Apple is charging $900 to upgrade to a 512Gb SSD on the non-retina pros. You can get a good 512GB SSD drive for well under $400 retail now. (Just saw some for $350) This is excessive beyond apple's normal steep markup.
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Do you think will macbook pro BTO ssd prices come down soon?
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Apple have always charged a premium, for to be frank a non-premium product (talking about RAM and SSD here) but with the MBA and rMBP they are custom SSD drives, whilst there are alternatives available there are few, thus not giving Apple significant reason to reduce their prices.
Anti-trust suit coming against Apple for this soon? I hope so
Anti-trust suit coming against Apple for this soon? I hope so
I have to go with Skate's answer. The prices are for standard 2.5" SSD's, not for the retina's special SSD configuration. The only game in town that I know of is OWC's 480gb upgrade kit, which costs $579 (though it does come with a USB3 enclosure for your original SSD blade).
Since Apple's the only one using the SSD blade design for now, expect it and 3rd party replacements to cost a premium. OTOH, expect standard 2.5" SSD's to continue their downward spiral in price while increasing in capacity in time.
Apple has a history of very high prices for BTO options. It's something they are free to do which I understand, even though I disagree with the practice.
Being the very clever company they are, with the advent of rMBP, it forces the buyer to order these highly overpriced options from Apple, since the computer is not user upgradeable.
Based on principle, the moment I identified this fact, I immediately returned my rMBP. If more people would send a message to Apple that the practice of forcing users to buy from them was unacceptable, Apple would likely rethink their actions.
However their overwhelming influence & control over otherwise intelligent individuals, assures that their customers will put Apple first & themselves second. Eagerly buying whatever Apple puts out.
So blinded by Apples star power, very few people recognized this year for what it is. A test year. Buyers are given a choice of cMBP or rMBP, little do they realize that by choosing rMBP, they're giving Apple the signal that they'll fall for the trick, lured in by the fact the non-user upgradeable offers a retina hook to pull them in.
Therefore going forward Apple will remove the choice of a user upgradeable cMBP because "it didn't sell" as well as the rMBP which is fashioned after the non-user upgradeable iDevices.
Proving once again that Apple easily outsmarted it's customers.
Being the very clever company they are, with the advent of rMBP, it forces the buyer to order these highly overpriced options from Apple, since the computer is not user upgradeable.
Based on principle, the moment I identified this fact, I immediately returned my rMBP. If more people would send a message to Apple that the practice of forcing users to buy from them was unacceptable, Apple would likely rethink their actions.
However their overwhelming influence & control over otherwise intelligent individuals, assures that their customers will put Apple first & themselves second. Eagerly buying whatever Apple puts out.
So blinded by Apples star power, very few people recognized this year for what it is. A test year. Buyers are given a choice of cMBP or rMBP, little do they realize that by choosing rMBP, they're giving Apple the signal that they'll fall for the trick, lured in by the fact the non-user upgradeable offers a retina hook to pull them in.
Therefore going forward Apple will remove the choice of a user upgradeable cMBP because "it didn't sell" as well as the rMBP which is fashioned after the non-user upgradeable iDevices.
Proving once again that Apple easily outsmarted it's customers.
lol, under what theory?
- You're not forced to buy Apple products.
- Apple does not have a dominant position selling laptops.
- Skilled users can install their own SSDs in cMBPs.
- Using proprietary SSDs is the only way to get the smaller form-factors of the MBAs and rMBPs.
- The SSDs in MBAs and rMBPs are, technically, user-replaceable.
- You can get 3rd-party SSDs (e.g., OWC) for the MBAs and rMBPs. They'll cost a lot, though.
Oh overly litigious...super cute. Would you care to explain exactly how this is an anti-trust issue? Take your time, I'm going to grab something to drink.
Really at the moment I think ppl are crazy to get a cMBP with rMBP being offered. The ram is locked in so getting 16 gig for extra $200 isn't much. And the SSD is upgradeible in the future so I for one don't think it is bad idea.
Respectfully, I'm not challenging you or being critical.
If they wanted to, Apple could have easily created a fresh new MBP without making it non-user upgradeable. Instead Apple is transitioning their computers to sealed devices like the iDevices. A move I hate to see.
Like anything else, this can be argued a number of ways. Those who worshipped Steve Jobs as though he was God are the excuse makers that will support & praise Apple at all costs. They live & breathe Apple.
But those who think for themselves, trust themselves & their own ability to decide what's best for them. They don't turn over their power to others. Mindlessly following along, has it's price.
Or, it could be Apple playing to the majority, since I suspect most folks don't take their machines apart to upgrade components. They're moving in a direction that some of its users don't want to go, betting that they'll eventually shrug and follow along. In other words, it's Apple being Apple.
Would you return your cellphone because you couldn't update the storage or RAM?
I think people need to realize that computers are headed in this direction no matter what. In 10-20 years when everything is going to be ultra thin devices with touch screens and mouse capabilities, do you think users are going to be taking those things apart to upgrade RAM?
Its not the end of the world and there will be plenty of powerful cheaper options to run other OS's if Apple becomes this evil control giant that you fear.
Yes its true, Apple being Apple. Focusing on the mainstream now that they've become a huge retail mass market force.
But if they're going to shut out what still remains as a very large segment of their buyers (the Pro's & enthusiasts) they could do so without pulling us all upmarket into obscene pricing & the land of zero choices (other than not to buy).
In doing so Apple abandons those who will always be fine without them, losing those who cannot afford them, and becomes just another retailer that at some point will lose their rock star status & fade into another dull big box entity.
This far more realistic, most people i know with PC desktops don't upgrade, let alone portables. Apple are just looking to design fast, reliable machines in the smallest format.
BTO options have always been overpriced, so what`s new, the vast majority of people will do fine on the base Retina, those with increased storage needs can opt for the 512 SSD. The iCore CPU`s offered presently are so close in performance that the 2.6 & 2.7 are for those that will moniterize the difference by the modest increase in performance.
When has apple ever reduced prices like this. They are still selling iMacs at full retail and that tech is over a year old.
Oh right, I forgot that tech automatically stops working after 6 months. I guess that RAM and HDD/SDD you're using were all manufactured in the last month or so?
Nobody said tech stops working, but parts are cheaper. And yes the parts Im using or recently bought cost significantly less than a year ago.
Right they're not. I guess since your comparing apples to oranges and you know that games consoles price adjust differently than computer parts then, original price of the ps3 - $499 just reduce to $249 (summer 2011), wii - $249 just reduced to $149 (2011), Mario Galaxy 2 - $49.99 (2010) reseller price today $49.27. Well I guess you got me there.
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Buy them through Samsung?
There are people selling 512 & 768GB SSD's pulled out from rMBP for $599 and $1100 respectively and looking at the images of a 512 unit it is visible the part number from Samsung (see below):
Have someone tried to procure one of this directly through a Samsung supplier? I wonder if they could be obtain cheaper that way.
Regards,
Francisco
rMBP 2.3 256GB / 16GB Ram
There are people selling 512 & 768GB SSD's pulled out from rMBP for $599 and $1100 respectively and looking at the images of a 512 unit it is visible the part number from Samsung (see below):
Have someone tried to procure one of this directly through a Samsung supplier? I wonder if they could be obtain cheaper that way.
Regards,
Francisco
rMBP 2.3 256GB / 16GB Ram