[userbinator]

unlocks without a password

That suggests its only goal is to frustrate right-to-repair and data recovery. Also as a way to sell their cloud backup solution.

"Sorry, we can't recover anything, but you should've used iCloud!"

Aren't there laws against these sorts of business practices?

[callalex]

It makes the “factory reset” button work instantaneously instead of taking several hours. Supporting the secondary market with convenient wiping should be encouraged from an environmental point of view.

[remram]

Does this really "support the secondary market"? Are there people who want to sell their machine but would be discouraged by the "several hours" it takes for it to reset?

[vanchor3]

This isn't really an Apple exclusive feature or anything, it's basically the same as self encrypting SSDs.