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Apple Has an SSD Data Recovery Tool for Touch Bar MacBook Pros That Refuse to Boot
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Ok then, replace tire with alternator. What ever it is, you have to see the point.
It shouldn't take much longer than 1 hour to redo 1 hour of work, and it's unlikely to happen. If you care that much, back up to a flash drive.
P.S. I do NOT defend the soldered SSD. It's stupid, as is everything else about this new MacBook other than the touch bar.
Agree.. BUT!! This money making machine creates the most fascinating devices for us!! Moreover, I always admire unprecedented support of Apple... Try smth like calling Samsung to solve any tiniest issue with any of their product... So let them earn and give the world an opportunity to have access to some electronics rather than ordinary tools))
I'm afraid this whole soldered SSD is the nail in the coffin for me. I'll just have to soldier on with the 2013 15" MB Pro Retina and see if anything changes for the better in the next couple of years. I'm not counting on it, but on incredibly rare occasions Apple does actually listen to their customers. But there's no way I'm paying $3500 for a machine that I can't even remove the drive from if it needs a major repair. Too big a security risk, these days. It basically renders the thing disposable. A bit too pricey for me to be tossed away if the LB fails.
Thankfully, there's never been a better time for considering alternatives to Apple.
Thankfully, there's never been a better time for considering alternatives to Apple.
So he shows you clear evidence that macs during SJ's era were easily upgradeable and built that way, and you answer by claiming the opposite. Are you in one of those states where they legalized marujuana?
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Why?!?! On 2009-2015 macbook pros swapping the hdd/ssd was a lot EASIER than changing a tire!
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Nah, the touch bar is stupid as well.
Since it's been revealed that Apple chose to use a soldered down, non-removable SSD in its 13-inch and 15-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pros, it's natural for users to wonder about the fate of their data in the event of a fault that requires a logic board replacement.
Fortunately it appears as if Apple has a proprietary in-house tool to rescue stored user data when disaster strikes. 9to5Mac reports that a dedicated port on the logic board allows Apple staff to attach the recovery tool once the board's been removed from the chassis. The tool then transfers the data from the SSD to a working MacBook Pro's drive via one of its USB-C ports.
All indications are that users won't be able to get their hands on this recovery tool, as it's only available to Apple support staff for emergency use when a laptop sent in for repair won't boot.
Article Link: Apple Has an SSD Data Recovery Tool for Touch Bar MacBook Pros That Refuse to Boot
Since it's been revealed that Apple chose to use a soldered down, non-removable SSD in its 13-inch and 15-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pros, it's natural for users to wonder about the fate of their data in the event of a fault that requires a logic board replacement.
Fortunately it appears as if Apple has a proprietary in-house tool to rescue stored user data when disaster strikes. 9to5Mac reports that a dedicated port on the logic board allows Apple staff to attach the recovery tool once the board's been removed from the chassis. The tool then transfers the data from the SSD to a working MacBook Pro's drive via one of its USB-C ports.
All indications are that users won't be able to get their hands on this recovery tool, as it's only available to Apple support staff for emergency use when a laptop sent in for repair won't boot.
Article Link: Apple Has an SSD Data Recovery Tool for Touch Bar MacBook Pros That Refuse to Boot
I'm so totally tired of the direction Apple has taken and this along with no updates on the Mac Pro, not telling customers where they are headed, and the entire throw away the computer after a couple years because everything is soldered in idea. I've been a 30 year veteran Apple fan and major customer in some very large enterprise IT companies but the latest has caused me to purchase a brand new Lenovo laptop with 64GB ram, ports galore of different stripes, power unmatched by Apple, and a machine that supports my professional needs. I'll still keep my two Mac Pro's humming and my 2015 MacBook Pro but I cancelled the new 2016 MacBook Pro order and will slowly divest of investment in Apple going forward. I sold off all my stock this year already. It's becoming clear that Apple does not desire the professional business user like me any longer and all they seem to care for is the thinnest machine around. I've waited long enough and I'm baffled at the direction. I'll invest in Windows and Linux OS as my desktop going forward. Too bad they blew it and I see more and more of my friends thinking the same thing.
Hi
Thanks for posting could you provide a link to the Lenovo laptop with 64GB ram you recommend.
Thanks
I believe that it is a combination. Clearly Steve Jobs liked that his computers were upgradable, however never was it a priority. There was also a philosophy about style, simplicity and consumerism. It is possible Jobs changed his mind in his later years, which is not unusual and the thought of the "post-PC-era" must be a prime trigger. You also see it design philosophy in their other products like iPhone and iPad. It started with the unremovable battery and then the MacBook Air where lots of typically upgradable components were soldered and made not upgradable. 2012 (the year after his death) does however mark a watershed were we got soldered and not upgradable memory in several devices.
Now the laptops from Apple are becoming more a coffee table accessory than a professional tool. They are still a high end computer, but I think Apples problem is that they are lacking someone to push into the real computational intense professional segment. Most likely because the numbers of sale are so small, even though margins typically are higher. Computer technology is also so advanced now that for most people using a computer you really do not need something better.
While it may not be an issue in the short term the so called Apple eco system is slowly disintegrating, while they are diversifying away from their former core businesses. I am sure that we will reach a post pc world, but it is still far away. And Apple are not in lack of resources nor technology to be required to jump off that boat.
Not really. I don't like what Apple has done (also sold all my stock a while ago), but Microsoft has been totally ruining Windows (totally unacceptable how much Win10 spies), and Ubuntu et al are as unusable as always. Also, the "Apple hardware tax" matters less now than ever before. It used to be a big deal that non-Apple PCs had cheaper parts and could be upgraded, but now, it's rare that you'll need the state of the art tech. Last year's parts usually do the job fine, and parts aren't improving as quickly as they used to.
Of course, this means that a 2015 rMBP might be fine for a while. I still primarily use an '08 Mac Pro as my workstation... worked 4 years ago, still works today of course. I guess programmers ran out of ways to make their stuff less efficient, so no new software is overburdening it.
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Dont want to be accused of being a 'parrot' again but read the flippin' post why don't ya-
http://www.wired.com/2012/06/opinion-apple-retina-displa/amp/?client=safari
SteveJobs said, “Our pro customers want accessibility: […] to add memory, to add cards, to add drives.” That’s part of what I love about my MacBook Pro. I’ve upgraded my RAM, and I even replacedmy optical drive with an 80GB SSD.
We have to draw the line in the sand when we know the P**S is being taken by APPLE.
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Maybe somebody's already made this point, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually reached the point with robotics/automation where replacing is simply cheaper for Apple than repairing. That would certainly support their recent trend toward soldering everything down... I mean, the thinness obsessions is the primary factor, but ease of replacement over repair could be significant as well...
The thing is, no one I know who owns an MacBook really care much about upgradability. Because its rather high second hand value you could buy a new machine, and when needed sell the old and buy a newer or better speced.
Big businesses don't upgrade by switching components, but buy new today. And most everyday consumers are commonly satisfied with what they have. However there are still some who run small or one-man businesses, and tinkerers who have the will and competence to upgrade themselves. These are the ones who have drawn the line in the sand, several times, but are always overrun to the extent that that line is not visible anymore by the former group.
Although a very vocal minority (especially on macrumors and similar forums), this group are fading away in Apple's numbers. They either adapt or move away. Mostly they adapt, because the alternative have lots of issues they still don't manage to solve. The strength this group holds have been in their knowledge, and both businesses and casual consumers do look to them for advice. They are able to persuade others what they need despite being a minority, but now computers being ubiquitous and used by basically everyone, the advice is usually the one who just works without tinkering.
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It is foremost the ease of production. Soldering is automated, it has to be, and it doesn't matter how many components because it's much faster than a human inserting components. So more soldering is less expensive.
As well as it is more reliable, so the boards will have fewer failures in production.
The repair costs are also down as soldering are more reliable in the long run, even though connectors and socket design have become better. It is of course easy to just switch everything in a repair situation, but I believe the total component cost of the board don't make this a primary factor.
"thing is, no one I know who owns an MacBook really care much about upgradability."
There is a huge market for SSD updrades please look at amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00O...amsung+ssd&dpPl=1&dpID=41fw65-8tpL&ref=plSrch
nearly 13,000 reviews just for Samsung
and the MacBook Pro threads
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ssd-buying-guide.1177020/page-121
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ssd-buying-guide-part-2.1898945/
143 pages in total x 25 posts each page 3575 posts over 1980 days 1.81 posts per day every day, is not insignificant.
.....
So if your logic board fails as our iMac did and the original perfect SSD was reused, how does this formulae work-
A Logic board failure
My experience with 2015 iMac
Logic board + reused SSD = just the cost of logic board (£600 for imac)
Your formulae
Logic board + NEW SSD = Cost of Logic board (£600) plus SSD (say £400)
How is "The repair costs are also down" with above example?
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I know some people upgrade their laptops, but those figures from amazon encompasses all kinds of laptops, not just Macs. It had a traction the last few years because of the "SSD revolution" (Spindle mechanics HD to SSD), which now is largely over. About the macrumors forum threads and numbers, consider that Apple sells around 15-20 million Macs each year.
If there would suddenly emerge a new super fast and cost effective storage technology within the next 2-3 years, it will hamper the value of second hand 2016 Macs. But for now no indication exists for any such leaps.
You have to see the figure as a whole, which is what is interesting for Apple. Higher reliability means fewer repairs, and therefore not just the bill of material but also labor costs go down. Also for the the logic board component cost, Apple pays much less than 400 pounds for production for onboard SSD. Now it is difficult to know what a large customer such as Apple actually pays for SSD chips, but there is no added enclosure or controller cost – just the chips. For a 256GB SSD on the board (which most likely together with the 128GB be the most popular laptops bought) I doubt the added cost would be more than around 150 USD (or 120 GBP), probably much less as Apple buys in such enormous quantities.
Apple does not release how many laptops are returned for repair, as does not most manufacturers, and the 2016 MacBook Pro is so new that figures wouldn't be interesting anyway. But say (by using your logic board price example) that a logic board without SSD costs USD 750 and with one costs USD 900, and 10% who bought a Mac last year needs a warranty repair with new board. That would be around 1,5 million or USD 1125 million. If you are able to lower the figure down to 1,25 million repairs (or down from 10% to 8,3% repairs) you break even on just component costs. Consider that also labor cost goes down, the figure looks even better.
Yes, I'm aware of his "vision" -- yet we can see plenty of evidence that he still acknowledged the value of making a computer possible to open and service, AND an acknowledgement that if you bought a "tower" configuration of a Mac, you wanted the ability to expand things in it after the initial sale.
I'd say most companies discourage users who open things up to tinker with them. But all SJ did along those lines, really, was discouraging the tinkering by making it tricky to open the machines up without proper tools or knowledge of "secret tricks" to getting things open. The less clever PC clone market usually resorted to stickers placed over screws or between the inner and outer part of a case, claiming the warranty was void if the sticker was damaged or torn.
The complaint I have with the latest products is the truly non-serviceable design, where components are soldered on or the items are permanently glued shut (like the Apple Pencil), so if you've opened it up, you've almost definitely destroyed it in the process.
I'd say most companies discourage users who open things up to tinker with them. But all SJ did along those lines, really, was discouraging the tinkering by making it tricky to open the machines up without proper tools or knowledge of "secret tricks" to getting things open. The less clever PC clone market usually resorted to stickers placed over screws or between the inner and outer part of a case, claiming the warranty was void if the sticker was damaged or torn.
The complaint I have with the latest products is the truly non-serviceable design, where components are soldered on or the items are permanently glued shut (like the Apple Pencil), so if you've opened it up, you've almost definitely destroyed it in the process.
I certainly hope you are a Sales Man because if you are not - you shoul be.
Unfortunately, I'm NOT sold.
I think we will have to agree to most certainly disagree.
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This has nothing to do with it.
The issue is that the machine will need a restore for any issue. Depending on the size of your data pool, it'll take time.
Plus, if you're in the field, you're SOL. Better have a back-up WHOLE MACHINE that is being mirrored constantly somehow.
This is just as stupid as losing the headphone jack, probably worse.
It has everything to do with it. Data security at rest and portability of that data are both valid concerns. Not sure where you're coming from.
You are right, I misread your post. You presented yet another reason why the SSD soldering is a bad idea.
My apologies for the confusion.
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Yep, that is a 2012 article.
The author effectively predicted why many of us are in an uproar now. Funny thing is, I felt this type of pain back then, when the 17" died.
I knew Apple was going to go this route.
I actually argued against the Retina MBPs back then, for the same reason the author does, and got flamed A LOT.
My final argument was: "Just wait and see. In the future, Apple will remove something you will miss"
Haha, they proved me right in the biggest of ways, all in one shot:
No MagSafe, no glowing logo, no chime(!!), no HD upgrade, no RAM upgrade, no (currently commonly compatible) ports, no SD Card slot (which is actually an expansion slot), no HDMI, and no full-travel keyboard. Oh, and it costs $200-$500 more.
That machine is a slap in the face of every long-time Apple fan. But hey, where else are you going to run macOS (without hacks, that is)?
So again, wait until they go all-ARM, remove Windows capability, kill the Mac Pro, and solder-up the SSDs on the Mac Mini and the iMacs. Buy up that AppleCare, you'll definitely need it! (I never needed AppleCare for any Mac I owned, from 2001 until 2012)
The band-aid will have to be ripped sooner or later folks.
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You are right, I misread your post. You presented yet another reason why the SSD soldering is a bad idea.
My apologies for the confusion.
[doublepost=1480570877][/doublepost]
Yep, that is a 2012 article.
The author effectively predicted why many of us are in an uproar now. Funny thing is, I felt this type of pain back then, when the 17" died.
I knew Apple was going to go this route.
I actually argued against the Retina MBPs back then, for the same reason the author does, and got flamed A LOT.
My final argument was: "Just wait and see. In the future, Apple will remove something you will miss"
Haha, they proved me right in the biggest of ways, all in one shot:
No MagSafe, no glowing logo, no chime(!!), no HD upgrade, no RAM upgrade, no (currently commonly compatible) ports, no SD Card slot (which is actually an expansion slot), no HDMI, and no full-travel keyboard. Oh, and it costs $200-$500 more.
That machine is a slap in the face of every long-time Apple fan. But hey, where else are you going to run macOS (without hacks, that is)?
So again, wait until they go all-ARM, remove Windows capability, kill the Mac Pro, and solder-up the SSDs on the Mac Mini and the iMacs. Buy up that AppleCare, you'll definitely need it! (I never needed AppleCare for any Mac I owned, from 2001 until 2012)
The band-aid will have to be ripped sooner or later folks.
Hi
Thanks for your reply, and your insight.
I think apple should put their money where their mouth is and extend apple care to 5 years. Or at least give folks this option for a reasonable cost.
Three years is just not long enough for say a logic board to go after 37 months and having to bin the machine, not at these $2000+ prices.
Any idea on FileVault? If it bypasses FileVault without the need of a password, then it can be reversed engineered right? How is that secure anymore?
