. · GitHub with a warning:
One caveat: Your Mac will never run macOS again.
So, currently:
- I don’t want to put the device to the garbage, this is not ecological.
- I’m not a Mac user. Even if I could install Linux on it, I don’t really like the device itself (keyboard layout, lid logic, no privacy shield for a camera).
- Probably the best way is to sell it to someone who will use it (HackerSpace members are in priority).
Any idea?