SSD Question

Generally, upgrading storage (HDD or SSD) and memory (RAM) through the computer manufacturer in a built-to-order is typically the most expensive way you could possibly find to make those upgrades. Unless you have a specific reason to make it worth the additional cost, the typical recommendation is to upgrade storage and memory yourself after the purchase.

The three main reasons I can think of why you might pay the extra to have Apple do the upgrades:

• You've been banned by friends/family from ever holding a screwdriver or touching the innards of anything electronic. Although the upgrades are easy, I recognize not everyone is mechanically adept.
• You will travel extensively with the system (or use it for work 20hrs/day) and must have the ability to have Apple service it at any time; no time to do any diagnosis yourself and possible deal with third party memory or drive manufacturers, support must be one-stop-shopping.
• You're super rich and having Apple do the upgrades is cheaper in terms of your time than doing it yourself.

So unless you fit one of these categories (or some other I didn't think of), better to do the upgrades yourself.

 

Installing the SSD hardware yourself is a 10 minute job and very easy to do. You need a #00 Phillips and a #6 Torx. You can do cheaper and better than going Apple's BTO option. Look at the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSDs.

 

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I doubt they will do an ssd in the macbook pro standard. Only reason I say that is because they don't need to do it to make it thinner and they need to keep the cost down and so they will probobly stick with an HDD...this time. Probobly next year they will do all flash. It needs something to differentiate it from the air right now

 

SSDs might be standard at some point however will they be Sandforce type SSDs? I would be willing to bet no.

Best to just do it yourself.