15-Inch MacBook Pro With Touch Bar Has Non-Removable SSD

[tubeexperience]

Removed

 

[544263]

I have to admit, the new macbook pro is so incredibly pro, it actually is too pro for me ;-)

 

[Brian Clifford]

"Go for the best and ignore the rest."

Just max out ALL options during BTO and let the professionals assemble your Pro. And don't forget to purchase all Apple accessories for Storage, Power & Cables, Cases & Protection etc; you think will be necessary to you for the next 4-5 years - they're all there. Then simply enjoy!

Some initial pain will mean great gains.

 

[diipii]

what a badly designed product. 99% aesthetics, 1% usefulness.

You've just described all Apple products.
Come to think of it you've just described Apple.

 

[BGordon45]

That is disapointing. I wish I had known that before ordering mine.

Send it back. Apple needs to know that users want durable, repairable, upgradable machines that they can invest in

 

[yaxomoxay]

Yep - This is missing my last Air (I sold because of the garbage screen) and last Macbook Pro that I passed on to my brother. My Canvas/Windows 10 has been solid the last year with Adobe CC and archived Quark files. Apple did not give me any reason to go back with this refresh.

Impressive pic!!
How was your transition? I expect to switch in 2017 or 2018 unless Apple surprises me.
One thing I do a lot with my iPP is read PDFs (books) underlining etc with PDF expert and take notes on Noteability... this is a fundamental function for me.

 

[rGiskard]

I just happened to buy a used 2009 MacBook Pro as my first Mac this week. I already have an 8GB RAM upgrade and second storage caddy to replace the optical drive. It's funny that my 7 year old machine is being used as a new one for me thanks to its upgrades.

Imagine these 2016 MacBooks in 7 years.

Yep, my 2011 MacBook Pro 17" is a beast. I've upgraded it to an SSD, an HDD in place of the ODD, and 16GB RAM. It has more useful ports than the newest MacBook and it even sports an SD reader.

Now Apple wonder why sales are down? I would upgrade for sure if a modern version of my MBP were offered. Nevermind the lagging pace of Intel CPU improvement, I'd want the faster USB and superior display. But no way will I give up upgradable storage, that is absurd.

 

[Jimmy James]

My current laptop has upgraded ram and storage, which I did myself. Why? Needed more space. I also did a battery swap. My wife's computer has upgraded storage. Why? HD failure.
I have a long history of swapping parts for both personal needs and part failure. Most of my computers would have been discarded if I couldn't do so. If this design methodology becomes completely pervasive at Apple I may need to switch to Windows just to afford a computer at all. I'm on a fairly tight budget.

 

[Phil A.]

Machines have been heading this way for years - even ones with socketed SSDs are so sealed up they may as well be soldered on.

For example, I've got a Surface Book and looking at what's involved in getting the the SSD module (https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Book+Teardown/51972), it wouldn't have made that much difference if it was soldered in!

Eliminating the socket could make things more reliable as it's one less mechanical connection to fail, but I guess it's more fun to complain...

 

[Ifti]

Honestly, this doesn't bother me at all. Most of my data is stored on my NAS or external devices anyway. With the speed of the interfaces an external drive is no longer a hinderance to performance, well with a RAID array or external SSD anyways.
I understand many travel with their systems and hence keep all data local, but my 15" is used as a desktop replacement so stays in the office, with a constant connection to an ATC for Time Machine backups, an external TB RAID array for my editing work, and a NAS for other data, hence on board storage isn't a huge issue for me.

Tempted to upgrade my current 15" to a new 15" model......

 

[b0fh]

And what do you do with all the speed when the SSD is full?

You can delete stuff faster!

 

[robeddie]

I instinctively wanted to call you out on your BS here, but you used "almost", so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. That being said, I once owned a laptop called the iBook (white) G4. For those that don't remember them, the first model was released in 2003 (Steve Jobs was alive and running the company at this time btw), and that was the model I bought. A little after my warranty expired the HD failed. Replacing the HD on that thing was the biggest pain in the ass I've ever had to deal with with any laptop I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot, including Windows laptops). This is the nonsense I had to do:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iBook+G4+12-Inch+800+MHz-1.2+GHz+Hard+Drive+Replacement/166

I didn't do this until I sold it later and instead got by by just running an external boot drive. For all intents and purposes, for the majority of people out there who buy and use Apple computers, replacing the HD in this was not going to happen. If you want to raise your hand triumphantly and say, "that looks easy, I've done much worse before, blah blah", well, good for you, you're in the minority. I also have family and friends who graduated from NYU/Harvard. They are the minority, they don't represent the majority.

Apple got a lot better at this later on, culminating in the 2008 model, which to this day, is still my favorite Apple computer, but it always irritates me when people bring up Apple's past as if it were the height of the Roman empire and they could do no wrong, because that isn't the Apple I remember. My first mac btw, was a Performa 6200CD, so I've been on this boat for awhile now. As others have mentioned, the writing has been on the wall for awhile now that this was the direction they were going at, and those who are perceptive have had years to prepare for this. If this goes against your principles or disrupts your work flow in some way, maybe it's time to look at other options, but in my eyes, Apple is all-in on this approach, and this isn't going to change unless the leadership is shaken up dramatically.

Definitely on some models it was a pain in the ass to upgrade the drive,but it was always POSSSIBLE.

I instinctively wanted to call you out on your BS here, but you used "almost", so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. That being said, I once owned a laptop called the iBook (white) G4. For those that don't remember them, the first model was released in 2003 (Steve Jobs was alive and running the company at this time btw), and that was the model I bought. A little after my warranty expired the HD failed. Replacing the HD on that thing was the biggest pain in the ass I've ever had to deal with with any laptop I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot, including Windows laptops). This is the nonsense I had to do:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iBook+G4+12-Inch+800+MHz-1.2+GHz+Hard+Drive+Replacement/166

I didn't do this until I sold it later and instead got by by just running an external boot drive. For all intents and purposes, for the majority of people out there who buy and use Apple computers, replacing the HD in this was not going to happen. If you want to raise your hand triumphantly and say, "that looks easy, I've done much worse before, blah blah", well, good for you, you're in the minority. I also have family and friends who graduated from NYU/Harvard. They are the minority, they don't represent the majority.

Apple got a lot better at this later on, culminating in the 2008 model, which to this day, is still my favorite Apple computer, but it always irritates me when people bring up Apple's past as if it were the height of the Roman empire and they could do no wrong, because that isn't the Apple I remember. My first mac btw, was a Performa 6200CD, so I've been on this boat for awhile now. As others have mentioned, the writing has been on the wall for awhile now that this was the direction they were going at, and those who are perceptive have had years to prepare for this. If this goes against your principles or disrupts your work flow in some way, maybe it's time to look at other options, but in my eyes, Apple is all-in on this approach, and this isn't going to change unless the leadership is shaken up dramatically.

I instinctively wanted to call you out on your BS here, but you used "almost", so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. That being said, I once owned a laptop called the iBook (white) G4. For those that don't remember them, the first model was released in 2003 (Steve Jobs was alive and running the company at this time btw), and that was the model I bought. A little after my warranty expired the HD failed. Replacing the HD on that thing was the biggest pain in the ass I've ever had to deal with with any laptop I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot, including Windows laptops). This is the nonsense I had to do:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iBook+G4+12-Inch+800+MHz-1.2+GHz+Hard+Drive+Replacement/166

I didn't do this until I sold it later and instead got by by just running an external boot drive. For all intents and purposes, for the majority of people out there who buy and use Apple computers, replacing the HD in this was not going to happen. If you want to raise your hand triumphantly and say, "that looks easy, I've done much worse before, blah blah", well, good for you, you're in the minority. I also have family and friends who graduated from NYU/Harvard. They are the minority, they don't represent the majority.

Apple got a lot better at this later on, culminating in the 2008 model, which to this day, is still my favorite Apple computer, but it always irritates me when people bring up Apple's past as if it were the height of the Roman empire and they could do no wrong, because that isn't the Apple I remember. My first mac btw, was a Performa 6200CD, so I've been on this boat for awhile now. As others have mentioned, the writing has been on the wall for awhile now that this was the direction they were going at, and those who are perceptive have had years to prepare for this. If this goes against your principles or disrupts your work flow in some way, maybe it's time to look at other options, but in my eyes, Apple is all-in on this approach, and this isn't going to change unless the leadership is shaken up dramatically.

Absolutely is was a pain in the ass to upgrade the drive on some macs, but it was always POSSIBLE. This is the first time EVER it will be completely impossible.

 

[2457248]

it is a downside, but i've yet to hear someone saying: not buying because of fixed ram/ssd/wificard/soldered cpu gpu.
besides, proprietary connector made the ssd virtually non replaceable already years ago.

 

[BGordon45]

Yep, my 2011 MacBook Pro 17" is a beast. I've upgraded it to an SSD, an HDD in place of the ODD, and 16GB RAM. It has more useful ports than the newest MacBook and it even sports an SD reader.

Now Apple wonder why sales are down? I would upgrade for sure if a modern version of my MBP were offered. Nevermind the lagging pace of Intel CPU improvement, I'd want the faster USB and superior display. But no way will I give up upgradable storage, that is absurd.

I would be lining up too if it was built like my 2012 Macbook Pro - upgraded RAM, SSD, replaced WiFi antenna, swapped optical drive for a second hard drive. Also replaced the battery in 15 minutes with a new one when the cycles count got high and battery life was compromised

 

[rGiskard]

Machines have been heading this way for years - even ones with socketed SSDs are so sealed up they may as well be soldered on.

For example, I've got a Surface Book and looking at what's involved in getting the the SSD module (https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Book+Teardown/51972), it wouldn't have made that much difference if it was soldered in!

Eliminating the socket could make things more reliable as it's one less mechanical connection to fail, but I guess it's more fun to complain...

Some of us aren't intimidated by repairs, but even so, if your Surface Book's logic board fails because you dumped a drink on it, or dropped it, then your data is likely safe because you can have someone swap out the SSD.

 

[posguy99]

Did you have your data on the SSD when the logic board failed? Tough luck because you are not getting that data back.

Can't speak to the other parts of the rant, but for this one... if the data was important, it was backed up. Otherwise, it's throwaway. I have zero sympathy.

 

[cmaier]

it is a downside, but i've yet to hear someone saying: not buying because of fixed ram/ssd/wificard/soldered cpu gpu.
besides, proprietary connector made the ssd virtually non replaceable already years ago.

Lots of people are saying that. Of course, they are only saying that here, and they are either lying or weren't going to buy one in the first place, so...

 

[TeamMojo]

Gruber has a good write up here. http://daringfireball.net/2016/11/new_touch_bar_equipped_macbook_pros His bottom line is that Apple has changed its definition of Pro from features to niceness. With niceness meaning, battery life, thinness, minimalism.

I think that's why some are buying, because there's now a big segment of Apple buyers that buy solely for niceness. For these buyers, price is not an issue and functionality is not much of an issue because they do not know enough to care about the difference between a soldered SSD and a slotted one. You may have noticed this with the Apple watch. It use to be that early adopters of Apple products were the tech folks, now I have noticed that everyone I know who owns and Apple watch is non-technical and more concerned with status and niceness. I don't own one.

The trouble is, this leaves many technical people who want more power, features, ports and functionality out in the cold. I'm really displeased with this new Apple because I think they could easily afford to appease both types of their customer base, but instead they are becoming haughty and focused only on the aesthetics. Vote with your feet people. I won't be buying the products that go too far on the scale between functionality and niceness. And I expect that after the initial sheen of status buyers wears off, that the new Touch Bar Macbooks will see lower sales volumes.

 

[diddl14]

That really really s***s. I went for the 512GB assuming that in 2 or 3 years I could upgrade, like I did with my 2011 Air.

Seriously thinking about canceling... :-(

 

[nt5672]

And what good is the "fastest drive" when it's full?

Or when it fails. SSD's have a finite life.

 

[tubeexperience]

For example, I've got a Surface Book and looking at what's involved in getting the the SSD module (https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Book+Teardown/51972), it wouldn't have made that much difference if it was soldered in!

That's a teardown. You don't need to perform all those steps to replace the SSDs.

 

[Altis]

Yep, my 2011 MacBook Pro 17" is a beast. I've upgraded it to an SSD, an HDD in place of the ODD, and 16GB RAM. It has more useful ports than the newest MacBook and it even sports an SD reader.

Now Apple wonder why sales are down? I would upgrade for sure if a modern version of my MBP were offered. Nevermind the lagging pace of Intel CPU improvement, I'd want the faster USB and superior display. But no way will I give up upgradable storage, that is absurd.

Very nice. Have you had any logic board failures?

I'd be concerned that either the AMD GPU or the SSD would fail on these new ones, meaning a very expensive fix and loss of data.

 

[cmaier]

Can't speak to the other parts of the rant, but for this one... if the data was important, it was backed up. Otherwise, it's throwaway. I have zero sympathy.

In all seriousness, if you can't afford to lose the data on your computer's drive (whether spinning or SSD, whether soldered or slotted), you need to back it up. *at least* with time machine, and probably more than that. (For that reason my MBPs do time machine backups to two alternating Synology NAS's, and weekly carbon copy cloner clones to an external disk in a different location, plus my documents directory is synced via dropbox).

If your data recovery strategy is "my SSD is slotted and not soldered" that's no data recovery strategy at all.

 

[yaxomoxay]

That really really s***s. I went for the 512GB assuming that in 2 or 3 years I could upgrade, like I did with my 1011 Air.

Seriously thinking about canceling... :-(

Do it; send a message.

 

[idunn]

In fairness to Apple the 2012 cMBP was the last truly user serviceable model. The 2016 MBP only reflects a continuing trend since then.

However, in fairness to their customers, Apple might consider their needs and wishes. Just one model in their 2016 MBP line that was user serviceable—that was otherwise comparable in specs, or indeed the option superior in horsepower—would likely embarrass the others in sales. Couldn't have that, now.