Really its not that hard. I installed my own ssd in my mid 2010 iMac... last generation had THE EXACT SAME HDD TEMP SENSOR BS. All you have to do is unplug the sensor AND the specific HDD fan... the other fans will continue to operate normally, and I've had it like this for months so no, heating is never an issue.
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Apple Restricts Hard Drive Replacements on New iMacs
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Except now it sounds like it fails apple hardware tests and thus does not boot. IF it does, I don't get the fuss then.
Not that I agree with Apple doing this, but how many of you who are saying "I'll never buy an iMac again!" or "I'm going to build a Hackintosh!"...
A) ...said the same thing when Apple introduced the first iMac that required suction cup aided removal of the display glass to upgrade/replace anything aside from RAM.
B) ...have ever even considered buying a pair of suction cups and replacing a post-2008 iMac HDD on your own?
C) Both.
Next question: If you've replaced the HDD in a post-2008 iMac, how much of a pain was it to get that glass back on without catching 1,000 specks of dust under it?
A) ...said the same thing when Apple introduced the first iMac that required suction cup aided removal of the display glass to upgrade/replace anything aside from RAM.
B) ...have ever even considered buying a pair of suction cups and replacing a post-2008 iMac HDD on your own?
C) Both.
Next question: If you've replaced the HDD in a post-2008 iMac, how much of a pain was it to get that glass back on without catching 1,000 specks of dust under it?
It has been stated that this is an issue with the new 2011 iMac changes.
The successes with the earlier iMacs is not in question.
OWC has stated that they will provide more information on how the SSD models get around the fan issue when their SSD iMac is shipped.
Looks like the late 2009/early 2010 i7 iMacs were the steal! I'm all the happier to have an iMac with a Mini DisplayPort (not thunderbolt) that I can hook up to my gaming rig and a HDD cable that didn't freak out when I installed a larger drive. The optical drive did, but, well... I guess SMC fan control is going to be even more popular. XP
Kira
You can do that ith thunderbolt. It's in the manual, it is a mini display port.
This is very much the truth of this matter. Most techs (myself included) do not like servicing iMacs in any way because you have to alter too many expensive parts just to make a fix like a HD swap. Apple should financially back this decision by pricing the "hard drive replacement service" at a reasonable level and making it publicly known. This would shut everyone up.
Remember when the Macbook Air came out - and they promised a $99 battery replacement cost? This solved the issue and the complaints. Hell a new apple batter for any other Apple laptop is over $100. !!
the links have been provided numerous times... sorry that none of us want to go through and repost them everytime we have to tell someone that this is a false report. Anyways I'll go ahead and repost the links for you here...
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No one is calling anyone a fool.
The links provided are discussing adding an SSD drive along with upgrading the existing HD in some instances.
Apparently they are still having noise issues (fans perhaps?) and speed issues.
I do not see anything in the links provided indicating that a straight HD swap is issue free.
OWC Grant has addressed some of the alleged solutions in the comments section here
and pointed out that
Before we all declare this a non-issue by "Apple Haters" I suggest we determine the reality first.
Apple has a track record of proprietary BS to its credit.
This is BS. Just another example of pure Apple and Steve Jobs greed. They have to be the greediest corporation ever.
The only way they get away with it is because the army of fanboys will buy anything Apple puts out. If Jobs took a dump in a box and marked it iCrap, he could sell 10 million units to the fanboys for $499 each.
The only way they get away with it is because the army of fanboys will buy anything Apple puts out. If Jobs took a dump in a box and marked it iCrap, he could sell 10 million units to the fanboys for $499 each.
Jesus christ... have you been reading the thread? Didn't think so, yes someone did say I was a fool I can go ahead and go back to quote it if you want. The post i quoted is just a repost from earlier, hence why I quoted myself. Sorry I'm not going to retype it for you, do your own research I really don't care anymore if people want to believe 1 article from OWC or multiple accounts of upgrading the drive
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1151632/
here is a thread where he installed an ssd and a 2tb wd caviar black and has no AHT fails nor fans spinning at full speed, which the article claims he will get. He even provides a picture to prove to you that his fans are not spinning fast. There are other links to people upgrading to 3tb hdds, etc. i'm not going to go back through 600 posts to find them for you though. Not my problem if you want more proof go find it yourself.
Or just be a drone and bash apple because everything you read on the internet is 100% fact!
here is another debunking the barracuda 3 tb doesn't work
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/12561979/
still want to keep downranking me because you don't want to believe information right in front of your eyes? lmao
Perrigrenes, the one you think is having "noise and speed" issues, has posted this https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/12560138/
showing he has no AHT failures, doesn't have fan speed problems. He is complaining about the benchmarks of the ssd not being as fast as advertised. This has absolutely nothing to do with the article here and is not the fault of apple using some "proprietary connector"
Also maxinc has posted several links here to people doing it successfully, and he has done it himself with no problems. If you don't want to believe me go ask him...
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Serviceability is exactly what the article is about. If like-for-like components are not available to the consumer, they are more reliant upon Apple for service. The HDD is a particularly high concern since mechanical drives are more prone to failure then solid state components.
The cost of Apple to replace the HDD is relevant because if they offer reasonable repair rate, serviceability is a non-issue. However if the rates are excessive, this should be considered by consumer into the TCO of an iMac.
Now who is jumping to conclusions about reading?
The quote from Rodimus Prime suggested that you should read the posts as well "before you make yourself look like a fool."
There is a distinction.
I am far from an Apple Basher but facts are facts and Apple has a track record of Proprietary BS! I suggest you read the MacBook Air SuperDrive Accessory Needs High-Power USB Port if you doubt this fact.
So you would have serviced the drive on a 2010 iMac yourself? You understand that this requires taking the screen out of the iMac and that you need to have a very clean, dust free environment right?
Not to mention the numerous other problems you may also have trying to replace a drive on the older iMac's.... apple has never classified the iMac HDD as being user replaceable/serviceable.
No I would not have. As I said this is an issue best left to Apple, assuming that their rates are reasonable post warranty. All I am asking is what is the cost for repair?
(Actually that's not true, I would open it up and make any needed software mods to make it work
. I am particularly interesting in adding an SSD down the road. But speaking for general users, they should not attempt it)
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yeah he was claiming i didn't read and was making myself look like a fool. If you continue reading he didn't believe that the person upgrading the hdd was using the latest iMac models... it was proven that in fact it was the latest iMac model. This argument is pointless regardles... it was part of a previous post that i am not editing so that you will be satisfied. Not sure what point you are trying to make here but rodimus was trying to make me look like an idiot and telling me i was not reading when in fact he was the one not reading the information in the threads linked to. This is over and done with anyways...
being told you "look" like a fool and being called a fool are not so distinct that you even need to be bringing this up... it never involved you get over yourself.
Where did I ever say apple doesn't use proprietary things? I know they do, but this is obviously a blatent lie by OWC... just because you fail to see that don't tell me I need to read, I've been reading this thread for 300+ posts and linking to numerous other threads that I have read top to bottom. It's pretty apparent you didn't, and are just now going back and getting snippets so don't suggest I start reading anything..
Agreed, but people acting like they would have replaced their drives in the 2010 model, but now are terminally screwed are taking things a little overboard. It's pretty apparent that most people in here don't even know whats involved in replacing the hdd in an imac and think that somehow it was much easier in previous generations and now impossible in this generation.
iMac 2011 Drive HDD bay drive swapping
I am currently writing a blog entry myself that will go into greater technical detail. Michael honestly didn't expect or write yesterday's blog with the expectation of it being so widely covered. Pretty exciting, honestly. Being fair, we've been blogging on various aspects of the new iMacs from a first teardown/unboxing just hours after their release last week: <http://blog.macsales.com/?s=imac&x=0&y=0). That in itself lends a little more context to yesterday's complaint about the hard drive bay.
#1 - on the logic board, the connector is proprietary for the SATA port going to the hard drive bay:
http://blog.macsales.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/owc_imac_2011_drive_connector.jpg
It has a SATA DATA port and then a separate, unique power port for the Apple cable going to the HDD bay - different from the standard SATA ports that are present for the optical and SSD bay channels.
One user says he connected a Y-Power cable, not exactly sure how unless cut into the apple cable? Certainly isn't any off the shelf Y-Cable you can just plug in to the power line. Maybe something that splits out the SATA and the Power at the HDD connector end and then a Y-splitter into the power there? If so, lack of space makes that a non-starter in the 21.5" models and still tight in the 27". And is it then shorting the extra thermal lines (more comment on that below..)... anyway... always interested in options and ideas to solve these challenges and hope that user will post photos, etc to further elaborate on the solution.
#2 - the iMac fans are pretty quiet, even revved... but - we've tested a variety of different drives and all with the same result - regardless of which iMac (21.5" or 27" - we tested with all the flavors 2011). No Apple hard drive (disconnected or replaced with an off the shelf drive) and the HDD bay fan speed starts to increase within a few minutes of start up. Doesn't matter whether drive is the start up drive or not. While the control systems (which we left on and running during the drive swap testing) maintained an SMCFan control reported 1099-1105RPM speed, the systems with a non-Apple drive installed had the HDD fan speed rev up.
The fans rev because the system doesn't know the HDD bay temperature, so it goes to the side of caution and kicks up the fans to prevent a heat issue from causing damage, even if no heat issue present. Not unusual or anything new where thermal sensors are present.
#3 - Running Apple AHT with a non-Apple drive installed (or no drive) results in this test failing very shortly after it's start with the fail code indicating a failed thermal sensor. This isn't a huge deal, imho, other than you can not use AHT to diagnose any other system issues as it doesn't let you skip past this first fail point. Effectively it renders AHT unusable and this can be an issue for some folks.
Now.... the iMac fans are pretty quiet even when they rev a little. I'd speculate some who have reported swapping their hard drive may not have noticed the fan change. We have tested with what should be the same Barracuda XT 3.0TB drive one user had reported on and it did rev the fans and cause AHT to fail. The other thought... we are watching these quickly rev to around 2700RPM and then slowly rev up from there. I'd speculate some might assume that fan speed up is because their using the iMac rather than it being related to the issue we've noted.
SMC Fan control is an awesome utility. I've been a user of this utility as well as have widely recommended and endorsed its use. This software got wide use in Mac Pros a few years ago related to a certain video card that had an overheating problem. One should note though, SMC fan control allows you to increase fan speed - it doesn't allow you to slow fans down.
Another user has reported that shorting the extra leads is a solution to the AHT/fan speed issue. That and also connecting up a proper external thermistor is proving out to be a solution. We haven't seen Apple's SSD equipped solution yet (they haven't shipped that config option yet) - but would suspect that the SATA cable to the HDD bay is still there (SSD will likely be in SSD bay) and will have an end cap on it. Now... that cap could have a thermal sensor in it or might simply close the thermal circuit (short). We'd expect the sensor cap as the thermal environment in the HDD bay has affect on other components potentially and you'd think there would be fan speed control still for that bay related to general heat in the area vs. it being only a concern of the hard drive temperature itself. Either way - we are testing solutions which involve the addition of an external thermal sensor. And also designing a relatively simple piece to make this more DIY friendly as well. We do not believe shorting the thermal line is a good idea in general.
More to come... on our blog today.
--
I posted this on another forum earlier today after being emailed... and now aware of this thread and figured post the same here. Normally I would have been on this one earlier too, but really trying to get this blog post done with the tech details.
As an additional note... we're not talking about drive noise - talking about fan speed and impact to Apple AHT with non-stock drive installed. And only in regards to removing or changing out the hard drive installed in the main HDD bay... not anything to do with adding or changing drives to the SSD bay or the optical bay.
Another poster also confirmed the fan speed revving with an off the shelf WD Caviar Black 2TB, but didn't mention anything about running Apple AHT. A comment about using SMC to keep fan speeds at bay was also made, but SMC lets you set a minimum fan speed - not reduce/set a max speed... unless I'm missing something new.
Hope to be posting soon on the blog.
I am currently writing a blog entry myself that will go into greater technical detail. Michael honestly didn't expect or write yesterday's blog with the expectation of it being so widely covered. Pretty exciting, honestly. Being fair, we've been blogging on various aspects of the new iMacs from a first teardown/unboxing just hours after their release last week: <http://blog.macsales.com/?s=imac&x=0&y=0). That in itself lends a little more context to yesterday's complaint about the hard drive bay.
#1 - on the logic board, the connector is proprietary for the SATA port going to the hard drive bay:
http://blog.macsales.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/owc_imac_2011_drive_connector.jpg
It has a SATA DATA port and then a separate, unique power port for the Apple cable going to the HDD bay - different from the standard SATA ports that are present for the optical and SSD bay channels.
One user says he connected a Y-Power cable, not exactly sure how unless cut into the apple cable? Certainly isn't any off the shelf Y-Cable you can just plug in to the power line. Maybe something that splits out the SATA and the Power at the HDD connector end and then a Y-splitter into the power there? If so, lack of space makes that a non-starter in the 21.5" models and still tight in the 27". And is it then shorting the extra thermal lines (more comment on that below..)... anyway... always interested in options and ideas to solve these challenges and hope that user will post photos, etc to further elaborate on the solution.
#2 - the iMac fans are pretty quiet, even revved... but - we've tested a variety of different drives and all with the same result - regardless of which iMac (21.5" or 27" - we tested with all the flavors 2011). No Apple hard drive (disconnected or replaced with an off the shelf drive) and the HDD bay fan speed starts to increase within a few minutes of start up. Doesn't matter whether drive is the start up drive or not. While the control systems (which we left on and running during the drive swap testing) maintained an SMCFan control reported 1099-1105RPM speed, the systems with a non-Apple drive installed had the HDD fan speed rev up.
The fans rev because the system doesn't know the HDD bay temperature, so it goes to the side of caution and kicks up the fans to prevent a heat issue from causing damage, even if no heat issue present. Not unusual or anything new where thermal sensors are present.
#3 - Running Apple AHT with a non-Apple drive installed (or no drive) results in this test failing very shortly after it's start with the fail code indicating a failed thermal sensor. This isn't a huge deal, imho, other than you can not use AHT to diagnose any other system issues as it doesn't let you skip past this first fail point. Effectively it renders AHT unusable and this can be an issue for some folks.
Now.... the iMac fans are pretty quiet even when they rev a little. I'd speculate some who have reported swapping their hard drive may not have noticed the fan change. We have tested with what should be the same Barracuda XT 3.0TB drive one user had reported on and it did rev the fans and cause AHT to fail. The other thought... we are watching these quickly rev to around 2700RPM and then slowly rev up from there. I'd speculate some might assume that fan speed up is because their using the iMac rather than it being related to the issue we've noted.
SMC Fan control is an awesome utility. I've been a user of this utility as well as have widely recommended and endorsed its use. This software got wide use in Mac Pros a few years ago related to a certain video card that had an overheating problem. One should note though, SMC fan control allows you to increase fan speed - it doesn't allow you to slow fans down.
Another user has reported that shorting the extra leads is a solution to the AHT/fan speed issue. That and also connecting up a proper external thermistor is proving out to be a solution. We haven't seen Apple's SSD equipped solution yet (they haven't shipped that config option yet) - but would suspect that the SATA cable to the HDD bay is still there (SSD will likely be in SSD bay) and will have an end cap on it. Now... that cap could have a thermal sensor in it or might simply close the thermal circuit (short). We'd expect the sensor cap as the thermal environment in the HDD bay has affect on other components potentially and you'd think there would be fan speed control still for that bay related to general heat in the area vs. it being only a concern of the hard drive temperature itself. Either way - we are testing solutions which involve the addition of an external thermal sensor. And also designing a relatively simple piece to make this more DIY friendly as well. We do not believe shorting the thermal line is a good idea in general.
More to come... on our blog today.
--
I posted this on another forum earlier today after being emailed... and now aware of this thread and figured post the same here. Normally I would have been on this one earlier too, but really trying to get this blog post done with the tech details.
As an additional note... we're not talking about drive noise - talking about fan speed and impact to Apple AHT with non-stock drive installed. And only in regards to removing or changing out the hard drive installed in the main HDD bay... not anything to do with adding or changing drives to the SSD bay or the optical bay.
Another poster also confirmed the fan speed revving with an off the shelf WD Caviar Black 2TB, but didn't mention anything about running Apple AHT. A comment about using SMC to keep fan speeds at bay was also made, but SMC lets you set a minimum fan speed - not reduce/set a max speed... unless I'm missing something new.
Hope to be posting soon on the blog.
2) Explain people who have replaced the drives and provided proof that their fans are not running at any excessive speed at all?
3) Also curious why there are users who have replaced the drive (even using the barracuda 3tb) and have not failed AHT?
Now I understand that some users are indeed having problems, but not EVERY user is having problems. There are numerous people who have done the upgrade and are experiencing NO problems.
Your article needs to be re-written and re-worded because you guys don't even know if this is a widespread problem, a bug that could be fixed via firmware, intentional work on apple's part, or some other problem. Until you can figure it out edit your post as not to say "Apple Restricts Hard Drive Replacements" because you are causing quite an uproar.
A title along the lines of "Some drives causing inconsistencies with AHT/ fan speeds in new iMacs" would be much more relevant.
3) Also curious why there are users who have replaced the drive (even using the barracuda 3tb) and have not failed AHT?
Now I understand that some users are indeed having problems, but not EVERY user is having problems. There are numerous people who have done the upgrade and are experiencing NO problems.
Your article needs to be re-written and re-worded because you guys don't even know if this is a widespread problem, a bug that could be fixed via firmware, intentional work on apple's part, or some other problem. Until you can figure it out edit your post as not to say "Apple Restricts Hard Drive Replacements" because you are causing quite an uproar.
A title along the lines of "Some drives causing inconsistencies with AHT/ fan speeds in new iMacs" would be much more relevant.
Wow, I smelled FUD the moment I read the initial article, and then I skimmed/read some 575 replies waiting to see when the voice of reason would prevail. It’s getting there... slowly.
First of all, let’s take a look at the internals of the iMac (21.5-inch, mid 2011) care of iFixit. We see that the 3.5” WD Caviar Blue HDD is hooked up using an absolutely normal 15-pin SATA power connector and 7-pin SATA data connector. The Sony Optiarc slimline ODD is connected with a normal 6-pin slimline SATA power and 7-pin data connector. (There’s no SSD in this one, but if there were, we’d find it was connected with the usual 15-pin power and 7-pin data connectors found on most any 2.5” SATA device.) So what the heck is OWC on about? Ah, let’s check the headers on the logic board. There we see three totally normal 7-pin SATA data connectors labeled SATA0, SATA1 and SATA2, and next to each one a connector for power, clearly labeled HDD PWR, SSD PWR and ODD PWR. ODD PWR has 6 pins, which most likely correspond to the six pins at the other end of the cable. When we look at the other two though, SSD PWR sports 4 pins and HDD PWR 7 pins. Now I’m not sure why OWC would ever refer to a logic board header as “standard”, at best they might say “previously used by Apple” or some other manufacturer, but at least they managed to get some aspect of the story right. Now anyone with a simple continuity meter could check that HDD cable and determine what’s what, as OWC should have done. Despite the 15 pins on a standard SATA power connector, there’s only four things connected to them, 5 V, 12 V, GND and pin 11 which is reserved for staggered spinup/activity indication. Pins are ganged together on the connector to support the required current loads, and yes there are a few pins reserved for 3.3 V, but they would not be used by a 3.5” drive. Due to the odd number of pins, it’s quite possible Apple has chosen to connect pin 11. This has, almost without a doubt, no bearing on the fan issue.
Apple has switched from using separate external temperature sensors to using the sensing capability built into the HDD. This represents (potentially) increased reliability and accuracy, and fewer parts, easier assembly and reduced manufacturing costs. All of the mid-2011 iMacs represent significantly improved performance compared to the models released 10 months earlier with no price increases. This cycle that we love so much is the direct result of ever tighter integration. However, it is likely that the fan control portion of the EFI has thus far only been coded to correctly handle temperature data as reported by the small subset of HDDs they specced for inclusion in these machines. Bottom line, if you replace your HDD and the fans don’t run, or run at max all the time, use a readily available software based fan control solution, or tweak your EFI to support your drive. It’s also not out of the question that a user could inadvertently disconnect some other temperature sensor in their iMac whilst tinkering and that’s what is causing their fans to race. Also note that on most iMacs, if you hold down T at boot time to enter FireWire target mode, the EFI cannot access all the necessary temperature data and thus the fans will run at max until you restart the machine.
maxinc, thank you for your continued crusade to enlighten, and for demonstrating that the HDD PWR cable carries both 5V and 12V, however you may be slightly overtaxing the power cable/logic board header by running both your HDD and SSD off of the one connection. You might consider picking up a SSD PWR cable when they become more available down the line. (Genuine Apple replacement SSD cable assemblies for the mid-2010 iMacs can be had for around $19.)
First of all, let’s take a look at the internals of the iMac (21.5-inch, mid 2011) care of iFixit. We see that the 3.5” WD Caviar Blue HDD is hooked up using an absolutely normal 15-pin SATA power connector and 7-pin SATA data connector. The Sony Optiarc slimline ODD is connected with a normal 6-pin slimline SATA power and 7-pin data connector. (There’s no SSD in this one, but if there were, we’d find it was connected with the usual 15-pin power and 7-pin data connectors found on most any 2.5” SATA device.) So what the heck is OWC on about? Ah, let’s check the headers on the logic board. There we see three totally normal 7-pin SATA data connectors labeled SATA0, SATA1 and SATA2, and next to each one a connector for power, clearly labeled HDD PWR, SSD PWR and ODD PWR. ODD PWR has 6 pins, which most likely correspond to the six pins at the other end of the cable. When we look at the other two though, SSD PWR sports 4 pins and HDD PWR 7 pins. Now I’m not sure why OWC would ever refer to a logic board header as “standard”, at best they might say “previously used by Apple” or some other manufacturer, but at least they managed to get some aspect of the story right. Now anyone with a simple continuity meter could check that HDD cable and determine what’s what, as OWC should have done. Despite the 15 pins on a standard SATA power connector, there’s only four things connected to them, 5 V, 12 V, GND and pin 11 which is reserved for staggered spinup/activity indication. Pins are ganged together on the connector to support the required current loads, and yes there are a few pins reserved for 3.3 V, but they would not be used by a 3.5” drive. Due to the odd number of pins, it’s quite possible Apple has chosen to connect pin 11. This has, almost without a doubt, no bearing on the fan issue.
Apple has switched from using separate external temperature sensors to using the sensing capability built into the HDD. This represents (potentially) increased reliability and accuracy, and fewer parts, easier assembly and reduced manufacturing costs. All of the mid-2011 iMacs represent significantly improved performance compared to the models released 10 months earlier with no price increases. This cycle that we love so much is the direct result of ever tighter integration. However, it is likely that the fan control portion of the EFI has thus far only been coded to correctly handle temperature data as reported by the small subset of HDDs they specced for inclusion in these machines. Bottom line, if you replace your HDD and the fans don’t run, or run at max all the time, use a readily available software based fan control solution, or tweak your EFI to support your drive. It’s also not out of the question that a user could inadvertently disconnect some other temperature sensor in their iMac whilst tinkering and that’s what is causing their fans to race. Also note that on most iMacs, if you hold down T at boot time to enter FireWire target mode, the EFI cannot access all the necessary temperature data and thus the fans will run at max until you restart the machine.
maxinc, thank you for your continued crusade to enlighten, and for demonstrating that the HDD PWR cable carries both 5V and 12V, however you may be slightly overtaxing the power cable/logic board header by running both your HDD and SSD off of the one connection. You might consider picking up a SSD PWR cable when they become more available down the line. (Genuine Apple replacement SSD cable assemblies for the mid-2010 iMacs can be had for around $19.)
The obstinacy is equally atrocious, IMO. I've seen no definitive conclusions as of yet as to the cause of OWC's problem. Some have suggested that certain drive firmware is compatible with the new iMacs and others is not. I'd like to hear definitively what the problem is before drawing any long-term conclusions. However, to me, Apple's planned obsolescence is very real even if this particular problem is not. Nothing has changed in terms of their shortened shelf lives as of late (bearing the first Intel machines that were still being sold 3 years ago are already incompatible with Lion not to mention how short the shelf life is on iOS devices for OS upgrades). So the specifics may or may not be moot, but the premise for most of the angst in this thread is not, IMO.
I'm not sure the problem isn't very real for certain brand drives either. Like I said, I want more information. If you cannot comprehend why people would read a front page article and not read 20+ pages first before responding then I think you need to rethink your reasons for responding. You can blame MacRumors for not updating the front page, but then this is called MacRumors not MacNews (or some other journalistic title). I think your own expectations are a bit high flung there. You sound more like you're afraid the Mac market is suddenly going to flush down the toilet and your stock is going to sink because of this article. Get over it.
I personally wouldn't own an iMac, but I have taken my 2008 MBP apart to change its hard drive (not exactly trivial, but not rocket science either).
As for accusing OWC of "fabricating" the story, I would watch myself if I were you. Companies are starting to sue a lot of libel on the Internet and that's a pretty major accusation without proof, IMO that could easily hurt a small business. Just because a couple of brand drives appear to have worked OK doesn't mean there isn't a problem for other brands or that Apple hasn't changed something on purpose to make life more difficult for DIY folk. As I've said, it's still too early, IMO to draw a definitive conclusion based on the limited data I've seen and if OWC is reporting accurately, then they are helping people be aware of a potential pitfall. It is the response that is resoundingly negative and that serves as a warning to Apple that if they continue to ignore their customers desires and just go on Steve's instinct/vision/desire, sooner or later it will bite them in the hind quarter.
Id also like to point out that Microsoft actually does store special code in the firmware of hard drives for Xbox 360s so that they can try to force you to use only their approved and overpriced accessories. This of course does not deter the determined, and it is far more insidious than what is being hinted at here in regards to Apple. Mid 2011 iMacs do not fail to spin up non-stock drives, nor do they prevent a user from booting or running the system off of one. Sometimes, the fan control will stop working or it will fail AHT because the system isnt getting the temperature reporting it expects from the HDD, end of story.
This has to be one of the most elitist replies I've ever seen on here. The guy says not everyone can afford to buy a new Mac every 3 or 4 years and this is what he gets in response.
Heck, I'm not poor, but that doesn't mean I've got nothing better to do with my money than plonk down a couple of thousand every 2-3 years for a speed bump I don't necessarily even need. $2000 buys a lot of toys or a nice vacation.
.[/QUOTE]
You obviously don't spend much time on Apple forums. It was my (perhaps poor) attempt at satire. Every word I wrote is typical of "Mac Fanboys" on this board, Apple Insider, or (especially) Mac Daily News. As a matter of fact, the "because you're poor" remark is VERY typical (In this case it's an exact quote from a user on MDN) of the responses Windows users get when replying to others on messages boards and other forums...
Elitist? Yes, I agree 100%, but this is the attitude of 95% of the "Mac Fans" on these forums. Me? I'm happy to just be a non-fanatical user.
Heck, I'm not poor, but that doesn't mean I've got nothing better to do with my money than plonk down a couple of thousand every 2-3 years for a speed bump I don't necessarily even need. $2000 buys a lot of toys or a nice vacation.
.[/QUOTE]
You obviously don't spend much time on Apple forums. It was my (perhaps poor) attempt at satire. Every word I wrote is typical of "Mac Fanboys" on this board, Apple Insider, or (especially) Mac Daily News. As a matter of fact, the "because you're poor" remark is VERY typical (In this case it's an exact quote from a user on MDN) of the responses Windows users get when replying to others on messages boards and other forums...
Elitist? Yes, I agree 100%, but this is the attitude of 95% of the "Mac Fans" on these forums. Me? I'm happy to just be a non-fanatical user.
Don't worry. You're not the only one. Long story story short, if you replace the HDD in your iMac, it may result in the system fans running hard than is needed. The cable appears to work with off the shelf drives, but will not connect to all of the leads.
Beyond that is a lot of speculation as to exactly why this is happening and what options exist.
If you're honestly worried about this, give the community a few weeks to figure it out before making a purchase.
Also unless you are experienced, do not attempt to replace the drive in an iMac. Even if you understand the process, it's easy to end up with dust under the glass.
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