There definitely seems to be a lot of misinformation going about, mainly because the 17" doesn't have a easy-access door the way the 15" does.
The RAM is just as easy to access as the 15" model, you have to remove the bottom cover by removing some screws on both models.
The HDD is only slightly harder to access on the 17" compared to the 15", but all you have to do is remove the bottom cover (same as for the RAM).
People seem to be losing their heads over having to remove 8 screws to get access to the computer's internals... oh noes! Apple even provide instructions in the user manual as to what screws to remove and how to replace the RAM and HDD! I remember the hassle of having to partly disassemble the 1st generation MacBook Pro in order to get access to the Hard drive - in comparison, these new MacBook Pros are childsplay...
The RAM is just as easy to access as the 15" model, you have to remove the bottom cover by removing some screws on both models.
The HDD is only slightly harder to access on the 17" compared to the 15", but all you have to do is remove the bottom cover (same as for the RAM).
People seem to be losing their heads over having to remove 8 screws to get access to the computer's internals... oh noes! Apple even provide instructions in the user manual as to what screws to remove and how to replace the RAM and HDD! I remember the hassle of having to partly disassemble the 1st generation MacBook Pro in order to get access to the Hard drive - in comparison, these new MacBook Pros are childsplay...