New 2014 Mac Mini Has Soldered RAM, Not User Replaceable

[Renzatic]

Apple's only aim is to add more cash to its pile of billions of dollars.

You know, I can understand that. Apple's gotta make money, and hell..they are. The thing that mystifies me the most is how some people will defend anything and everything the company does, even if it is at their own expense.

Yeah, technology is always moving on, and some things end up becoming depreciated or obsolete. But the ram and HDD upgradability issues isn't one of those things. Now if Apple somehow found a way to implant the ram and HDD directly to the logic boards for a massive performance boost, not being able to upgrade them would be understandable. The pros outweigh the cons.

But all Apple is doing is keeping people from being able to do it easily themselves so they can make more money off their storefront. The harddrives in the iMacs? They're goddamn off the shelf Seagates. Why can't I upgrade it? What if it goes bad? Hell, I'd have to send it to Apple for repairs, and if it's out of warranty, that's even more money I have to spend.

It benefits them, but it does nothing for us. We, the customer, gain nothing.

Why defend it?

 

[AdonisSMU]

Wow, nothing like Apple giving the middle finger to customers. "Soldered RAM"...wow...just wow!!!

Don't buy it then. Apple will get the hint and change things around.

 

[Medic311]

i know this has been said over and over again in this forum but add me to the list of people who are pretty annoyed Apple would do something like this without any real benefit to the consumer. sure Apple has soldered on memory to their other products but the benefits to the consumer were that it allowed them to reduce parts which reduced weight and thickness of the product. from what i can tell, the Mac Mini is exactly the same shell so soldering the memory on did absolutely nothing except to unnecessarily cripple the product against future upgrades.

unless there is something i am missing here?

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Yep, thats me. I no longer recommend Apple's to friends/family. A computer can be easy to use and configurable/upgradable at the same time. However, Apple forgot about me, a power user that 80% of the time likes the ease of use, but every once in a while needs to do something different.

All I want is one top-of-the-line computer that is upgradable and powerful. Thats right make the CPU and RAM changeable in the very top, highest price, Mac Mini. That would work for me. Give me a 17 inch Mac Book display, again top price is fine. Make 12 inch screens and throwaway computer cubes for the masses. That way everyone wins.

But now I am slowly bracing for my next laptop being Windows or Linux. I know its going to suck, but I can't really afford to continue to spend money with a company that has abandoned me.

same feelings here bro, same feelings. it's almost as if Apple is pushing people like us away...not sure why. i have an iPhone, iPad, and a Macbook Pro Retina

 

[Poisonivy326]

I strongly disagree with the idea that only tech geeks open up their computers. I'm not a tech geek by any means but I upgraded the RAM and put an SSD to my MacBook Pro (or more accurately my boyfriend did it). And then there's the case of my 70 years young dad prying open his laptop with a screwdriver and swapping out a hard drive. Neither of us are tech geeks. We just like to fix things before we buy a new product altogether.

 

[phoenixsan]

Altough....

is nice to see new Macs coming from Cupertino, seems like the initial "wow" factor is decaying fast....

I would like to see a mac Mini with discrete graphics, if possible. I know Apple is calling upon the design/aesthetics with some of their products. Even HP, Dell and Lenovo make computers on par or better than the mini, for the current price point...Guess what?....Great part of that offers lack discrete graphics and decent storage (more than 500 GB right out the box).

So Apple still has a good chance of deliver not based on aesthetics: Discrete GPU, generous storage........Price point is important and eye candy, but not on top, at least for me....

 

[Asclepio]

 

[Oracle1729]

Don't buy it then. Apple will get the hint and change things around.

Apple will get the hint that Mac's don't matter and focus even less effort on them (if that's possible).

I can't wait for the iPhone fad to die out and Timmy to kiss ex-Mac users asses (or more likely retire with his $400 million in stock signing bonus and let the next CEO take the blame). And if you think it won't happen, talk to Palm or Nokia or Motorola or Blackberry. They were all hugely dominant at one point until the winds blew another way too.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Apple will get the hint that Mac's don't matter and focus even less effort on them (if that's possible).

I can't wait for the iPhone fad to die out and Timmy to kiss ex-Mac users asses (or more likely retire with his $400 million in stock signing bonus and let the next CEO take the blame). And if you think it won't happen, talk to Palm or Nokia or Motorola or Blackberry. They were all hugely dominant at one point until the winds blew another way too.

Apple is not hugely dominant at anything....except profits. Tim Cook is responsible for Apple making the products they do now. This is why SJ hand picked him for the job of CEO.

 

[Cubytus]

I strongly disagree with the idea that only tech geeks open up their computers. I'm not a tech geek by any means but I upgraded the RAM and put an SSD to my MacBook Pro (or more accurately my boyfriend did it). And then there's the case of my 70 years young dad prying open his laptop with a screwdriver and swapping out a hard drive. Neither of us are tech geeks. We just like to fix things before we buy a new product altogether.

I indeed try to instruct gf and students alike to be curious about their work tool.

I never though I would fall into this trap, but since Steve's gone, each new iteration of any Apple product has been a downgrade from the previous one.
OS:
Snow Leopard was superior to Lion, Mountain Lion was superior to Lion but still not on par with SL back in its day, Mavericks fell back to Lion's low, buggy level, and Yosemite is even worse, not ready for production at all. I have first-hand experience with all of them except Mavericks.

iPhone: No significant improvement since the 5-series. And still a rip-off compared to similarly-specd iPot Touch.

MacMini: Less capable, less expensive.

MacPro: More capable, more expensive, less useful.

iMac: Not more performance, less capabilities, same price = more expensive

MacBook Pro: More capable, more expensive, less capabilities

Turns out only the MacBook Air has seen objective improvements.

 

[63dot]

This isn't too surprising. The Mac mini has always been a notebook in desktop clothing. They have long used soldered RAM in the MacBook line.

And yes, Steve Jobs would have done this. His philosophy was that people shouldn't have to and should not tinker with his creations.

His philosophy was to make a great machine imho, but first and foremost to make one you can't upgrade so you have to buy a new one. He also wanted one that, like others on the market on the PC side, would become obsolete quickly demanding a replacement every few years. It's what drives the valley and the field.

He just went about it a little different than a Gates or Dell about coming back for more but at least with Apple products you could do it in style.

But profit was still king with Apple back then as it is now.

That being said you would buy the new Mac mini or a similar PC running Windows 8, but with upgradeable RAM? I still choose the Mac mini and they have been cheap enough used as I have always purchased them that when they got old, it was rather easy to buy a new one (which also had updated graphics and larger hard drive).

What's all the fuss about when you are talking about a machine that is pretty capable with Haswell and it's only $499? Apple makes a good product and they are also greedy but that describes a lot of computer companies. It's how things evolved and it's not how other products can operate but as long as we keep buying, Apple will do things like this (solder in RAM).

 

[fa8362]

The thing that mystifies me the most is how some people will defend anything and everything the company does, even if it is at their own expense.

Abused wives do that.

 

[akbarali.ch]

Apple spends millions developing products. Why should it produce a product that helps third-party suppliers to make money selling parts that Apple can already supply?

It isn't Apple's job to put money in the pockets of companies such as Crucial. If you want a product with a certain spec, buy the right product in the first place. If you can't afford Apple's price, buy something you can afford. Apple isn't a charity. If you don't like the specs on offer, choose another device or another company.

Tim made it clear with one of the presentation graphics that Apple's lineup is Watch, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac. The desktop market isn't critical to Apple. Tim wants to concentrate on mobile computing because that's the future for Apple and for IT.

People don't complain because they can't upgrade the internals in their TVs, cookers, PVRs, satellite boxes, toasters, etc. Why do people expect to upgrade their computers? They might have been able to upgrade older computers in the past, but we no longer live in the past.

You comparing it wrong!
TVs, cookers, PVRs, satellite boxes, toasters, etc. these are devices with very limited and specific purpose, so they will keep functioning as usual for ever or till it breaks down.
Computers, also can function like these devices for ever, provided you don't install extra apps than what is installed on it (you don't install apps in you cooker or toaster, right ?) . You shouldn't upgrade to latest OS which often will have additional functionality that may sometime need more processing power and ram.
But sadly thats not how the world runs around computers. Just look at web technologies, with all the animation and effects even just browsing becomes slow on older comps.

The issue might not be soldered RAM but its more of asking 3 times the cost of it.
which leads to people wanting to upgrade the RAM by themselves and when they think its time they need more RAM. If Apple upgrades the RAM with price on par or slightly higher than after market, i think no one will complain, BUT 3 times...?

 

[fa8362]

What's all the fuss about when you are talking about a machine that is pretty capable with Haswell and it's only $499?

I agree. Why would anyone complain about a fancy new machine that's worse than the 2 year old machine it replaces?

 

[dilbert99]

I don't wanna be that guy, but this is definitely one of those times for everyone to give Apple feedback...

The more we voice our disappointment, hopefully the more Apple will listen: http://www.apple.com/feedback/macmini.html

 

[Xiroteus]

If you need 4 cores, don't get a mini -- pretty simple.

Not really. When most people complain about something it is because they want THAT device with four cores or that phone with more ram etc... just how people wanted a larger iPhone. Like if someone wants a Mac with a blu-ray drive, they want a Mac with blu-ray. (I know that will never exist and even I stopped caring.)

 

[rGiskard]

I've always thought Apple never offered a solution there because that big gap between the low end Mini and the high end Pro is where Windows PCs have traditionally dominated, both on price and user base. For the longest time, the Macs were mainly offered as an alternative to that scene.

Probably so. It would be impossible for Apple to compete directly on price with the commodity box manufacturers so Apple went with solutions which are not easily compared to PCs based on specs/price.

I've read that Jobs really wanted to avoid the situation of an ignorant clerk recited specs to customers. Makes sense that he would craft the lineup to avoid it. But that was back when Apple had just escaped doom. Now that they're the richest tech company in the universe they could surely afford to accept their loyal customer's money in exchange for a consumer-grade mini-tower.

 

[dilbert99]

I don't understand in this day and age why the iMac isn't just a monitor with a mac mini style box that screws on to the back that allows you to upgrade without replacing the monitor. It would all be hidden behind a nice panel if required.

 

[maclove4life]

apple is a tech mafia.

 

[Believe58]

Where is Apple going?

After enjoying my iPhone 4S for 3 years (my first Apple product), I upgraded to a 6+ (finally on its way). Because I enjoyed the phone and truly dislike Windows 8 I have been considering moving to OSX. There is a, for me, considerable cost in time and money to switch ecosystems but I like some of the things Apple is pursuing like continuity, etc. I planned on moving over with a Mac mini after the update, figuring a reasonable update and I would eat the Apple tax for the benefit down the line. But now they downgraded the product. Now I would have to spend more to purchase a product I can reasonably feel will last a few years. So now I'm not so sure about changing over.
This brings me to what is Apple's long term plan?
They give away OS updates.
They give away iWork.
They give away Homekit.
They give away Healthkit.
OS updates and iWork used to cost money. So they are no longer revenue centers or even cost neutral, they are cost centers.
Homekit and Healthkit from what I can see so far are cost centers.
Do they plan on making money off them?
From what I can tell Apple is trying to get completely in our homes and lives but how are they going to do it and make money?
So far what I have seen are interesting ideas.
Unfortunately the products that got them to the great position they are in are now being nickel and dimed and downgraded instead of a premium product at a premium price.
I'm not certain of their long term plans and goals and how they are going to get there. Therefore, I will step back and wait.

 

[dilbert99]

Depends on how much one cares about video. The Intel Iris 5100 GPU in the 2014 Mac mini is much better (nearly double the performance for some benchmarks) than the Intel HD 4000 GPU in the 2012 mini.

Directly soldered DRAM is the future. We're going to need to get used to it. Using a 2012 era computer for the rest of our lives is not an option for most of us.

Whats the difference between direct soldered ram on a daughter board (SODIMM module) and direct soldered to a mother board both of which are still distance away from the CPU?

If memory modules are good enough for the mac pro and every other computer maker, why should apple do it apart from the Apple memory tax?

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A phone is exactly that, it's all on a single motherboard, with a few accessories connected to it like cameras, switches, and a battery, all inside a case.

But a phone all in one is a tradeoff between being compact and being upgradable. We don't currently need a computer the size of a phone linked up to a monitor.

I'd rather see it go the way of a modular computer where each component is in a separate box.

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PBut this is the past. "Casual" users don't even need 500 gigs of storage,

They do if they have a video camera or don't like to delete camera photos,

then they want a decent cpu/gpu to go with it.

 

[mozumder]

Are you naive? You must be. Apple foresaw the response -- after all, they had the same response when they soldered the RAM into the MacBook Air and iMac.

Apple are now like Vladimir Putin -- or should we say Tim Cook, Jonathan Ive and Phil Schiller are like Vladimir Putin. They know there'll be an initial outcry, but they also know Apple users will eventually accept it and keep buying some Apple products.

Apple's only aim is to add more cash to its pile of billions of dollars.

If something makes them money, do you really think the care about your infuriation? Surely you're going to keep buying Apple Macs irrespective of whether the RAM is soldered in or not. You know that, and Apple knows that, and they DO NOT CARE whether you are upset.

Indeed. The nerds can go buy a Dell or HP and let them worry about their low-margin business.

Right now, no one that actually matters is complaining about soldered RAM.

The world wants appliances, not computer parts.

And the only people complaining about computer parts are the nerds. lol. These people are the WORST.

There's a reason Apple invited Vogue to their press keynote.

 

[BJonson]

Indeed. The nerds can go buy a Dell or HP and let them worry about their low-margin business.

Right now, no one that actually matters is complaining about soldered RAM.

The world wants appliances, not computer parts.

And the only people complaining about computer parts are the nerds. lol. These people are the WORST.

There's a reason Apple invited Vogue to their press keynote.

LOL. I feel embarrassed for you.

 

[barkmonster]

I indeed try to instruct gf and students alike to be curious about their work tool.

I never though I would fall into this trap, but since Steve's gone, each new iteration of any Apple product has been a downgrade from the previous one.
OS:
Snow Leopard was superior to Lion, Mountain Lion was superior to Lion but still not on par with SL back in its day, Mavericks fell back to Lion's low, buggy level, and Yosemite is even worse, not ready for production at all. I have first-hand experience with all of them except Mavericks.

iPhone: No significant improvement since the 5-series. And still a rip-off compared to similarly-specd iPot Touch.

MacMini: Less capable, less expensive.

MacPro: More capable, more expensive, less useful.

iMac: Not more performance, less capabilities, same price = more expensive

MacBook Pro: More capable, more expensive, less capabilities

Turns out only the MacBook Air has seen objective improvements.

The MacBook Pro is faster than it's ever been with the most RAM as standard and for the least price it's ever been for a quad-core portable too. The top model offers more CPU power than both the BTO i7 iMac and the 3.7Ghz quad-core Mac Pro. I agree about the other models in their range though. It's just a bunch of under-powered over-priced glued together form before function junk.

 

[cfedu]

I strongly disagree with the idea that only tech geeks open up their computers. I'm not a tech geek by any means but I upgraded the RAM and put an SSD to my MacBook Pro (or more accurately my boyfriend did it). And then there's the case of my 70 years young dad prying open his laptop with a screwdriver and swapping out a hard drive. Neither of us are tech geeks. We just like to fix things before we buy a new product altogether.

Every non tech geek has a friend or coworker who is a geek that can also upgrade ram. The Mac mini was the easiest Mac to ever upgrade because you could transport the computer easily for a buddy to upgrade it.

I'm sure any quality computer shop could upgrade the hard drive as well for pretty cheap if you wanted. I'm sure u could even get an apple certified place to do it.

A 2009 Mac mini with stick 1 GB tam 120 GB hard drive could get a significant upgrade to 8gb and an Ssd for 100$-150$. The upgraded mini would outperform the 499$ and 699$ 2014 mini's at certain tasks!! Without the upgrade the 2009 would be a dog!!

I can't believe anyone could defend designed obsolescence!! My 2010 (8gb 256 Ssd/500gb) hd mini was on par with my my current 2013 macbook air for general tasks.

Every company fails!! Look at Microsoft. If apple continues on this path, they may have the same fait! iPad min 3 , Mac mini and the base iMacs have turned off apple.

 

[dazz87]

Typical Apple....Nothing to see here.....