Apple Stops PhotoFast's MacBook Air SSD Replacement?

[MacRumors]

9to5Mac claims that Apple has asked Taiwanese company PhotoFast to stop sales of their SSD upgrade kits for the new MacBook Air. Now, according to some sources close to the company, Apple phoned PhotoFast last week and had them stop all sales of their new MacBook Air SSD upgrades. PhotoFast is complying with Apple's request for them to stop production of the product and one of the leading reasons for this is because PhotoFast is in Apple's MFi program.The reason for Apple's demand is unclear, as the same SSD parts are also available from Toshiba. In fact, Toshiba supplies the exact same parts used in the MacBook Air and is making those parts available to other manufacturers. The devices use a standard mSATA connector rather than any proprietary solution.

Since the SSD parts will become available from other parties, it seems unlikely that Apple's motivation is to prevent the upgrade from being available at all. PhotoFast was, however, marketing the part specifically as a MacBook Air upgrade.

Article Link: Apple Stops PhotoFast's MacBook Air SSD Replacement?

 

[jamesryanbell]

Not cool. Not cool at all.

 

[Poll Smoker]

What what in the butt!

 

[TheyCallMeSaint]

Interesting, I can't see why Apple would want to stop this. I guess that they would want people to buy the hardware directly from them (more $$$), but is that worth losing potential buyers who would only buy knowing that they can upgrade from 3rd-partys? Also, Apple has to know that this would give them negative PR.

 

[g4cubed]

Damn shame, there goes my plans for one.

 

[Boston007]

Interesting, I can't see why Apple would want to stop this. I guess that they would want people to buy the hardware directly from them (more $$$), but is that worth losing potential buyers who would only buy knowing that they can upgrade from 3rd-partys? Also, Apple has to know that this would give them negative PR.

LOL you CLEARLY don't know Apple LOL

 

[TMRaven]

The motivation is simple. Just like every other capitalistic company, they're wanting to make more money for themselves-- ie, sell those ssd capacity upgrades for a premium.

 

[Poll Smoker]

The motivation is simple. Just like every other capitalistic company, they're wanting to make more money for themselves-- ie, sell those ssd capacity upgrades for a premium.

Thank goodness you're here to explain the principles of capitalism.

 

[I WAS the one]

You gotta be kidding me.

 

[Full of Win]

Another day, another control freak action from Apple CONsumer Electronics. What else is new?

 

[mattwolfmatt]

Damn shame, there goes my plans for one.

"The reason for Apple's demand is unclear, as the same SSD parts are also available from Toshiba."

Put those plans back on the front burner!!

 

[archurban]

WTF? Apple didn't invent damn SSD like that. it's been already existed for a long time. they don't have a right to order them stopping. this is ridiculous. that's why I never love apple. sometimes they are not reasonable. don't try to do. as you know, it's the worst situation than what MS does. don't buy Apple piece of ****. overprice. you think that Apple will continue to be successful? I don't think so if they do like this. it's really bad that I never expected to happen. what about stopping making HDD, huh? windows 7 is good as well. todays PC laptop quality is very nice. no longer you have to blame on.

Apple, **** you!

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Interesting, I can't see why Apple would want to stop this. I guess that they would want people to buy the hardware directly from them (more $$$), but is that worth losing potential buyers who would only buy knowing that they can upgrade from 3rd-partys? Also, Apple has to know that this would give them negative PR.

ding ding ding. Apple greed.

Apple is showing that is by far worse than others in terms of greed. Apple over prices a lot of its upgrades big time and it does not like people going around it.

 

[alust2013]

That really doesn't make sense. They can't tell them not to do something, it's not like they have that authority, they can ask (which is dumb), but there is no way they can enforce that if they don't have a specific patent for it.

 

[coder12]

Derpa derp derp, ta dittily derpa that Apple has asked Taiwanese company PhotoFast to stop sales of their SSD upgrade kits for the new MacBook Air. Ta derpa de derp doo derp!

WHAT? This is nuts!

 

[motulist]

Meh, seems like a pointless move since the same part is still available from toshiba and all the resellers that they sell it to in bulk also. And anyone knowledgeable enough to be aware of this upgrade and tech savvy enough to perform the installation will also be 100% capable of doing a simple google search to find the same toshiba-made part. So the consumer loses basically nothing, and Apple gains basically nothing. So what was the point?

 

[archurban]

Interesting, I can't see why Apple would want to stop this. I guess that they would want people to buy the hardware directly from them (more $$$), but is that worth losing potential buyers who would only buy knowing that they can upgrade from 3rd-partys? Also, Apple has to know that this would give them negative PR.

what a stupid commend. I think that you don't know about Apple. they are very notorious. I have used damn mac for 15 years. I have lived almost mac history. before 2004, people didn't even know what Apple mac was. they were so lucky thanks to ipod. so lucky. if it wasn't successful, Apple wouldn't be existed anymore, vanish in the history. since they have made so much profit recently, they have been so aggressive, and bit ugly which I don't like at all. do you know what new macbook pro will be coming April? you have no idea. don't compromise what they do. you will be a slaver. new macbook pro won't have HDD (only SSD), no optical drive, no more USB (lightpeak, well it's not even proven in the market, nobody will support that crap). so will you buy new one with this new thing, huh? will you compromise them? I don't think so if you think over.

 

[Richdmoore]

Not a big deal, someone else will simply reverse engineer them and offer them for sale in a couple of months.

 

[Poll Smoker]

what a stupid commend.

Ahhhh, irony.

 

[motulist]

WTF? Apple didn't invent damn SSD like that. it's been already existed for a long time. they don't have a right to order them stopping. this is ridiculous. that's why I never love apple. sometimes they are not reasonable. don't try to do. as you know, it's the worst situation than what MS does. don't buy Apple piece of ****. overprice. you think that Apple will continue to be successful? I don't think so if they do like this. it's really bad that I never expected to happen. what about stopping making HDD, huh? windows 7 is good as well. todays PC laptop quality is very nice. no longer you have to blame on.

Apple, **** you!

Dude, firstly I'd suggest you not get so worked up about this, otherwise you'll wind up having a heart attack by the time you're 50. Secondly, I think you're misunderstanding the situation here. Apple isn't *asking* this manufacturer to stop making *EVERY* type of SSD, rather, this is a *brand new* form factor SSD that no manufacturer had ever made before Apple. So Apple is merely asking (*asking*) them to stop manufacturing this almost exclusively Apple-specific part. A part which also happens to be for sale to the public by toshiba as well, so this whole event has almost no effect on us, the consumers.

 

[kuwisdelu]

Anyone know if the PhotoFast SSD's are the same as Toshiba's, or if they're only similar components that are designed to be compatible? I'm wondering why Apple asked them but not Toshiba to stop. Is it simply because Toshiba wasn't likely to listen like PhotoFast is, or some other reason?

 

[Rajani Isa]

Probably just Apple not wanting PhotoFast advertising them as upgrades for the Macbook Air specifically as they were doing, especially as PhotoFasts could be seen as "official" and "apple supported" due to PF being in the MFi program

 

[herro]

Meh, seems like a pointless move since the same part is still available from toshiba and all the resellers that they sell it to in bulk also. And anyone knowledgeable enough to be aware of this upgrade and tech savvy enough to perform the installation will also be 100% capable of doing a simple google search to find the same toshiba-made part. So the consumer loses basically nothing, and Apple gains basically nothing. So what was the point?

A good chunk of Apple users aren't tech savvy enough to do just that unfortunately.

 

[cesko]

Forgive the ignorance guys..

but what is a MFi program?
"PhotoFast is in Apple’s MFi program"

Thanks

 

[TheyCallMeSaint]

what a stupid commend. I think that you don't know about Apple. they are very notorious. I have used damn mac for 15 years. I have lived almost mac history. before 2004, people didn't even know what Apple mac was. they were so lucky thanks to ipod. so lucky. if it wasn't successful, Apple wouldn't be existed anymore, vanish in the history. since they have made so much profit recently, they have been so aggressive, and bit ugly which I don't like at all. do you know what new macbook pro will be coming April? you have no idea. don't compromise what they do. you will be a slaver. new macbook pro won't have HDD (only SSD), no optical drive, no more USB (lightpeak, well it's not even proven in the market, nobody will support that crap). so will you buy new one with this new thing, huh? will you compromise them? I don't think so if you think over.

I don't think my "commend" is stupid at all. I posed a theory about Apple's greed (which you seem to agree with ), but also explained my doubt and confusion as to why it doesn't make sense for them to do this.