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iFixit Teardown of New 21.5-Inch 4K iMac Reveals DCI-P3 Display, Empty Solder Pads

Disappointing but not unexpected. Apple has been pushing toward disposable computers for years now, and in the coming years we'll see what fallout this creates as users discover these Macs don't have the longevity of older models.

At least the 2.5" drive is replaceable, with some effort; most upgraders won't bother with the SSD slot anyway as Apple SSDs use proprietary interfaces and are difficult to come by. Replacing the hard drive with a SATA SSD is far more cost effective and for almost all purposes as good as using an Apple SSD.
 
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trifid said:
Isn't that wonderful? Locking down a desktop computer and making it like an iphone so that Apple can profit more :rolleyes: BTW, I hope Apple solders ram on all 2016 iMacs too, since adding ram currently is so difficult!!! I wanna pay $500 for the ram upgrade next year :)
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All LPDDR3 RAM is soldered. There are no LPDDR3 DIMMs, SO-DIMM or otherwise. If you don't want soldered RAM in your iMac, you'll want to spring for a 27" iMac. <shrug>

(FWIW, you'll want the 27" iMac regardless as they have Skylake processors, while the 21.5" iMac is still on Broadwell due to lack of Iris Pro Skylake chips on Intel's part.)
 
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pezkiln said:
Yeah, I doubt anyone cares whether you trust them or not.
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Well, when I originally railed on iFixit for their actions, my post had 220 likes, so I think maybe a handful of people actually do agree with giving a side-eye to a business that seems to be untrustworthy. But don't let that stop you from trying to make a childish personal attack against me if that makes you feel taller or something.
 
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Kaibelf said:
I guess contracts and business agreements don't mean much to you?
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Then you'd be wrong, they mean a lot to me. And I'm sure they mean a lot to Apple. But I can't help think Apple missed the chance for a measured response here by whipping out the banhammer. As I said, hopefully cooler heads will prevail over time.

Feel free to disagree. :)
 
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John.B said:
All LPDDR3 RAM is soldered. There are no LPDDR3 DIMMs, SO-DIMM or otherwise. If you don't want soldered RAM in your iMac, you'll want to spring for a 27" iMac. <shrug>

(FWIW, you'll want the 27" iMac regardless as they have Skylake processors, while the 21.5" iMac is still on Broadwell due to lack of Iris Pro Skylake chips on Intel's part.)
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I know, I was being sarcastic in wishing Apple would solder all its ram even on future 2016 27" models to entertain your iPhone-esque upgrade business model :p
 
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jcmeyer5 said:
Oh get over the NDA crap. If they had claimed they did nothing wrong, then maybe. They admitted they were wrong. Move on.

As far as the new computers Apple produces... Poop on them. No upgrading? Psh.
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Some think they have been adopted by apple, amazing the butt hurt over what happens to a billion dollar company.

They never even claimed they did nothing wrong, they were cut off and it's over. I don't see why the incessant whining still.
 
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John.B said:
Then you'd be wrong, they mean a lot to me. And I'm sure they mean a lot to Apple. But I can't help think Apple missed the chance for a measured response here by whipping out the banhammer. As I said, hopefully cooler heads will prevail over time.

Feel free to disagree. :)
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I'm sure the penalties for breaking the NDA were clear from the start. I know they spell out everything in my contracts with them, including any NDAs, so I would never expect them to water the penalties down after the fact for me nor anyone else. If that's an option, why have an NDA at all? Uniformity has always been Apple's thing, but so has the expectation that you keep your word with them. It's not about cooler heads, it's about what's in the contract, which was vetted, then signed.

jcmeyer5 said:
Oh get over the NDA crap.
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A deal's a deal. Sorry. My word means something to me and others. Perhaps some people just aren't honest, I guess, and those aren't the kind of people who should be in the business world.
 
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newdeal said:
the iMac has been an abomination ever since they dropped the superdrive and made it appear to be thinner without really being thinner.

No idea why they make the cpu faster year after year when for most people putting in an SSD and using a crap cpu would be a better experience
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Wow really? If it's the same experience.....
 
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I love iFixit guides. I've used tons of them to repair stuff. Heck, I've even used them to disassemble perfectly good cheap electronics. Losing their developer account sucks, but they brought that on themselves. In the end, what does it matter though? It's not like they need it to tear down products. Evidenced by this iMac tear down.

The iMac, along with all other AIO's, is an undesirable machine to me. The lack of user upgrade path and slow hard drive make it even less desirable. Pity, I bet that screen looks nice.
 
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This is hilarious watching the faux outrage people are having on behalf of Apple... Get over it! iFixit broke the rules and paid the price.

They do an invaluable job for the Apple community and they do well to inform us of Apple's battle to ensure that computers become throw away items.

Apple constantly broke Australian Consumer laws for years before they finally changed their minds. Didn't see much outrage at that law breaking. They also engage in unethical tax measures here. Can't wait for all the outrage towards Apple as people realise how much tax Apple has gotten away with not paying, when Australian government finally bothers to close the loopholes.. oh thats right people won't be outraged.
 
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oldmacs said:
This is hilarious watching the faux outrage people are having on behalf of Apple... Get over it! iFixit broke the rules and paid the price.

They do an invaluable job for the Apple community and they do well to inform us of Apple's battle to ensure that computers become throw away items.

Apple constantly broke Australian Consumer laws for years before they finally changed their minds. Didn't see much outrage at that law breaking. They also engage in unethical tax measures here. Can't wait for all the outrage towards Apple as people realise how much tax Apple has gotten away with not paying, when Australian government finally bothers to close the loopholes.. oh thats right people won't be outraged.
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Exactly, far more whining than from either apple or ifixit. Ifixit is great and if anyone here thinks apple gives a rat's backside about them they are badly mistaken. They broke the nda and they paid for it, get over it. Jeez. Some just need something to whine about.
 
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trifid said:
"Apple has also removed the empty PCIe SSD slot that was featured in the late 2013 iMac, which means that do-it-yourself upgraders won't be able to upgrade their machine easily." "...iFixit notes that users who want to add a Fusion Drive will either have to configure it at purchase or solder it on themselves."

Solder a hard drive? Are you fricking kidding me? Just when we thought the 5400rpm fiasco couldn't get any worse, wow just wow.
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Apple: "Whaattchaaa gonnnna doooo about iiiiitttt?"
You're response: (fill in the blank)

Wait a minute....Isn't 27 inches iMac able to be upgraded with memories? What's with these cryings?
 
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Kaibelf said:
I'm sure the penalties for breaking the NDA were clear from the start. I know they spell out everything in my contracts with them, including any NDAs, so I would never expect them to water the penalties down after the fact for me nor anyone else. If that's an option, why have an NDA at all? Uniformity has always been Apple's thing, but so has the expectation that you keep your word with them. It's not about cooler heads, it's about what's in the contract, which was vetted, then signed.



A deal's a deal. Sorry. My word means something to me and others. Perhaps some people just aren't honest, I guess, and those aren't the kind of people who should be in the business world.
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It seems your reaction to that situation is a serious overreaction. Breaking that NDA isn't a blanket indictment of iFixit's level of honesty. Sorry, that's just not how the world works. 1 issue and your dead to me?:rolleyes: We're all adults here; some more jaded than others, but if 100% complete honesty was a condition of being in the business world there wouldn't be many businesses around.
 
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iFixit promotes environmental responsibility by calling out companies that make unrepairable products. I had the battery replaced in my retina MacBook Pro and it required replacing the entire top case of the computer. It's strange to see all these pedants on MacRumors when Apple was founded by people who flouted convention and law (anybody remember Woz's blue box, or Steve Jobs backdating stock options?). iFixIt broke a contract between two companies--it wasn't found guilty of committing financial fraud like Apple was by the SEC. Does no one remember Steve Jobs flying a pirate's flag over the Mac building? He was a conniving, thieving person and proud of it. My grandparents lived where he started out. He would borrow money from people to work on projects at Apple who never saw a penny back. iFixIt is innocuous compared to all the compromises in ethics a company as large as Apple has to make just to exist as it does with its ridiculous profit margins. Tim Cook oversaw all product manufacturing leaving the US to a country with horrendous human rights violations, and Apple spends millions each year buying Congressmen to further their interests, including trade deals and pushes to nearly eliminate capital gains tax on profits made abroad. Rooting for Apple against the big guys in 1997 was one thing, but it's a bit sick now.
 
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John.B said:
Yeah, yeah, I get it.

What I won't get is an :apple:TV app from iFixit with the teardown/repair videos to my TV, because Apple nuked their developer account.

So everybody loses.
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We could stand to lose in the future if someone costs Apple sales as a result of some leak, or perhaps someone beats them to market with their own idea. Samsung's ears are always listening... This makes it less likely to happen again. iFixit has been sacrificed for the greater good. :)
 
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swingerofbirch said:
iFixit promotes environmental responsibility by calling out companies that make unrepairable products. I had the battery replaced in my retina MacBook Pro and it required replacing the entire top case of the computer. It's strange to see all these pedants on MacRumors when Apple was founded by people who flouted convention and law (anybody remember Woz's blue box, or Steve Jobs backdating stock options?). iFixIt broke a contract between two companies--it wasn't found guilty of committing financial fraud like Apple was by the SEC. Does no one remember Steve Jobs flying a pirate's flag over the Mac building? He was a conniving, thieving person and proud of it. My grandparents lived where he started out. He would borrow money from people to work on projects at Apple who never saw a penny back. iFixIt is innocuous compared to all the compromises in ethics a company as large as Apple has to make just to exist as it does with its ridiculous profit margins. Tim Cook oversaw all product manufacturing leaving the US to a country with horrendous human rights violations, and Apple spends millions each year buying Congressmen to further their interests, including trade deals and pushes to nearly eliminate capital gains tax on profits made abroad. Rooting for Apple against the big guys in 1997 was one thing, but it's a bit sick now.
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Thank you thank you thank you. I agree with your first and last sentences especially.
 
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While I understand the logic behind non upgradeable Macbook Airs, I'm having a REAL hard time seeing All in One Desktops with non upgradable memory or storage by a Apple Professional (not end user).
I can understand (not that I like) not making it service end upgradable, but making it all soldered is like going back to 9" netbooks.

As a IT Guy it hurts me to see this. I still feel some people will buy a base unit thinking (while they can't) they will have a tech person upgrade RAM or HD similarly to replacing a battery on a Macbook.

Trust me, I'm tired of using and working on clunky heavy laptops but this sort of strategy is NOT necessary on a desktop.
 
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