The real answer is probably simpler than anyone here is making it. Apple hardware margins are healthy enough that selling macbooks to linux users is pure profit, so no services lock-in needed. However, the moment they officially acknowledge Linux support, then it becomes a support surface. Every kernel panic becomes a genius bar visit. Every driver bug becomes a tweet at @AppleSupport. It's the value of plausible deniability. The Asahi team being unofficial is actually the best possible outcome for Apple in that they get hardware sales to Linux enthusiasts without any support burden.

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p0w3n3d 10 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

> the moment they officially acknowledge Linux support, then it becomes a support surface

untrue. There are no obligations from other hardware vendors, yet you can sometimes get good drivers from them, or at least specs. I think Apple indeed want their hardware to fade out to enforce buying another. Imagine that 20% of your returning customers no longer return after 3-5 years of planned obsolence

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Wowfunhappy an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> However, the moment they officially acknowledge Linux support, then it becomes a support surface.

Apple documents lots of things the genius bar won't help with. For example, Apple provides instructions for compiling custom builds of the XNU kernel. Even so, if you replace the stock kernel and your Mac kernel panics, the genius bar isn't going to help you. (Maybe they'd help you wipe the computer and restore everything to stock, but I imagine they'd do that if a Linux user walked in too, today.)

I suspect Apple hasn't shared documentation because it would take time to clean up for external release (legal stuff, plus not accidentally leaking future products). What I think Apple should do is make an engineer available to talk on the phone for a couple of hours a month, which should amount to a rounding error in their budget.

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mrj 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

They don't have to support it, just document the system or release their own kernel code. They don't even have to mention Linux.

	▲	internet2000 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		That’s called support. We count that as support.
	▲	exe34 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		They could anonymously drop off a package to the Asahi team.

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graemep 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> Apple hardware margins are healthy enough that selling macbooks to linux users is pure profit, so no services lock-in needed.

What do you mean by needed? A lock-in is more profitable so is needed to maximise profits.