Anyone else in fear that user replaceable ram won't be a thing on redesigned iMacs?

[tob!]

I really don't know what to do. Thinking about an iMac and buying 32 GB third party ram. On the one hand the current iMacs are a year old - but on the other hand my fear is that they will switch so soldered ram on the redesigned models which would make them ridiculously expensive...

Please tell me that I'm crazy

 

[varian55zx]

I don't think it's 'maybe' or 'very likely' I'd say it's likely.

I wouldn't be surprised either way, but I would say it is likely to happen.

 

[Phil A.]

I was more surprised they kept it user upgraded last time than I will be if it's not on the update.

While no-one knows for sure, the iMac 27" is one of only 2 macs that can be user upgraded (the Mac Pro is the other) so I think it's highly possible they'll go to soldered memory on the next one.
The current iMacs are great machines (I got one in August) and will last for years

 

[redheeler]

I'm not worried the ability to upgrade the RAM will go away. But it will stay exclusive to the 27".

 

[Firebrand]

I don't think it's 'maybe' or 'very likely' I'd say it's likely.

Insanely likely.
(given the ongoing anorexia/dongle trend and ‘Pro’ monniker)

But hey, which pro wants to upgrade it’s RAM when you got an Touch/Apple Pay Bar ;-)

 

[colodane]

Probably likely, unfortunately.

Apple seems to be at some sort of crossroads on their desktop offerings. iMac neglected, but Mac Pro, Mac Mini and Apple displays basically abandoned.

With the pressure from Microsoft's Surface all-in-one, I think they will need to respond with some sort of new physical design if they want to stay in the desktop business.

Given their reduced interest in displays (those large 27 inch things do create logistical problems with shipping and warehousing) It wouldn't surprise me if they come up with some sort of "super Mini" approach with all the electronics in a small box that they can market to Mini / iMac / Pro customers with the support of 3rd party displays.

Such a box could be designed with user access to RAM (and other things), but given that their last Mini design had soldered-in RAM, I'm not hopeful.

 

[jeanlain]

If there was the option "definitely", I would have chosen it.
Be read for:
- Soldered RAM
- No SD card slot
- No USB-A ports.

On all models.

Mark my words.

 

[Firebrand]

It wouldn't surprise me if they come up with some sort of "super Mini" approach

iMac Nano (focus on Accessability)

 

[fat jez]

If there was the option "definitely", I would have chosen it.
Be read for:
- Soldered RAM
- No SD card slot
- No USB-A ports.

On all models.

Mark my words.

I wouldn't bet against you. The thing I never under stood is that Tim Cook is a logistics man and you want to minimise the range of products you have to carry. Soldering everything might make it a little more reliable, but you then need to make and stock every permutation a user might want. Either that or heavily restrict your range.

 

[Larry-K]

These days, Apple is not to be "Feared", it is to be Pitied ("the fool").

 

[maflynn]

I put my vote in the very likely category, and I wouldn't be surprised if they made it harder to open up the iMac, though its not that easy anyways.

 

[roadkill401]

think what would make Apple more profit? the saying they will need to warehouse is bs. they will just carry two models at the apple store and everything else will be custom built to order like they currently have with video cards and drives inside. what is offering it in 8gb and 16gb variants going to change? i think they will loose the 32

 

[fat jez]

think what would make Apple more profit? the saying they will need to warehouse is bs. they will just carry two models at the apple store and everything else will be custom built to order like they currently have with video cards and drives inside. what is offering it in 8gb and 16gb variants going to change? i think they will loose the 32

BTO doesn't mean some dude gets out a soldering iron and fits the right RAM, etc. It means they need to have (for example) 3 versions of each logic board with 8,16 and 32 GB of RAM. or they could make the RAM socketed and have 1 version of each logic board and fit what is needed.

Right now on many models, only the drive is interchangeable, e.g. Mac mini, MacBook Pro, etc. It's why we only have a 16GB 15" MBP. If you offered configurable RAM on those models, you'd double or treble the number of permutations of logic board required.

 

[mollyc]

I wouldn't bet against you. The thing I never under stood is that Tim Cook is a logistics man and you want to minimise the range of products you have to carry. Soldering everything might make it a little more reliable, but you then need to make and stock every permutation a user might want. Either that or heavily restrict your range.

I think it's the "heavily restrict your range" part that TC goes for.

 

[merkinmuffley]

Yes, it'll go away. Ive will conclude that hatch on the back adds .3mm in thickness to the device and flush it. I hope at the same time they find a way to make the ports on the back more inaccessible.

 

[macmee]

of course ram will no longer be upgradable

this is apple

of course, the new version also will still have thermal throttling, and the image retention issues will still be present too

 

[6AL5]

The next iMac will be induction powered have no Ports and be 40 percent thinner than whatever moniker they can conjure up to compare it against and at the event they will dazzle us with sales figures and other hocus pocus to divert everyones attention away from a stagnating product lines and a lackluster CEO.

Personally I think iPhone killed the Macintosh Star as the iPhone has become the Apple's bread and butter.

 

[Jack Burton]

If they remove user serviceable ram on the 27", I'm absolutely done with Apple. If they do that it will most likely cap out at 32GB at an obscene upgrade price (like $600 extra), too.

That 27 inch is a great pro machine for many, many tasks. If they cripple it, man I can't defend them anymore. We will see where it goes and if Kaby Lake EVER emerges.

They can absolutely, positively turn the iMac into an iMac Pro if they resist the urge to remove features and make it thinner. It's a desktop. It doesn't need to be any thinner. We don't move it around everyday like a laptop.

 

[spooklog]

I've always used Apple computers. I loved Apple computers. But like many of you, I'm fluent in Windows as well. If (or "when") it becomes impossible to upgrade Apple machines, I'll move to Windows boxes without much thought. That's a shame; I hate to see Apple do this to themselves.

 

[CWallace]

I see no reason why we won't continue to have user-upgradeable RAM on the 27" model.

Likely the only reason it went away on the 21" is Apple using Intel's "all-in-one" logic boards like they do with their portables. The 27" won't move to that because they have the internal space, even with their obsession with "thinness".

 

[Firebrand]

Too bad we can’t add RAM as easily as dongles etc.

 

[SigEp265]

 

[NY Guitarist]

It may not happen in the *next revision but based on the trend of Apple locking down hardware i think it's inevitable.

* Edit: added 'next'.

 

[Firebrand]

It may not happen in the revision but based on the trend of Apple locking down hardware i think it's inevitable.

Sometimes I wonder why some changes happen so quickly and others not

 

[fat jez]

Sometimes I wonder why some changes happen so quickly and others not

Testing the water on less important models?