Apple will soon change the way the serial numbers for Macs and MacBooks are created, with a switch to random numbers in early 2021, making it more difficult to discover details about a device.
Currently, the serial number for Apple products uses a format that can provide more information about the device. The existing string can be used to find out when and where a device was produced, as well as configuration codes that reveal the model and storage capacity of the device.
In a change to this structure, Apple will switch to a new serial number format that consists of a random alphanumeric string between 8 and 14 characters. The internal AppleCare email seen by MacRumors explains that it will be scheduled for introduction in “early 2021” and will initially use 10-digit serial numbers.
The introduction was originally scheduled to take place in early 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced Apple to delay its implementation for a year. Apple products currently on the market 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 see details of the manufacturing site and the week and year of production, details that can be determined with the current system.
Other unique identifiers, such as an iPhone’s IMEI number, will remain unchanged in their current format.