Did Apple Just Shoot themselves in the Foot?

[reco2011]

Unfortunately LPDDR3 RAM doesn't come in a DIMM style package and is only sold as FBGA, UFBGA, VFBGA, and WFBGA packages so there is no 3rd party that is applicable to this application

Irrelevant to the discussion.

 

[skottichan]

I'm amused by the mantra "how does that help the average user!?" when it comes to the LPDDR RAM, then completely miss that the average user doesn't upgrade internals. They use the machine for 5-7 years then buy a new one when the old one can no longer run as fast as it used to.

The people griping the most are the legendary "prosumer", and what kills me, you are all the ones who WILL benefit by the wider bandwidth offered by the LPDDR3.

 

[reco2011]

I'm amused by the mantra "how does that help the average user!?" when it comes to the LPDDR RAM, then completely miss that the average user doesn't upgrade internals. They use the machine for 5-7 years then buy a new one when the old one can no longer run as fast as it used to.

The people griping the most are the legendary "prosumer", and what kills me, you are all the ones who WILL benefit by the wider bandwidth offered by the LPDDR3.

IMP more people benefit from upgrading RAM than they do from increased memory bandwidth. One of those benefits is higher resale value as a base system can be upgraded and therefore more useful to a second or third owner.

 

[S.B.G]

While all RAM is third-party, using the non-Apple selected third-party puts the onus on the owner for potential issues with defective RAM and not on Apple, I still think that saving a few bucks and doing it myself outweighs the risks. Even at that, if the RAM is bad, all you have to do is replace it since, generally speaking, bad RAM isn't going to destroy the rest of the computer.

I have an old C2D 24" iMac that I put my own RAM in, bumping it up to 6GB max, and a 2010 i7 27" iMac that I put my own RAM in, bumping it to its max of 16GB. I also have a 2010 cMBP with my own RAM, 16GB in it too.

All three Mac's have been running just fine over the years and I've never had any RAM-related problems. With that said, the reliability of RAM these day's is quite good and I'd rather use my own, where I can, and save some money over the Apple marked-up RAM.

 

[brentsg]

I'm amused by the mantra "how does that help the average user!?" when it comes to the LPDDR RAM, then completely miss that the average user doesn't upgrade internals. They use the machine for 5-7 years then buy a new one when the old one can no longer run as fast as it used to.

The people griping the most are the legendary "prosumer", and what kills me, you are all the ones who WILL benefit by the wider bandwidth offered by the LPDDR3.

Not to mention that there are 2 primary arguments going on around the new Mini. First off, people are upset that they can't get 4 CPU cores. Second, when complaining about RAM, they aren't going to benefit from LPDDR RAM b/c everyone's just using the web and reading e-mail.

Well which is it, do people need more CPU.. or are they just playing on the internet?

 

[MacVidCards]

IMP more people benefit from upgrading RAM than they do from increased memory bandwidth. One of those benefits is higher resale value as a base system can be upgraded and therefore more useful to a second or third owner.

BINGO !

I was just thinking this. People look for an un-upgraded Mini on Ebay knowing what can be done with it. They bid it higher as a result. I have been looking for a certain combo of CPU/RAM/and WIFi card for some testing I need to do, I have educated myself on what is best combo for my needs (i.e., basic system I can get for less but upgrade easily for my specific needs)

Long term these "locked down" Minis will command fewer dollars and the sellers will have fewer dollars to buy whatever they are replacing it with.

 

[crazzapple]

The people griping the most are the legendary "prosumer", and what kills me, you are all the ones who WILL benefit by the wider bandwidth offered by the LPDDR3.

Only reason I'm still using my 2008 macbook is that I was able to upgrade it twice from 2GB -> 4GB -> 8GB of ram, plus an SSD. Would've been useless years ago with apple's new "green" throw-away model.

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IMP more people benefit from upgrading RAM than they do from increased memory bandwidth. One of those benefits is higher resale value as a base system can be upgraded and therefore more useful to a second or third owner.

Yep, this is the end of much of the high resale macs have. The 4GB machine you buy today is going to be nearly unusable in a 3 years. Just look what they did to the ipads with ios 8.

 

[reco2011]

BINGO !

I was just thinking this. People look for an un-upgraded Mini on Ebay knowing what can be done with it. They bid it higher as a result. I have been looking for a certain combo of CPU/RAM/and WIFi card for some testing I need to do, I have educated myself on what is best combo for my needs (i.e., basic system I can get for less but upgrade easily for my specific needs)

Long term these "locked down" Minis will command fewer dollars and the sellers will have fewer dollars to buy whatever they are replacing it with.

As a frequent buyer of used Mac equipment I won't even consider a MBA which is configured with 2GB of RAM (or possibly the 64GB SSD even though, technically, it can be upgraded) unless it's a really, really discounted price.

 

[gregorsamsa]

Yep, this is the end of much of the high resale macs have. The 4GB machine you buy today is going to be nearly unusable in a 3 years. Just look what they did to the ipads with ios 8.

Probably so for the low-end Mini which is poor for all but less demanding users (for eg. only 4 GBs RAM is ridiculous in this age), but the mid-priced Mini should still fare okay in holding up its value for years to come.

That said, when the time comes to replace my 2011 Mini with HD 6630M video, I'll seriously consider a refurb instead of the newer Minis. That should see me okay for at least another few years after my current Mini.