is there a slot for an internal hard drive on the 15" 2014/15's?

[Potatochobit]

there is no optical drive
and the SSD is PCIe based?
and it is also soldered on to the board so it is not replaceable?

now, is there actually a space to add a 2.5" hard drive inside?
or was this a sacrifice made to keep them thin?

 

[TechZeke]

Nope. The Retina MacBook Pro was built from the ground up to run purely on Flash storage. The SSD is technically replaceable, but it uses a proprietary connector which means any replacements you find be pulled from other MacBooks and will be very costly.

 

[snaky69]

there is no optical drive
and the SSD is PCIe based?
and it is also soldered on to the board so it is not replaceable?

now, is there actually a space to add a 2.5" hard drive inside?
or was this a sacrifice made to keep them thin?

There hasn't been a place for a 2.5" in any Mac laptop made since 2012.

 

[Potatochobit]

really?
I owned the original unibody in 2008/9?
and I am typing on a 2011 right now, lol
I must be a vintage user

I have a late 2014 incoming and wondering how to increase my storage options
I think I will go JBOD over usb 3.0

 

[Mike in Kansas]

really?
I owned the original unibody in 2008/9?
and I am typing on a 2011 right now, lol
I must be a vintage user

I have a late 2014 incoming and wondering how to increase my storage options
I think I will go JBOD over usb 3.0

There are some 3rd party adapters that allow you to store a microSD card "semi-permanently" in your SD card slot, and use it to increase your onboard storage. They are intended to fit so that they are flush with the outside edge of the MBP. Their speed isn't the greatest, but if you have a large iTunes library or image library, it may be a way to free up SSD space. Some backup solutions don't see an SD card though, so proceed with caution.

 

[honam1021]

Nope. The Retina MacBook Pro was built from the ground up to run purely on Flash storage. The SSD is technically replaceable, but it uses a proprietary connector which means any replacements you find be pulled from other MacBooks and will be very costly.

The original 13' rMBP was actually designed to fit a 2.5' drive. Apparently Apple originally wanted to ship the 13 inch retina with a mechanical hard drive before they changed their mind in last minute by reusing the ssd from the 15 inch model and fill the remaining space with a plastic spacer
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Retina+Display+Late+2012+Teardown/11225

 

[maflynn]

really?
I owned the original unibody in 2008/9?
and I am typing on a 2011 right now, lol
I must be a vintage user

Yes, starting with the 2012 retina MBP, there's no bays or room for a drive. Apple starting using a propriety SSD setup and there's no optical drive. Basically the current line of MBPs are sealed and there's nothing upgradeable.