Is this entirely true? (MPB 13'')

[Rockoar]

I want to buy a base model 13'' MBP basically because I can upgrade it (vs the Air, which has the same price but can not be upgraded) but was told today at the Apple Store that I can not do that or otherwise my Apple Care warranty would be voided. I asked the Apple Retail employee if it this was so, why is the machine user accessible? I mean, upgrading the RAM at least seems quite easy and risk free. I don't know if this is entirely true because at first he even tried to "lie" to me by saying that everything was soldered on but when I told him that that was the MBA he was talking about he kind of retracted himself and told me "you may upgrade the RAM but I think the HDD is soldered". I know this isn't true, but is it true that the Apple warranty would be voided?

At the end he told me that if the upgrade was made by an Apple authorized partner then there would be no warranty violation whatsoever. Please help me find out the true

 

[PrestonWard]

I want to buy a base model 13'' MBP basically because I can upgrade it (vs the Air, which has the same price but can not be upgraded) but was told today at the Apple Store that I can not do that or otherwise my Apple Care warranty would be voided. I asked the Apple Retail employee if it this was so, why is the machine user accessible? I mean, upgrading the RAM at least seems quite easy and risk free. I don't know if this is entirely true because at first he even tried to "lie" to me by saying that everything was soldered on but when I told him that that was the MBA he was talking about he kind of retracted himself and told me "you may upgrade the RAM but I think the HDD is soldered". I know this isn't true, but is it true that the Apple warranty would be voided?

At the end he told me that if the upgrade was made by an Apple authorized partner then there would be no warranty violation whatsoever. Please help me find out the true

The ram and the hard drive are user upgradable parts, unless you really mess something up you should be fine.

 

[defektion]

The HDD & Ram are completely user upgradable. If you were to swap your optical bay out for an extra SSD/HDD that would potentially void your warranty as that's not a user replaceable part.

I think you're good. I find some Apple retail employees aren't up to par with there product knowledge.

EDIT: As long as you don't damage anything in the process of upgrading you're fine. If you are really worried about voiding your warranty, you can always swap in the original parts.

 

[GGJstudios]

I want to buy a base model 13'' MBP basically because I can upgrade it (vs the Air, which has the same price but can not be upgraded) but was told today at the Apple Store that I can not do that or otherwise my Apple Care warranty would be voided.

The employee at the Apple store is wrong.

From the MacBook Pro User Guide:

Your MacBook Pro does not have any user-serviceable parts, except the hard drive and the memory.

 

[T5BRICK]

They can't void your warranty for replacing those two parts, but if you do have problems and take it in for service, the first thing they'll do is find fault in those parts. They're not Apple parts, they don't have to repair them.

What I'm saying is this: keep your OEM parts in case it becomes an issue later.

 

[arashb]

Apple has a guide in the user manual and online on how to change your HDD and RAM ><

Seems like Apple is starting to hire anyone these days, when I was helping my gf get a 2012 MBP I asked if it's smarter to get a higher model refurb 2011 or a lower model 2012 brand new for the same price and I was told the 2012s are better because they have turboboost while the 2011s do not... FAIL.

 

[GGJstudios]

They can't void your warranty for replacing those two parts, but if you do have problems and take it in for service, the first thing they'll do is find fault in those parts. They're not Apple parts, they don't have to repair them.

What I'm saying is this: keep your OEM parts in case it becomes an issue later.

While it's not a bad idea to keep the original parts, the "OEM parts" are not Apple parts, either. Apple doesn't make RAM or hard drives. They won't find fault with any RAM or drive, unless it's defective or something was damaged during the installation process.

 

[T5BRICK]

While it's not a bad idea to keep the original parts, the "OEM parts" are not Apple parts, either. Apple doesn't make RAM or hard drives. They won't find fault with any RAM or drive, unless it's defective or something was damaged during the installation process.

I guess it depends on the service center you take your computer to. I've had an Apple genius fault my RAM because it wasn't "Apple RAM." I had to put the OEM memory back into the MacBook Pro before they'd troubleshoot the graphical artifacts I was having(which turned out to be a faulty nVidia 8600M GT).

 

[GGJstudios]

I guess it depends on the service center you take your computer to. I've had an Apple genius fault my RAM because it wasn't "Apple RAM." I had to put the OEM memory back into the MacBook Pro before they'd troubleshoot the graphical artifacts I was having(which turned out to be a faulty nVidia 8600M GT).

I would ask him to show you "Apple RAM", because there is no such thing. It's important to remember than "Genius" is only their job title, and not necessarily an indication of their knowledge, experience or expertise.

 

[T5BRICK]

I would ask him to show you "Apple RAM", because there is no such thing. It's important to remember than "Genius" is only their job title, and not necessarily an indication of their knowledge, experience or expertise.

I understand that, but as a suggestion to the OP, I pointed out that keeping your original parts is a good idea in order to work around situations like the ones I've experienced(and I'm sure I'm not the only one). Apple authorized repair centers are another option, but they can be hit or miss. The one I worked at was very picky about 3rd party parts during warranty repairs.

 

[Weaselboy]

I understand that, but as a suggestion to the OP, I pointed out that keeping your original parts is a good idea in order to work around situations like the ones I've experienced(and I'm sure I'm not the only one). Apple authorized repair centers are another option, but they can be hit or miss. The one I worked at was very picky about 3rd party parts during warranty repairs.

This is some good advice. It just heads off any problems that might come up with warranty issues.

 

[Rockoar]

Thank you all for shedding some light on this issue. The person I talked to at the Apple Store seemed really interested that I pick the more expensive 13'' model, that's why he lied to me even tho I knew that neither RAM or HDD were soldered on the machine. I feel sorry for the people that doesn't know this (or don't know how to find it or corroborate what they are told) and end up spending more money. Apple charges a high premium for this upgrades.

I'll buy the base line 13'' and upgrade these parts later on as I save more money. I'm really excited, it's going to be my first Mac ever! Thanks again.

 

[dukebound85]

I would ask him to show you "Apple RAM", because there is no such thing. It's important to remember than "Genius" is only their job title, and not necessarily an indication of their knowledge, experience or expertise.

By Apple ram, it is meant as the ram that shipped with the mbp.

I have heard warranty work get caught up on seeing 3rd party upgrades in the machine.....so it is good practice to keep the OEM parts