I can't do it -- Spend $2000+ on a laptop that can never be upgraded

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

I keep hearing that OWC will come to save the day. Touch that "stock" drive in your pricey machine and the warranty is dead.

If you can put it in you can take it out.

What about RAM dying after the 13th month? If no AppleCare that's a complete motherboard change. May as well chuck your Mac into a dumpster.

Extremely unlikely as they'll be soldered in (a more reliable connection). I think Apple offers flat rate repairs (trying to find out specifics on this) but even then, it wouldn't be a machine is trash moment by a long shot in your example of 13 months.

That said, I wouldn't order a machine like this without AppleCare. If you keep it in mind it can be quite easy to get your money's worth out of it. At least if you use the laptop very heavily.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

Dude...what would you upgrade? It's a laptop. You can only upgrade the hard drive and ram.

It's got 8 gigs of ram. and its got and SSD (which will be upgradeable through third-parties soon).

You get a super fast USB 3.0 for large files which should be fast enough.

You can't upgrade the CPU and GPU. What are you complaining about when it comes to upgrading. Get a desktop if you want to upgrade.

 

[bniu]

I rarely create threads but this is very frustrating. I was all ready to sell one of my iMacs and buy one of these beautiful rMBP laptops. The specs are impressive and everything I've read says the screen is phenomenal. Apple has pushed display tech to unthought of heights in just a few short years. They create new markets for products once thought too costly to ever be mass produced. Apple takes risks and pushes the boundaries of what most could only imagine is possible with product form and targeted functionality for the masses.

It took me awhile to accept my 11" MBA's RAM could never be upgraded but at least I could buy an insanely expensive 3rd party SSD stick upgrade if I chose to do so. And let's face it the 11" MBA is insanely compact and trade offs must be made.

After reviewing the iFixit teardown of the "New" rMBP I was very surprised to see there is absolutely NO ability to upgrade anything.

I want to consider this machine but NO upgrades at ALL? Really? Spending $800 on a small specialty unit like the MBA or "NEW" iPad is one thing but dropping more than $2000 with no ability to easily replace a broken / dead drive or add an additional drive is just too much for me to accept.

I'd be fine if I believed this was just another option for those who desire such an advanced piece of technology from a premiere design studio but I fear this is just the beginning of the end of upgradability for Apple computers. Not even a RAM upgrade is possible.

I thought the end of the Jobs era might have meant the rise of a new openness where choice for Mac fans was embraced. I now know such thoughts were naive and foolish dreams replaced by the harsh rigid control mocked in the famous 1984 ad. Dressed up in spectacular glass and metal accoutrements the NEW rMBP is as rigid and unyielding as any piece of hardware I've ever worked with.

I suppose the consumerisation of Apple computers is now complete because certainly the current upgradable 13/15 models are probably the last relatively open Apple laptops we'll see.

Surely I can't be alone in thinking this...

Cheers,

Do what you want with your money. I'm jumping in on the near $4000 high end one whenever I get the funds for it. Don't really care about upgradeability. Sure, it was nice to upgrade my Sandy Bridge 2011 17" MBP, but it's not like the retina MBP has a 5400 rpm drive soldered to it. Only slight concern I might have is there's no ability to go to 32GB ram, but that's not a huge deal...Thunderbolt has enough accessories to serve my needs. I like my laptop to just work fast from day 1 and not have to require me to put in upgrades myself to make it work faster...

 

[Necrotique]

You're not, but the masses here drink the Kool-Aid so let me point out your flaw: You were 'thinking' and that's is considered poor taste.

I posted a thread and replied to many others with the same thoughts as you but was drowned out by the howling of the fanboys.

I think Apple is a greedy, selfish company with the RMBP:

-Your RMBP cannot grow with you as a user. If you want more memory or a larger SSD later you are just out of luck.

-Putting memory on the LogicBoard was strictly a dick move by them. It serves no 'design' or 'engineering' purpose. They would fit perfectly in the current design.

-"WAIT! Apple redesigned the SSD to bring harmony to the planet!" Well, Apple DID redesign the SSD interface so they could lock others out of it. Way to go Apple!

-"WAIT! You can't fit SO-DIMMs and a normal SSD in the RMBP!!" - See my thread where I give you dimensions of each. They would fit.

-1440 x 900 may look great but it is still 1440 x 900. I'm barely happy with 1680 x 1050. "WAIT!! You can scale it out of 1440 x 900!" Yep, with a performance hit.


Sorry, I still think this is a bad upgrade deal from Apple...


-P

I agree with you and OP wholeheartedly on this mate. It's disgusting, like I pointed out in my thread (https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=15037410&posted=1#post15037410)

The fact that no-one sees something wrong with a computer that now has essentially compulsory 3-year applecare is beyond me.

Maybe in the beginning nice, thinking people bought Apple products, but now, as the world fills with them, as well as this forum, more and more muppets buy the products. Muppets with money who down-vote to justify their fallacious waste of money.

 

[thekev]

-Your RMBP cannot grow with you as a user. If you want more memory or a larger SSD later you are just out of luck.

-Putting memory on the LogicBoard was strictly a dick move by them. It serves no 'design' or 'engineering' purpose. They would fit perfectly in the current design.

The things that irritate me with the design are that the max ram configurable is still beneath the capability of the chipset, and the drive and battery are sealed in. Beyond that it annoys me that this will inflate the cost of repairs to an unreasonable level. I don't think the soldered memory was to force upgrade fees. They didn't want to bother making it accessible. It's easier for them to offer fewer configurations. Do what I will do. Don't buy the machine. If people don't buy into these limitations, they'll make adjustments with a future product generation.

 

[monkeybagel]

I missed this thread and posted something about the same thing. I completely agree. It appears that the ones that dropped the $2000+ on the computer is not open for discussion on this and are becoming offended, rather than having a mature discussion on the topic. But after being in the forum for a while and also being a Macintosh user (although not exclusively) since 2006, I have unfortunately learned to expect this from the "community." It seems many cannot have an intelligent discussion regarding Apple products without getting personal. Sad.

 

[luked14]

I'm sure that if MacRumors had existed in 1984, some Apple II users would be creating threads to complain about the same things in the original Macintosh.

 

[monkeybagel]

I'm sure that if MacRumors had existed in 1984, some Apple II users would be creating threads to complain about the same things in the original Macintosh.

I'm sure. It took the GUI a while to get traction on x86 or Macintosh platform.

 

[maratus]

I dont really see a problem with this except for the fact that you can't get the base model with a bigger SSD. Otherwise just max out the ram (or not, 8 gigs is still a ton) and sell it in a few years if you feel the need to upgrade. I don't see the resale value falling much in 2-3 years.

Actually, the base model with 512Gb SSD would be only 100$ cheaper than 2.6Ghz model.

 

[mobiousblack]

I get the arguments from both sides, but each person knows what he or she wants. Doesn't make it a wrong purchase just because someone else has their reasons against it. That's what the online community has come to, people trying to justify their opinion as being the correct and dominant answer when really there is none. I bought one and I am glad I did so. Just my 0.02.

 

[Born Again]

I rarely create threads but this is very frustrating. I was all ready to sell one of my iMacs and buy one of these beautiful rMBP laptops. The specs are impressive and everything I've read says the screen is phenomenal. Apple has pushed display tech to unthought of heights in just a few short years. They create new markets for products once thought too costly to ever be mass produced. Apple takes risks and pushes the boundaries of what most could only imagine is possible with product form and targeted functionality for the masses.

It took me awhile to accept my 11" MBA's RAM could never be upgraded but at least I could buy an insanely expensive 3rd party SSD stick upgrade if I chose to do so. And let's face it the 11" MBA is insanely compact and trade offs must be made.

After reviewing the iFixit teardown of the "New" rMBP I was very surprised to see there is absolutely NO ability to upgrade anything.

I want to consider this machine but NO upgrades at ALL? Really? Spending $800 on a small specialty unit like the MBA or "NEW" iPad is one thing but dropping more than $2000 with no ability to easily replace a broken / dead drive or add an additional drive is just too much for me to accept.

I'd be fine if I believed this was just another option for those who desire such an advanced piece of technology from a premiere design studio but I fear this is just the beginning of the end of upgradability for Apple computers. Not even a RAM upgrade is possible.

I thought the end of the Jobs era might have meant the rise of a new openness where choice for Mac fans was embraced. I now know such thoughts were naive and foolish dreams replaced by the harsh rigid control mocked in the famous 1984 ad. Dressed up in spectacular glass and metal accoutrements the NEW rMBP is as rigid and unyielding as any piece of hardware I've ever worked with.

I suppose the consumerisation of Apple computers is now complete because certainly the current upgradable 13/15 models are probably the last relatively open Apple laptops we'll see.

Surely I can't be alone in thinking this...

Cheers,

If u read the Steve jobs book you'd know he didn't want any upgradability. He wanted a closed system

 

[henry72]

Unfortunately for you, this is the future of MacBooks, and I can see the coming Macs (Including iMacs I guess) are going to be like this which means non-upgradable.

----------

Dude...what would you upgrade? It's a laptop. You can only upgrade the hard drive and ram.

It's got 8 gigs of ram. and its got and SSD (which will be upgradeable through third-parties soon).

You get a super fast USB 3.0 for large files which should be fast enough.

You can't upgrade the CPU and GPU. What are you complaining about when it comes to upgrading. Get a desktop if you want to upgrade.

Agreed!

 

[Queen6]

I'd be fine if I believed this was just another option for those who desire such an advanced piece of technology from a premiere design studio but I fear this is just the beginning of the end of upgradability for Apple computers. Not even a RAM upgrade is possible.

I thought the end of the Jobs era might have meant the rise of a new openness where choice for Mac fans was embraced. I now know such thoughts were naive and foolish dreams replaced by the harsh rigid control mocked in the famous 1984 ad. Dressed up in spectacular glass and metal accoutrements the NEW rMBP is as rigid and unyielding as any piece of hardware I've ever worked with.

It`s likely to be only the start for Mac, Steve Jobs never wanted the user to have control, over any Apple product, and nor will the present line of management or Steve would never placed them. Technology dictated that the Mac was the last in the line; iPod, iPhone & iPad and now the R-MBP we are here now, 1984 if you will. The user gets the best possible experience Apple can offer, however in acceptance of a closed system.

To all intents and purposes the R-MBP is Steve Jobs signature piece; R-MBP is the Mac he always want to build, Keynotes, the book it`s all there...

"I've always wanted to own and control the primary technology in everything we do."

Steve Jobs 1955- 2011

 

[Sparticu$]

I bought my Mac because I liked the feel and look of Apple products not because I wanted an upgradeable laptop.

 

[monkeybagel]

I bought my Mac because I liked the feel and look of Apple products not because I wanted an upgradeable laptop.

How long do you intend on keeping it?

 

[fizzwinkus]

I know I intend on keeping mine until there's a new laptop that sparks my fancy.

These past 20 years, I've never upgraded a laptop except right when I bought it. By the time I might consider an upgrade, it's time for a new one anyway

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

I have a feeling that the iMac will go down the same same route.

 

[markusberger]

How many of u noticed that new application on Mountain Lion "Power Nap" is only available for Macbook Air 2011 and Macbook Pro Retina...

Typically Apple - force people to switch hardware just to enjoy a software feature that would work fine on older hardware as well ... just like Siri on Iphone 4 / 4s

 

[revelated]

Dude...what would you upgrade? It's a laptop. You can only upgrade the hard drive and ram.

It's got 8 gigs of ram. and its got and SSD (which will be upgradeable through third-parties soon).

You get a super fast USB 3.0 for large files which should be fast enough.

You can't upgrade the CPU and GPU. What are you complaining about when it comes to upgrading. Get a desktop if you want to upgrade.

...unbelievable. Apple's power over the minions. It's really shocking.

Are so many people so delusional? That you'd willingly give up money, and privacy, and security because Apple says it's right?

The upgrade argument is one, but what about BASIC triage?

I keep my 17" 2011 Pro because, if my drive (which is a personally installed Samsung SSD) ever dies, or is just inaccessible from the Pro, guess what? I can attach it to the iMac, get my personal stuff off of it, and transfer it to a new SSD which I can then install and I'm back up and running.

If the iMac dies, I'm pretty much out of luck because I have to take the whole thing into Apple unless I want to deal with magnets and glass suctions and all that. I really don't. Thus why the important stuff resides externally.

The Air serves primarily one purpose: to be what the iPad should have been: a light, portable, yet FULL feature RICH Mac OS experience. But the same problem exists, if the Air dies I have to take it in.

It is 50 steps backward to not allow a user to replace or fix their own drive.

 

[Donka]

As well as emergency triage, there is also the options of choice and cost.
Having a MBP you can upgrade means I can decide which SSD is inside - not all SSD drives are made equal after all. That is my choice.
As for cost, I can buy the base model and upgrade it to or beyond the top end model at less cost while still choosing which brands of RAM & SSD to use. I like to get value for money and being upgradeable affords me that.

 

[stylinexpat]

Apple is basically making their new Laptop computers just like their iPhones and iPads which is with built in/on parts that can not be replaced by the end user

End users can buy new SSD's with 5 year warranty and new RAM with lifetime Warranty but have to settle with the 1 year warranty that Apple provides them with now (Of course you could fork out extra cash for a longer warranty)

We get a premium item that comes with a premium price which offers a non-premium warranty and non=premium options for the end user.

 

[Donka]

Apple is basically making their new Laptop computers just like their iPhones and iPads which is with built in/on parts that can not be replaced by the end user

End users can buy new SSD's with 5 year warranty and new RAM with lifetime Warranty but have to settle with the 1 year warranty that Apple provides them with now (Of course you could fork out extra cash for a longer warranty)

We get a premium item that comes with a premium price which offers a non-premium warranty and non=premium options for the end user.

Can't argue with that.

 

[Slivortal]

I agree with you both to a point, however, as I muse in my 5th paragraph... I'm afraid after this revision there won't be an upgradable option offered. Now I'll be pleasantly surprised if I'm wrong.



Indeed I own an iPad but my phone is an Android. I prefer the freedom to add memory and access files directly just by accessing the SDcard as a drive mounted on my Mac or PC. I had a Motorola Xoom after owning an iPad 1 before I replaced it with the "NEW" iPad. I'm willing to forgo some flexibility for stability and performance if that's what it takes. However, a powerful computer is not an iPad or phone.

You made some interesting points regarding the real cost of the machine, however, since I already have a 256GB SSD and a bunch of 8GB ram modules upgrading a new machine to my taste wouldn't cost me anything.

All I'm saying is I prefer more choice and I fear post Jobs Apple might actually usher in a new era of closed systems in the name of conformity and usability with the only creativity and flexibility reserved for the software.

Alas this may be the way of the future but I don't have to like it. ...and I bet there are more folks out there that agree than Apple realizes.

Cheers,

If you know anything about Jobs-Apple, this is the EXACT sort of system Jobs would have approved of. On the original Apple computers, the only reason they had any sort of user customization was due to Wozniak's insistence to do so. Jobs practically invented the "walled garden" concept.

You can make a lot of potential complaints about the new MBP, but neither price nor upgradability are any of them.

 

[ozbimmer]

Not sure what all these fuss are about. Last time I check Apple is still offering upgradable MBPs.

 

[corvus32]

If you know anything about Jobs-Apple, this is the EXACT sort of system Jobs would have approved of. On the original Apple computers, the only reason they had any sort of user customization was due to Wozniak's insistence to do so. Jobs practically invented the "walled garden" concept.

You can make a lot of potential complaints about the new MBP, but neither price nor upgradability are any of them.

Good point. The first thing Jobs did when he came back to Apple was kill the floppy drive, serial port, and SCSI with the iMac. All of those were past their prime technologies.

He attempt to kill off the floppy while at NeXT, but the magneto-optical discs he replaced them with cost around $100 each if I remember.