Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#1

Post by shawndumas » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 5:30 PM UTC

Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts
ifixit.com

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#2

Post by mdonahoe » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:00 PM UTC

I can't get too worked up by user serviceablility, or lack thereof.

"My SSD died the other day. I tried to open it up and replace one of the flash chips, but they deliberately made it impossible for me to service. I had to buy an entire new drive!"

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#3

Post by raja » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:00 PM UTC

How many upgrades does average consumer make on their MacBook Pro? I'd argue it's ~0.

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#4

Post by jwallaceparker » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:03 PM UTC

This is going to be a trend with Apple.

They have a good thing going with the iPhone and iPad devices which are both non-upgradeable: consumers are compelled to buy a new device every couple of years or so.

It's pretty clear they're getting rid of the Mac Pro, which is highly configurable (with memory, storage and graphics cards) and thus has a much longer life span.

So is Apple aiming for a future where you have to buy a new laptop every 2 years to have a machine that is relevant?

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#5

Post by udp » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:05 PM UTC

jwallaceparker wrote: post #4

This is going to be a trend with Apple. They have a good thing going with the iPhone and iPad devices which are both non-upgradeable: consumers are compelled to buy a new device every couple of years or so. It's pretty clear they're getting rid of the Mac Pro, which is highly configurable (with memory, storage and graphics cards) and thus has a much longer life span. So is Apple aiming for a future where you have to…

I thought they confirmed there's going to be a new Mac Pro next year?

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#6

Post by pseudonym » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:05 PM UTC

mdonahoe wrote: post #2

I can't get too worked up by user serviceablility, or lack thereof. "My SSD died the other day. I tried to open it up and replace one of the flash chips, but they deliberately made it impossible for me to service. I had to buy an entire new drive!"

The problem is more in the "One of my ram chips went bad, so I had to replace the logic board."

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#7

Post by Dobbs » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:06 PM UTC

mdonahoe wrote: post #2

I can't get too worked up by user serviceablility, or lack thereof. "My SSD died the other day. I tried to open it up and replace one of the flash chips, but they deliberately made it impossible for me to service. I had to buy an entire new drive!"

There is a difference between upgrading a major component like a HDD -> SSD or increasing the amount of RAM and replacing a sub-component of SSD.

In addition Apple has historically charged 2-3x for things like RAM upgrades then you would get elsewhere.

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#8

Post by dpearson » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:06 PM UTC

udp wrote: post #5

jwallaceparker wrote: post #4

This is going to be a trend with Apple. They have a good thing going with the iPhone and iPad devices which are both non-upgradeable: consumers are compelled to buy a new device every couple of years or so. It's pretty clear they're getting rid of the Mac Pro, which is highly configurable (with memory, storage and graphics cards) and thus has a much longer life span. So is Apple aiming for a future where you have to…

I thought they confirmed there's going to be a new Mac Pro next year?

There will be, but, even if there wasn't, a Hackintosh might be an option for a professional-grade desktop.

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#9

Post by hexagonal » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:07 PM UTC

Blogspam.

Article is just a summary of http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-with-Retina-Displ...

Re: Retina MacBook Pro full of Air-style proprietary parts

#10

Post by yellowbkpk » Wed, Jun 13, 2012, 6:08 PM UTC

mdonahoe wrote: post #2

I can't get too worked up by user serviceablility, or lack thereof. "My SSD died the other day. I tried to open it up and replace one of the flash chips, but they deliberately made it impossible for me to service. I had to buy an entire new drive!"

Isn't it obvious that your example is different than "My $3000 MacBook Pro's SSD died the other day. I tried to open it up and replace the SSD, but they deliberately made it impossible for me to service. I had to buy an entire new computer!"

Sure, you can pull out a microscope and complain about how you can't fix your SMD components, but the vast majority of consumer (Apple, even!) laptops have previously been very easy to upgrade or repair and now that's different. SSD/hard disks have always been hard and there isn't an expectation that they are user serviceable.