New Mac Pro upgradability.

[VirtualRain]

i see apple being paid a licensing fee even though they didn't make they part themselves and they aren't selling it.. that's because the connector is proprietary/registered/trademarked whatever and other people can't legally just copy it without paying apple their fee..
point being- apple doesn't necessarily even have to make or sell the parts themselves but they've maneuvered/are maneuvering into the position of "if a part is going to be added to one of our computers then we want a piece of the pie" ..they're eliminating the possibility of "well, just go pick up any old WD drive at best buy and throw it in there"(or whatever)..

in essence, i feel they're eliminating what you've said-- " limited to enterprising DIY enthusiasts that acquire parts off Apple's service supply chain, eBay, or other unofficial sources.".. there was previously too much of that going on and they'd prefer (rightfully so from a business perspective) to eliminate all 'unofficial sources' from the supply chain.. if anything is to be additionally sold for the machines they've produced/sold, they want money from that transaction.

It's clear from your ongoing dialog that you don't understand Apple. Apple increasingly views computers as appliances... that are replaced, not upgraded. The new Mac Pro is an obvious step further down this path.

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
This thread is off the rails - closing