Apple will soon change the way the serial numbers of Macs and MacBooks are created, with a switch to random numbers in early 2021, making it harder to find out details about a device.
The serial number of Apple products currently uses a format that can provide more information about the device. The existing string can be used to work out when and where a device was manufactured, as well as configuration codes that reveal the model and storage capacity of the device.
In changing the structure, Apple is moving to a new serial number format consisting of a random alphanumeric string between 8 characters and 14 characters long. The internal AppleCare email seen by MacRumors explains that it will be planned to introduce ‘early 2021’, and that it will initially use serial numbers that are 10 digits long.
The launch was originally scheduled to take place in early 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced Apple to delay its implementation by a year. Apple products currently shipped will continue to use the existing format, but future products will switch to the new version.
The change in format will effectively make it impossible to list details of the place of manufacture and the week and year of production, details that can be determined with the current system.
Other unique identifiers, such as the IMEI number of an iPhone, will remain unchanged in their current format.