Apple Drops Prices on 512GB and 1TB SSD Upgrades for Older Mac Lineup

[Arran]

Even to a non-computer literate person, the flash pricing makes no sense. They're saying:

Buy one 512 GB module and they're priced at $200 each
- BUT -
If you bulk-buy two of them, we'll jack the price up to $300 each.

Now, if this was size-critical device (like an iPhone) and the 1TB flash module was expensively miniaturized so that it would fit in the phone, then you could reasonably make the argument for a higher price because pocket-ability is important.

But this is a desktop. Size is immaterial. You should be able to easily fit two 512GB modules in there for a total of $400 or less.

 

[scott523]

While at the Apple Store today, I questioned their SSD upgrade pricing on the 2015 MBP, where the pricing app showed a $100 increase for 256GB instead of $200 shown on the Store site. The specialist had no idea which to go by but I had no intention of buying one today (maybe I should have to score a slight deal).

 

[santaliqueur]

Hey Apple finally updated the Mac Pro! Awesome!

 

[pat500000]

Wtf is up with Apple stories these days? It's so chaotic that Phil and Tim would leave 30 minutes earlier than usual for future keynotes.

 

[palmerc2]

Why hasn't Apple updated the Mac Pro in 3 years?

What are they doing over there in Cupertino?

Making new emojis

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

Normally you don't need a 1TB SSD.

A 512GB m.2 SSD + 2TB hard drive or SSHD should be fine.

Maybe 1TB SSD for VM.

1 TB SSDs are faster than lower capacity versions of the same make and model.

 

[twa440]

basically, this:

Well, now we know why they took the word computer out of the company name. I hope there's some amazing tech in the pipeline or that shiny new building is going to be mostly empty.

 

[widEyed]

And then Apple announced they allow user upgrades on SSD and kill off their built-in obsolescence little-earner… not.

 

[Howard2k]

256MB is even fine for most pros. Generally we store the OS and apps on the internal and have the rest on external storage where we can see even better speeds.

What external storage devices are you using?

 

[Luscious]

Hundreds of new magical emojis - what more could you ask for?

New watch bands!!!!!

 

[62tele]

I'm shocked Tim Cook didn't kill the trash can, TBH.

I just wish the  CEO loved the Mac half as much as we do.

Tim loves one thing: the bottom line. He's not a visionary. He's not a lover of the tech. He's a lover of managing component costs, labor costs, distribution costs and margins. All of the executives and senior Apple folks seem to be "fat and happy." It's like they're living off of Jobs legacy and will until they can't ride that horse anymore. Oh yeah, they're good talkers and salesmen. All sizzle and no steak: Home, Watch, Car, Macs, iPhones, iPads. The services like iCloud and Siri are badly implemented and deliver less than what we should expect.
"We've got great products in the pipeline. We're so excited." Prove it.

 

[BigJohno]

Price cuts ain't gonna save old hardware Timmy.

Tsk tsk tsk (echo)

"You're a very bad man Jerry, Very very bad man" - Babu haha

On a serious note, Apple will do a quiet update of the mac pro with USB-c and some internals. Apple is an iPhone/ Services company and that is what they focus on.

 

[bladerunner2000]

If you were a pro, you wouldn't build your own machine. Reliability, warranty and support would be too important to you. You'd pay whatever it took to get a machine that made you as efficient as you could be because you'd be getting paid for your productivity not for futzing with DIY computer projects.

My self built Hackintosh has had a longer uptime than any of the macs I've ever owned in the last 15 years.

Sorry, your argument doesn't hold weight.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

But can existing Mac Pro owners buy an upgrade yet?

 

[Aluminum213]

Are you people brain dead? This is Apple's way of foreshadowing new product(s). New pro desktops are near, get your checkbook out.

You mean mortgages

 

[Analog Kid]

My self built Hackintosh has had a longer uptime than any of the macs I've ever owned in the last 15 years.

Sorry, your argument doesn't hold weight.

My 4 year old self built PC has had -zero- problems and runs like a champ. Can't say the same for any apple product I've owned.

Interesting anecdotes. I don't think I've had an Apple product fail in less than 4 years, but my anecdotes don't mean anything in this context either-- and nothing I'm saying has anything to do with Apple.

My DIY computer has had zero downtime in 3 years. Any half competent computer builder can easily and cost effectively build a computer that matches or exceeds the build quality of any prebuilt machine.

Like honestly. A computer manufacturer puts shipping units above building them well. Building my own machine I can put as much care into it as I please.

Plus "Pros" like to build their own machines because we can build a computer to the exact spec we want, and it makes upgrading way easier.

This all largely misses the point. Being a pro means managing your resources and finances around providing whatever product or service you provide.

If you are a true pro, then anything you spend on expenses or capital equipment such as a computer is tax deductible-- so everything is essentially half price (depending on your profitability and jurisdiction). If you can bill $100 an hour for your services then it better take less than half an hour to research, select, order, unpack, assemble, install and maintain a DIY computer for every $100 you save.

Warranty and support also allow you to smooth your cash flow and make more predictable investment decisions in your enterprise. Think of it as insurance or having a throat to choke-- either way it takes some of the risk and pressure off of your business.

If you do both your real job and build computers because you like to, then you have both a job and a hobby. If you're my vendor and I find out that you missed a deadline because of your hobby, you will get very little sympathy. Make sure you budget for that risk.

If, accounting for all of this, you can save more money building computers than you can doing whatever your shingle out front says you do, then you should stop doing that thing and go into business building computers.

People here use "pro" like it means "fast". Pros need performance, for sure, but that's only part of the formula. In the end what they need is productivity and predictability.

 

[PBRsg]

I am looking forward to upgrading to a new Macbook Pro sometime next year, but admittedly the prices this time around are a bit over the top.

Apparently, retailers are selling MB and MBP at a substantial discount from the RRP, which never used to happen. I wonder if Apple has joined the rest of the industry with the bogus RRPs so that you feel you are getting a "discount".

 

[aajeevlin]

Personally, this is how I look at it. I like the Mac Pro, but I know unless I start to make a ton of money I probably will never buy one, so I'm not going to say anything about that. As for my favor Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro Retain, I'm not going to say that I won't buy them anytime soon, or that I'm going to go back to Windows and such because I don't like windows. But what I will say is that the decision Apple had made will cause me to have less desire to have impulse buy because I don't feel like it's worth it, or the novelty is not there. And it will make me only want to buy a new computer when and if I NEED one (i.e., current MacBook stopped working and such), not when I simply want one because it's cool and has new tech on it.

Really I thought it was Apple's job to attract me to want to buy their machine and not to put a damper on that. Maybe if eventually enough people think like me Apple will start to feel something...or maybe not.

 

[bladerunner2000]

If you do both your real job and build computers because you like to, then you have both a job and a hobby. If you're my vendor and I find out that you missed a deadline because of your hobby, you will get very little sympathy. Make sure you budget for that risk.

That's insulting and also suggests Macs aren't prone to failure which is a lie.

 

[Rob_2811]

See, Apple does care about the Mac. Panic over. /s

 

[Icaras]

Interesting anecdotes. I don't think I've had an Apple product fail in less than 4 years, but my anecdotes don't mean anything in this context either-- and nothing I'm saying has anything to do with Apple.

This all largely misses the point. Being a pro means managing your resources and finances around providing whatever product or service you provide.

If you are a true pro, then anything you spend on expenses or capital equipment such as a computer is tax deductible-- so everything is essentially half price (depending on your profitability and jurisdiction). If you can bill $100 an hour for your services then it better take less than half an hour to research, select, order, unpack, assemble, install and maintain a DIY computer for every $100 you save.

Warranty and support also allow you to smooth your cash flow and make more predictable investment decisions in your enterprise. Think of it as insurance or having a throat to choke-- either way it takes some of the risk and pressure off of your business.

If you do both your real job and build computers because you like to, then you have both a job and a hobby. If you're my vendor and I find out that you missed a deadline because of your hobby, you will get very little sympathy. Make sure you budget for that risk.

If, accounting for all of this, you can save more money building computers than you can doing whatever your shingle out front says you do, then you should stop doing that thing and go into business building computers.

People here use "pro" like it means "fast". Pros need performance, for sure, but that's only part of the formula. In the end what they need is productivity and predictability.

So much logic in your post it hurts. Finally someone in this circus of a forum that understands the reality of being a "Pro". I enjoyed reading your elaboration and completely agree.

 

[doug in albq]

dongle scandal sounds like a new hipster band.....you probably never heard of it.

PLAYING TONIGHT:

Dongle Scandal
With

Gimped Gpu,
Touch Bar
And
Simply Magical

 

[YegorH]

I'm calling it: they're going to "quietly" upgrade the Mac Pro within a few months and barely make a big deal of it.

I like the fact of putting quietly in quotes as in reality they will add an OLED ambient light beneath the Mac Pro base and call for another 1.5 hour event during which they will brag about it being the best OLED Ambient Light they ever made and how the users of Apple Watch -- which put Switzerland in trouble -- can cycle between incredible 7 hues of colors and purchase additional 2 for just $199.

 

[0388631]

All this talk of warranties is strange.

My 64 GB of RAM = Lifetime Warranty
My video cards in SLI = Limited Lifetime Warranty - Unless I mess with them via overlocking or modification, they're covered
My Motherboard = 5 Year Warranty - If it dies, it dies. It's a popular socket and it's very easy to find parts.
Monitors = 3 Year Warranty (But with Dell, it's pretty much lifetime) + 3 Year Exchange Program
PSU = 10 Year Warranty
SSDs = 2x 10 Year Warranties + 1x 5 Year Warranty

If something goes bad in my PC, I know what went bad and I can get a temporary product while my exchanged product comes in a few days to a week. With an Apple, you get 1 year of warranty, plus the option to buy Apple Care for an additional 3 years. Now, granted people keep their Macs for longer, but if something breaks, it's going to cost a lot of money.

I've stuck with the same brands since the late 90s. I've had parts die on me and they've always honored their warranty. Hell, I've got a 64 TB home NAS with WD Red Pros and those have 5 year warranties to boot. 99.9% of Windows problems are user-end caused.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Why hasn't Apple updated the Mac Pro in 3 years?

What are they doing over there in Cupertino?

Jony Ive magical Christmas trees.