Ok, I agree, but the pricing is all wrong then. You can't emerge **** with 1099 price tag.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Memory in New $1099 iMac is Soldered and Not Upgradable
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Ok, I agree, but the pricing is all wrong then. You can't emerge **** with 1099 price tag.
apple isn't a performance parts slop shop. it is the price of entry into the ecosystem you are paying for. the Apple tax so to speak is very much alive and well, and it is actually quite reasonable considering the software and services it entitles you to.
----------
you can when there is not a cheaper option in their ecosystem. for people who have always wanted a mac desktop this is their nearest star.
Somehow they've made IBM's original approach (1980) finally work. Make it proprietary and force them to buy new when then want to expand.
STUPID.
I agree mostly; however, Apple's memory upgrades have come down significantly over time making it nearly as affordable to BTO as it would be to upgrade nearly right away.
This is a non-sensical assumption. SOME consumers may not care about upgradable parts when they're buying, but mark my word, 2 years from now when Apple releases an OS that calls for double the RAM or when the OS becomes unstable because the RAM is insufficient, I assure you the visit to the Genius Bar is most certainly going to end with some severe disappointment. The computer should function well for more than 2 years if you ask me. My PowerBook at 5 years old did until I handed it down. My MP is doing fine at nearly 6 years old and my Mac Mini is at 5 years old. So I find your statement to be an absolute generalization based on zero fact.
Then don't buy it. Clearly it's not for you. 99% of people don't care. They use facebook. They don't need a super computer.
Man you elitest think Apple only releases products thinking about you. This is for the general public.
If you want something super awesome get a mac pro.
First, I saw nothing elitist about the comment made. I disagree that the vast majority of the target audience for this iMac would not care about upgrading. My own mother bought what was more than enough computer at the time but has come to find with operating system updates that she is in need of more memory. Are you here to tell me that this computer should be tossed after 2 years when Apple has handed out a couple OS updates because the memory is insufficient? Do you really think that Apple will ensure 2 years from now that their OS will be usable on a 2-year old machine? I think that if I am buying a computer, especially a Mac, that it will last me a bit longer than 2 years. In fact, I intend for it to outlast an extended Apple Care warranty.
At the very least, when buying a machine I would like to know I can do two things; upgrade the memory if needed at a later date and upgrade or replace the hard drive in case of failure or need for more capacity.
I don't think it's Apple thinking its base is stupid...it's them thinking in this instance that they just don't care.
I had a 2011 iMac in my studio for light Pro Tools work, light video editing, checking email, word docs, creating CD's and listening to Pandora. It had 4 gigs of ram (upgradable to 16). I pushed that machine more than an average user and never once felt the need to upgrade ram. 8 gigs is plenty for a basic user.
As for the price, this is Apple..so their basic machines are always pricier than Windows PC's. My wife would be very happy with this one for a long time. She doesn't even know what ram is or how it would affect her anyway.
I have an rMBP with 16 gig and because the OS has poor memory management I find myself having to reboot. I sure would like more memory, but I cant get it.
I cant imagine how bad it is for the 4GB folks.
mark my word that visit will end with a smile on a face and a new computer in hand. most people who don't like to get their hands dirty opening up things they have no interest in opening are also perfectly happy getting the latest and greatest. my mom does it every couple years and to her this is what makes shopping so great. the clever ones will even manage to pass their 2 year old model along to someone even less concerned on ebay and get at least half of what they paid for the new computer back. win win.
these people can actually teach us all a lesson... sometimes it is better to resell your old tech after 2 years and get half back then to wait 4, spend even more on interim upgrades and then get nothing.
Ive had computers since 1979 and never had memory fail. Maybe I'm luck or maybe failures are few and far between.
i think the more important thing in this photo is the fact there using BR2032 batteries now instead of CR2032.....what an upgrade.
i am actually continually shocked by how error free computing is considering it is adding together numbers faster then the time it takes the light leaving your monitor to reach your eyes.
Being human, I naturally form opinions on the thoughts of others. Like you just did about my thoughts.
Im afraid thats because for the most part we are stupid.
They make something shiny and over priced, and we buy it, (in droves).
They make something technologically crippled and over priced, and we buy it, (in droves).
They make something proprietary and over priced, and we buy it, (in droves).
We like how it looks and will always find a reason to defend their decisions instead of voting with our wallets. The worst part - in some cases we dont even try the competition before discounting it.
Windows 8 is a nice enough OS, as the hardware is equally nice, (which it wont as M$ arent into hardwarwe like that), Im off. Right now Apple meets my needs its just a shame they rip me off for the privilege.
As someone who has probably owned Apple longer than you've been alive, all I can say is that I hope you enjoy the kool-aid. It's a an absurdly overpriced machine for what it offers, and is a sadly cynical money grab.
Is this "insanely great?" No, just insanely and insultingly priced.
I have had sticks, (only one though), fail on my Mac Pro. Could you imagine the repair cost if that was soldered !!!
Thunderbolt isn't fast enough. DDR3 1600Mhz has a peak transfer rate of 12800MB/s while thunderbolt is only 1250 MB/s.
I can see why from Apple's standpoint they can't make this $899. They want to give off the impression that they are a premium brand. The innards of this imac are really the same innards of a "crappy" < $1000 Dell or HP box. Pricing it like that would acknowledge that no, there's nothing premium about this imac, it's using 3 to 4 year old technology. And judging from the likes of dumastudetto or most of AI, this psychology works like a charm.
Can anyone who is complaining tell me why the average user needs more than 8GB RAM? The average user isn't using Photoshop for billboard-sized images, multiple VMs, solving computational fluid dynamics, or running a ZFS server.
This is a consumer grade machine. It will do just fine with 8GB RAM.
This is a consumer grade machine. It will do just fine with 8GB RAM.
I have 4GB RAM in my MBA. I have no problem running a VM for work (Windows Server 2008 R2) on it along with everything else. I think you're doing something wrong.
you must be an old fart... i am 45 and i am pretty sure apple wasn't even a company when I was born. my first computer was a Tandy Model II with tape drive.
----------
most likely under warrantee and replaced for free. i don't see them trying to repair these on-site.