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This is sad to see any computer company employ such tactics. What other computer OEM goes this far to require such a contraption? To me this is like making a car battery impossible to replace as a home mechanic. I would not buy your car if the dealer tells me that only their repair shop can do the replacement.
High price is the primary reason I could not buy this but repairability is starting to tie it. Apple lost their minds with these laptops.

Brah, if you buy a MacBook pro there is like a 0.00001% chance you'll find yourself needing to use this contraption.

You want to own one of the worlds best laptops, it's going to cost top dollar. This shouldn't surprise anyone.
 
Think about this with an open mind. There is nothing special about the SSD. It isn't any more prone to fail than the other components. In the old days CPUs were socketed. Now they're not. Your desire to make the SSD replaceable is arbitrary.

Statistically true.

It just sucks when you're the one whose drive fails a day out of warranty. There WILL be SSD failures on new MacBook Pros and soon.

Read up on "MTBF for SSDs" for more detail.
 
The same as any other logic board component failure.
So you don't mind in the slightest that Apple has changed from allowing you to control the data component in your laptop/desktop to soldering your data to a motherboard?
An SSD can be a $1500 component and if something as simple as a $1 resistor or capacity burns/shorts out, then you are up for a new board rather than paying $650 for a board and swapping the SSD.
Soldering such an expensive component that has always been replaceable is a dumb move.
I've got a dead rMBP that I might sell for parts and at least I can take out the SSD before doing this. You can't do that if it is soldered in.
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Brah, if you buy a MacBook pro there is like a 0.00001% chance you'll find yourself needing to use this contraption.

You want to own one of the worlds best laptops, it's going to cost top dollar. This shouldn't surprise anyone.
An the worlds best laptop should allow you to control your own data and be repairable and kind to the environment.

Just think of all of those glued in batteries hitting the trash. (I've heard that Apples recycler is not recycling the batteries but instead chucking them.)
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Think about this with an open mind. There is nothing special about the SSD. It isn't any more prone to fail than the other components. In the old days CPUs were socketed. Now they're not. Your desire to make the SSD replaceable is arbitrary.
Can you think about it with an open mind?
How much does an SSD cost?
Why do you think people don't want the SSD soldered in?
Do you think that people might want to increase storage capacity?
Why do people blindly stick up for decisions that Apple makes?
 
I hate everything Apple did to the new laptops but I also understand why they make "disposable" laptops with higher margin.

The truth is computer market has shrunk big time, people are no longer buying computers like the early 2000's. Many are satisfied with just a smartphone, those who can't afford one can buy a used one from last year, not to mention iPads. My unibody 2008 runs just as good as new and its plenty fast for everyday user like browsing, email, and office.

Apple has only 15% or less of total PC market, even less than that their laptop share. If they make computers that you can use for the next 10 years(FIY, replaceable parts, upgradable), I am afraid the future does not look bright for Apple's personal computer division as paying the scientists and engineers to build them in the future might not be a business wise decision... and Apple is a business looking for maximum profit... its not a charity and its not a museum .
 
I hate to play devil's advocate here, since I too think the SSD integration on the motherboard sucks, but...

How many of these devices are actually failing these days? We have a LOT of Apple users at work, with work-purchased Macbooks, and outside of physical abuse to the machine, have seen practically *no* motherboard, memory, or SSD failures. In fact, the component that has most often failed for our users is a mechanical hard drive! Reliability is WAY up on these systems in my experience.

It may be that component reliability has reached a point where integrating the components saves more money than the money spent on having to replace the entire board instead of the part that failed.

It does suck more when something DOES fail, but how many failures are we seeing? I don't even bother to get AppleCare on Macbooks because they're so damn reliable.
I saw two ssd failures at work last week.
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I don't get the complaints about non removable SSD.
Really, no imagination? I saw two SSD failures at work last week.

Yeah, I don't get the fact that I can't remove the batteries from my power drill, oh wait, yes I can.
I don't get the fact that I can't remove the sd card from my camera, oh wait yes I can.

So what happens when someone figures out that they used to process only 1080p video files and now is editing 4k video and decides they now need an SSD that is larger than 256GB? Thats ok its replaceable - they just buy a new laptop.

One thing I hate about Apples decision is that you are now more likely to take out Apple care. I'm glad we have extra consumer protection outside the US, now with things soldered in, you will be able to easily argue the case that a failed SSD should be replaced free of charge for a longer period of time.
 
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The same as any other logic board component failure.

Not true at all. I have a Samsung SSD in my Intel NUC. The warranty on it is a specified amount of years, OR a specified amount of bytes written (in this case it's 400 TBW), whichever comes first. You don't see a similar specific restriction on any other component. RAM or processor or whatever do not have a specific amount of operations after which they are expected to die. This makes SSDs (and storage components in general) fundamentally different from everything else.

And anyway, does Apple publish the TBW limits of its SSDs? Every single other SSD manufacturer does that.
 
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I saw two ssd failures at work last week.
[doublepost=1480162533][/doublepost]
Really, no imagination? I saw two SSD failures at work last week.

Yeah, I don't get the fact that I can't remove the batteries from my power drill, oh wait, yes I can.
I don't get the fact that I can't remove the sd card from my camera, oh wait yes I can.

So what happens when someone figures out that they used to process only 1080p video files and now is editing 4k video and decides they now need an SSD that is larger than 256GB? Thats ok its replaceable - they just buy a new laptop.

One thing I hate about Apples decision is that you are now more likely to take out Apple care. I'm glad we have extra consumer protection outside the US, now with things soldered in, you will be able to easily argue the case that a failed SSD should be replaced free of charge for a longer period of time.

As I said, if you are a pro you will not purchase a machine that cannot serve your future needs. If in 2-3 years you suddenly need upgrades, you didn't make the right decisions. Drills and cameras are not pro laptops.
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No... that's not always revelant, that you "already know what configuration you need for your line of work". What often happens is a power user (I prefer that term to "pro" because I think it's more accurate.) buys as much computer as they can afford, with plans to upgrade down the road when the cost to do so drops.

When I bought my Late 2013 Mac Pro workstation, for example? I knew Apple's prices for both additional RAM and SSD storage were crazy high. So I purposely bought the configuration with the minimum amount of RAM and 256GB SSD storage. Almost immediately, I bought a third party 64GB RAM upgrade for hundreds less than Apple wanted, and bought a 512GB SSD upgrade for it about 6 months later, from an eBay merchant. Then I resold the original 256GB SSD to recoup much of the cost of buying the 512GB version.)

This is the problem with calling these systems "Pro" machines. It implies that the only customers for them are people doing work with their machines that generates large amounts of income. In reality? Many power users are folks who are computer enthusiasts, often doing demanding tasks with a machine, but don't necessarily make money with those tasks. They can't just write off the cost on taxes, nor can they always afford the high spec configurations at the time of purchase.

There's nothing really "better" about a computer with the SSD soldered in place. It wasn't taking up much space to begin with in the form Apple had been using. I can't see ANY justification in making this change except trying to ensure people don't go aftermarket to upgrade.


No... that's not always revelant, that you "already know what configuration you need for your line of work". What often happens is a power user (I prefer that term to "pro" because I think it's more accurate.) buys as much computer as they can afford, with plans to upgrade down the road when the cost to do so drops.

When I bought my Late 2013 Mac Pro workstation, for example? I knew Apple's prices for both additional RAM and SSD storage were crazy high. So I purposely bought the configuration with the minimum amount of RAM and 256GB SSD storage. Almost immediately, I bought a third party 64GB RAM upgrade for hundreds less than Apple wanted, and bought a 512GB SSD upgrade for it about 6 months later, from an eBay merchant. Then I resold the original 256GB SSD to recoup much of the cost of buying the 512GB version.)

This is the problem with calling these systems "Pro" machines. It implies that the only customers for them are people doing work with their machines that generates large amounts of income. In reality? Many power users are folks who are computer enthusiasts, often doing demanding tasks with a machine, but don't necessarily make money with those tasks. They can't just write off the cost on taxes, nor can they always afford the high spec configurations at the time of purchase.

There's nothing really "better" about a computer with the SSD soldered in place. It wasn't taking up much space to begin with in the form Apple had been using. I can't see ANY justification in making this change except trying to ensure people don't go aftermarket to upgrade.

The problem you have is Apple has never geared their products to the "power user" who like to tinker. They always wanted you to buy their products geared to your needs. I'm a pro and any Apple products I purchase will pay for itself within a couple jobs and tax write offs. I made sure to assess my current and future needs. So soldered SSDs and RAM is of no concern to me.
 
Don't hold your breath on that. If anything Apple does, they are not going to give away a service for free out of warranty ( iPhone 6 touch disease). All i see here is a money making machine for apple. You all have fun with that!!!

LOL, why are you spreading misinformation. I had a Macbook Air in for repair, when I went in to pick it up (something you can't do with your DELL) I let them know they didn't do it right. They gave me a newer one, one gen newer boxed in plastic wrap as a replacement for the screw up. Since 2004 with my first Powerbook - their service has worked amazingly with or without Applecare. I can't say the same for my experience with DELL, ASUS, or SONY - Good luck with you XPS when it dies.
 
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As I said, if you are a pro you will not purchase a machine that cannot serve your future needs. If in 2-3 years you suddenly need upgrades, you didn't make the right decisions. Drills and cameras are not pro laptops.
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The problem you have is Apple has never geared their products to the "power user" who like to tinker. They always wanted you to buy their products geared to your needs. I'm a pro and any Apple products I purchase will pay for itself within a couple jobs and tax write offs. I made sure to assess my current and future needs. So soldered SSDs and RAM is of no concern to me.
Apple has never geared their products up to pro users? They have pro machines and a dwindling supply of pro software.

As for future needs, that is also dependent on future software which you cannot predict.

Here is a good video for you to watch that will explain it all...
 
I Think i Read that the New 13'' with no Touch bar has a replacable SSD. So Wy not the ones with Touch bar?
I don't Work In a Big Corporate, but My Sister does and i know enough of Their data Security policies to know they Would never send a New MBP to repair with data On the SSD they can't remove. Even with encrypted data.
They Will just by a New computer and trash the defekt One. Apple know this and Will sell more MBP that way.
Me as a photographer. I am not happy about this move. I might need a bigger HD in a couple of years. I can max it out today, but in to years you will have more capacity on the HDs, maybe some new tech will make them 10x faster. Soldering the HD is only thought as a profit thing from Apple. It has no pratical use for the user. It is made to lower the recycling time as CPU power has been quite stagnant in many apps don't need more power, unless you are a gamer wanting more real time graphic power.
 
You know, not soldering or in memory and the SSD would be more environmentally friendly. Same with glue. Can't have it both ways, Apple. If we can't upgrade components as we see fit, you're not a green company except that you're in Ireland and flush with cash.

Disposable electronics ≠ the statements made at http://www.apple.com/environment/
It's a nice sentiment, but it's intellectually dishonest. In this case, it's called Greenwashing.
I don't really care about the motives, I'm just against planned obsolescence of useful gear. But I'm also against dongles like iLok and USB licensers because they take up space and then they fail. UUID may be better, but I'm getting OT.
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As I said, if you are a pro you will not purchase a machine that cannot serve your future needs. If in 2-3 years you suddenly need upgrades, you didn't make the right decisions. Drills and cameras are not pro laptops.
[doublepost=1480171590][/doublepost]




The problem you have is Apple has never geared their products to the "power user" who like to tinker. They always wanted you to buy their products geared to your needs. I'm a pro and any Apple products I purchase will pay for itself within a couple jobs and tax write offs. I made sure to assess my current and future needs. So soldered SSDs and RAM is of no concern to me.

And that's sad because I really like the OS and the tight system integration. Do you know anybody that been able to run Sierra on a Z840 or a Boxx? Seriously. I don't mind adding SSDs and memory, but I really don't want to build a PC from scratch. I love my silent 2012 Mini's in my studio, but I need more grunt. And I don't have a machine room.
 
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LOL, why are you spreading misinformation. I had a Macbook Air in for repair, when I went in to pick it up (something you can't do with your DELL) I let them know they didn't do it right. They gave me a newer one, one gen newer boxed in plastic wrap as a replacement for the screw up. Since 2004 with my first Powerbook - their service has worked amazingly with or without Applecare. I can't say the same for my experience with DELL, ASUS, or SONY - Good luck with you XPS when it dies.
Exactly what misinformation did i give out? Your one off experience may or may not be the norm. As for my XPS, I had an monitor issue, dell sent a tech guy to my house and tried to fix it. He was unsuccessful, so dell shipped me a brand new one next day air. Tell me when Apple will come to your house to fix your Mac? Also my XPS has worked flawlessly since then, oh and when i wanted a fast hard drive (ssd) it was a simple upgrade, when i wanted more memory, it was a simple process. My XPS is 4 or 5+ years old (don't remember how long i have had it) and it works like a charm, even with Windows 10 Pro. With all this said, I will agree that Apple has very good customer service, as I have experienced it a few times over the years with the various iphones i have owned. But I have had some poor service with Apple as well. With that said, again, IMO, Apple is not going to recover data for free when out of warranty, you are going to pay for something somewhere.
 
You get no argument from me about them doing the service for free. I think they should. What I am arguing is the guarantee made by Terrinb. As I stated, it's not Apple's policy. Getting free out of warranty service is an arbitrary proposition. It's primarily dependent upon the employee and then the nature of the service required. I can almost guarantee that for every anecdote of Apple giving free service there will be an anecdote where free service wasn't offered.



Luckily, my daughters 6 hasn't experienced the issue. If it did, I'd be pretty pissed to fork over $150 for Apple to fix a design defect. If history is an indicator, it will be a pretty long time before Apple admits the issue is a defect. The MBP video card issue comes to mind.
MacBook 2015 screen went bad just out of warranty. They claimed damage I caused due to ding in corner that happened about a year before. Poor service. Wanted $500+ to fix screen. My last Mac I'm sure. I feel like Apple is out to nickel and dime now. All focus is on sales and maxing profits while products turn to crap.
[doublepost=1480234160][/doublepost]
I saw two ssd failures at work last week.
[doublepost=1480162533][/doublepost]
Really, no imagination? I saw two SSD failures at work last week.

Yeah, I don't get the fact that I can't remove the batteries from my power drill, oh wait, yes I can.
I don't get the fact that I can't remove the sd card from my camera, oh wait yes I can.

So what happens when someone figures out that they used to process only 1080p video files and now is editing 4k video and decides they now need an SSD that is larger than 256GB? Thats ok its replaceable - they just buy a new laptop.

One thing I hate about Apples decision is that you are now more likely to take out Apple care. I'm glad we have extra consumer protection outside the US, now with things soldered in, you will be able to easily argue the case that a failed SSD should be replaced free of charge for a longer period of time.
AppleCare is a massive profit center. See what Dell charges for extra warranties. Apple is a ripoff
 
The problem you have is Apple has never geared their products to the "power user" who like to tinker. They always wanted you to buy their products geared to your needs.

Uhh...

Nm4mRELLtcYI4YYI.medium


owc-ssd-macbook-pro-swapped015.jpg


apple-power-macintosh-upgrade-card-with-quadracentris-610-pds-adapter-brand-new_141783782611.jpg
 
nothing beats being able to remove the SSD.

imagine the situation where the MacBook has taken some serious damage, you can pop the ssd out and you are good, this tool still needs many components in the mac still to work / be connected. not to mention going to apple and paying for a repair etc.
 
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nothing beats being able to remove the SSD.

imagine the situation where the MacBook has taken some serious damage, you can pop the ssd out and you are good, this tool still needs many components in the mac still to work / be connected. not to mention going to apple and paying for a repair etc.
Nah, you've got it all wrong :D
  1. You should be thanking Apple that it is soldered in, somehow that is a better user experience. Apparently that is the reason that Apple SSD's are so fast, otherwise why solder them in. (Even thought Apple doesn't make SSDs, what you mean you can get fast SSDs from the competition that don't need to be soldered in)
  2. Why would you want a bigger SSD in future? If you don't put the correct on in at the start then you obviously made a mistake when you purchased it.
  3. Why would you want to take the SSD out and put it in a backup laptop, what you should be doing is getting the backup and restoring that to the backup computer, event if that takes longer.
  4. Why on earth would you want to tinker with the internals of your laptop? I (not me, someone else) used to reflow my GPU etc and I'm now sick of doing that, Its much better now that Apple have taken my ability to tinker.
  5. Didn't you know that SSDs have a much higher MTBF, that things as solid as a rock and it will not fail. But just make sure you have a backup. What? I thought you just said it will not fail?
just in case other readers don't get it - sarcasm
[doublepost=1480245304][/doublepost]
LOL, why are you spreading misinformation. I had a Macbook Air in for repair, when I went in to pick it up (something you can't do with your DELL) I let them know they didn't do it right. They gave me a newer one, one gen newer boxed in plastic wrap as a replacement for the screw up. Since 2004 with my first Powerbook - their service has worked amazingly with or without Applecare. I can't say the same for my experience with DELL, ASUS, or SONY - Good luck with you XPS when it dies.
Funny that, I have been back at the Apple store for almost every device I have bought, much more that any brand of item.
If I buy an extended warranty with Apple, I have to take it in for repair.
If I buy an extender warranty with Dell, they send someone out to repair it.
 
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Nah, you've got it all wrong :D
  1. You should be thanking Apple that it is soldered in, somehow that is a better user experience. Apparently that is the reason that Apple SSD's are so fast, otherwise why solder them in. (Even thought Apple doesn't make SSDs, what you mean you can get fast SSDs from the competition that don't need to be soldered in)
  2. Why would you want a bigger SSD in future? If you don't put the correct on in at the start then you obviously made a mistake when you purchased it.
  3. Why would you want to take the SSD out and put it in a backup laptop, what you should be doing is getting the backup and restoring that to the backup computer, event if that takes longer.
  4. Why on earth would you want to tinker with the internals of your laptop? I (not me, someone else) used to reflow my GPU etc and I'm now sick of doing that, Its much better now that Apple have taken my ability to tinker.
  5. Didn't you know that SSDs have a much higher MTBF, that things as solid as a rock and it will not fail. But just make sure you have a backup. What? I thought you just said it will not fail?
just in case other readers don't get it - sarcasm
[doublepost=1480245304][/doublepost]
Funny that, I have been back at the Apple store for almost every device I have bought, much more that any brand of item.
If I buy an extended warranty with Apple, I have to take it in for repair.
If I buy an extender warranty with Dell, they send someone out to repair it.

You forgot the part where you actually have to educate the genius about the problem before they repair it....cause if it's not part of the diagnostics test and script book , it does not exist ;)
 

It was not SJs vision to have people tinker with his machines. He wanted it to be only opened if it needed servicing. You were suppose to buy the model you need. Almost like buying a new car. You get it in the configuration that suits you.
 
It was not SJs vision to have people tinker with his machines. He wanted it to be only opened if it needed servicing. You were suppose to buy the model you need. Almost like buying a new car. You get it in the configuration that suits you.

Steve and his vision are dead, man.
The Timinator and his vison are where it's at.

DJIsv56-WNDZivF9tHcOsonHegS0yecAvr2N-mquN6uH3vVHlVZKUofh-5Dmnb75y1o=w300


To summarize the buyers guide,
13 out of 15 Apple gizmos are do not buy.
Stay tuned.

gsmarena_001.jpg
 
You forgot the part where you actually have to educate the genius about the problem before they repair it....cause if it's not part of the diagnostics test and script book , it does not exist ;)
I have seen that, when my rMBP service battery message popped up the genius needed persuading that replacing the battery didn't need a $700 assembly.
When they replaced the screen, they put it back misaligned.

This one wasn't their fault but when I had to get the feet replaced because the were loosening (laptop had just been released) they had to replace the bottom panel because they could not find the code.

Apple is good at replacing things as a company. I just wish I wasn't a frequent visitor. Their quality control isn't the best.
 
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Steve and his vision are dead, man.
The Timinator and his vison are where it's at.

DJIsv56-WNDZivF9tHcOsonHegS0yecAvr2N-mquN6uH3vVHlVZKUofh-5Dmnb75y1o=w300


To summarize the buyers guide,
13 out of 15 Apple gizmos are do not buy.
Stay tuned.

gsmarena_001.jpg

Tim "Ballmer" Cook is doing a great job. Profits at the cost of innovation, it's funny they are following Microsoft here ....
[doublepost=1480264422][/doublepost]
It was not SJs vision to have people tinker with his machines. He wanted it to be only opened if it needed servicing. You were suppose to buy the model you need. Almost like buying a new car. You get it in the configuration that suits you.

You will find most macs in SJ time were user serviceable to a point , apple even sold upgrade components or replacement parts. Nearly every mac I bought under Steve could be made better and was designed to be improved to my needs.

Your example applies to post Steves macs, where you have to buy the mac you envisage you will need in the future to future proof, the new macs are classic example of Tims apple, profit profit profit ... and given the obselecnce nature of the new machines , it almost makes AppleCare necessary , $$$$ spinner . Macs have gone from some of the best machines in the industry that could be upgraded and repaired to being throw aways... this is a major shift from SJs apple and Tims apple.
 
It was not SJs vision to have people tinker with his machines. He wanted it to be only opened if it needed servicing. You were suppose to buy the model you need. Almost like buying a new car. You get it in the configuration that suits you.
Alright, even if you don't tinker by swapping CPUs or anything else, switching RAM or HD is servicing it. If it wasn't considered servicing why does Best Buy the tech store for the common man sell hard drives and ram?

Sure you buy a car that suits you but, there are always things you can change on a car to adapt to different environments or extend it's longevity. I buy a Mac, I expect it to last for at least 5 years. I buy a car, I expect it to last for at least 10 years.
The new MBP is not serviceable in any way shape or form. Thats like buy a brand new car, getting a flat, and praying that it's covered by warranty because the whole car is going to need to be replaced.
 
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