LoJack for Mac Laptops
When I first saw that the Apple Store was selling LoJack for laptops, I thought to myself, “Are they serious?”
I’ve always thought of LoJack as more of a gimmick than a useful tool. Not something I would want to install on my Mac.
After checking the software out however, its actually pretty useful and could provide certain users real value.
Here’s how it works:
You install a behind the scenes piece of software that pings a LoJack server with the IP address of the computer when it accesses the internet (every 15 mins when in recovery mode.) The system overhead is so low you wouldn’t notice it and since it runs in the background, most thieves would have no idea it’s there or how to de-activate it. If the computer is stolen, the LoJack team can help law enforcement track the location and recover the laptop.
Yes, the thieves could reformat the HD and re-install the OS to bypass this, but if they were smart enough to do this, would they still be stealing laptops?
The software is sold as a yearly $29 (3 years for $69) subscription and is available in a premium edition that includes remote data deletion. The ability to remotely delete sensitive files is where the real value may be had with this software.
While Apple has updated MobileMe to track and remote wipe the iPhone, no Apple solution currently exists for laptops. For companies running Macs with sensitive data, LoJack could be a good solution.
On behalf of Absolute Software – thanks for an informative post on Computrace LoJack for Laptops. We appreciate the word being spread to other Mac users!
A note to add – the Computrace Agent can actually survive a standard OS reinstall. But like you have said, and as we have found – most laptop thieves simply aren’t that sophisticated!
@Absolute_Employee
That is not true. Computrace on the Mac cannot survive an OS reinstall. If you are an Absolute Software employee you are providing false information. Can you state your name please and your proof that Computrace for the Mac survives an OS reinstall?