Teardowns Confirm 13-Inch and 15-Inch Touch Bar MacBook Pros Have Non-Removable SSDs

[Gudi]

I have no problem with this design choice as long as the standard capacity isn't scarce, which it isn't. I think 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage is enough for the vast majority of users. And it's not as if there is a faster storage technology right around the corner. When MacBooks shipped with HDDs and SSDs were about to become a lot cheaper, upgradability was very important. Now Apples soldered SSDs are the fastest in the market and you don't even want to upgrade to something else. I'd rather have them better integrated into the system with a custom Apple SSD controller and so on.

 

[BGordon45]

This is EXTREMELY disappointing. I definitely will not be buying one now. How is this PRO?????

I feel sorry for all the people who get the entry level 256GB and are stuck with that for the life of the machine. 256GB is brutally small now and I can't imagine what it will seem like in 4 years. I can only imagine how many people will be showing up to the Genius Bar with full drives and poor performance only to be told they can A) delete everything B)haul around an external drive or C) buy a new computer.

All the older machines have held their value as most people have upgraded the RAM and HDD to SSDs.

 

[Cineplex]

I would say this new Mac is like a disposable camera....but at least you could take the film out of a disposable camera and reuse it. Saying that would insult the camera. This Mac is 100% throw away junk designed to make sure you must buy a new one when it starts failing in any way. Apple now makes crap.

 

[BGordon45]

I have no problem with this design choice as long as the standard capacity isn't scarce, which it isn't. I think 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage is enough for the vast majority of users. And it's not as if there is a faster storage technology right around the corner. When MacBooks shipped with HDDs and SSDs were about to become a lot cheaper, upgradability was very important. Now Apples soldered SSDs are the fastest in the market and you don't even want to upgrade to something else. I'd rather have them better integrated into the system with a custom Apple SSD controller and so on.

8GB of RAM and 256GB hard drive? We're talking about a PRO machine here - as in for professional use. I'd have no qualms if this was the Macbook line, but to call this PRO is absurd. Especially with the pedigree of previous PRO machines. Apple is clearly a consumer oriented company these days but they shouldn't alienate their pro user base that put them on the map.

BTW - Samsung announced their 960 EVO SSDs meaning that more cost effective SSDs are already available since the release of these Macbook Pros. Can you imagine in 3 or 4 years how affordable they will be, but the user will be stuck with an obsolete machine

 

[Phil A.]

So this thread - 15-Inch MacBook Pro With Touch Bar Has Non-Removable SSD - didn't generate enough clicks and the whole subject had to be rehashed in another thread covering basically the same thing?

 

[BGordon45]

Not really a surprise. You have to buy all the SSD you feel you'll need at time of purchase. Price is the issue. The 2TB upgrade is very expensive. I wouldn't consider myself a pro, though I use a Mac every day at work. For true pros who can write off the purchase of the extra SSD this is less of an issue. It's similar to photographers buying expensive lenses. At least in this case the SSD Apple is using is amazingly fast.

Except that the price of lenses don't drop exponentially every year. Quite the opposite - cameras and video equipment are producing larger and larger files. The only solution here is to use external disks
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You know what one of the most common problems for a huge host of issues with laptops was before soldered RAM and SSDs? Poorly seated connections. By soldering these things in, Apple has saved themselves millions on repair time and costs.

SSD quality is great these days. Failure rates are low. Replacing a couple logic boards is a fine tradeoff for the huge payoff of killing all the support issues due to having to reseat RAM or hard drives.

I can see that from a manufacturing and cost standpoint. But it is brutal from a user standpoint.

It also doesn't explain a battery that will certainly fail before the life of the machine is up.

 

[Mac 128]

No ability to upgrade.
No internal SDCard slot.
No magsafe.
No thanks from me.

Not that I was ever going to be "Pro" enough to be the one using this device to create the worlds next wheel/plough/penicillin etc...

Of course it's upgradable. When the next MBP comes out with features you want, you upgrade to it.

 

[randyj]

A sad sad day for "Pro" computing.

 

[MNJohn]

Can someone please explain to me (without going on a tear about profits and greed) what the advantages of doing this are, from a design standpoint?

It seems like the end-user is only (and understandably) upset about this.

I, for one, will not purchase another Mac laptop now or in the future, and it's because of things like this. I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind their decision- the benefits, even. Anything.

Two words: Planned obsolescence

 

[justperry]

You know what one of the most common problems for a huge host of issues with laptops was before soldered RAM and SSDs? Poorly seated connections. By soldering these things in, Apple has saved themselves millions on repair time and costs.

SSD quality is great these days. Failure rates are low. Replacing a couple logic boards is a fine tradeoff for the huge payoff of killing all the support issues due to having to reseat RAM or hard drives.

To my understanding this is not the case, the main reason Apple solders both RAM and SSD is that if they do it this way it will be faster, this is certainly true for RAM and I think this also is the case for this extreem fast SSD's they fitted these new Macbookpro's with.

 

[MrBernardo]

Do any MacRumors readers who purchased MacBook Pro from the Mac Mall web store could be sharing with me about the experience to buy from it?

I intend to buy one 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar on the trip I will make to Florida in the second half of January 2017 and I am tracking this store and B&H Photo inventory praying to stock be normalized soon.

Thank you in advance!

 

[randyj]

Can someone please explain to me (without going on a tear about profits and greed) what the advantages of doing this are, from a design standpoint?

It seems like the end-user is only (and understandably) upset about this.

I, for one, will not purchase another Mac laptop now or in the future, and it's because of things like this. I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind their decision- the benefits, even. Anything.

The grand idea for Apple would be customer experience.
If a manufacturer can pick parts that they know will perform well then the system can run better as a result.
Mac crashes used to come from Flash, so Apple told Adobe they wouldn't support it.
The next biggest sources of computer crashing would be people swapping out to 3rd party ram and hard drives.
If people can't change these then I guess the theory is that the machines will run better with fewer issues.
That is all fine and dandy on MacBook, but not a MacBook Pro.

 

[Jimmy James]

First, the new ones have a price hike for what many consider a minimal or incremental-at-best upgrade. Then, to get the new, much-hyped Touch Bar is basically another price tag all on its own. Then, they remove all the compatibility for older ports and chargers, so you need to buy dongles, cables, and chargers. Then, the guys at iFixIt tear it open and find that nothing inside is user-replaceable or even user-serviceable. Finally, and because of that, the guy at 9to5Mac says you'd better purchase AppleCare to protect it for three years, though it will likely get outdated or superseded in two.

Cupertino has been clever for years, but they're coming fast to that crossroads or tipping point where it no longer becomes worth it, competition is catching up, and users are willing to jump ship to a different platform.

On a side note, what good is that 'environment friendly' chart they always tout, when nothing is upgradable and the whole system has to be tossed when it goes bad or becomes obsolete because it can't be tweaked anymore?

Well, hey, at least it's beryllium-free, right?

I'm using a 2008 MacBook that remains usable for me because I was able to upgrade it. I think this is exactly the kind of lifespan they're trying to eliminate.
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FFS we already knew this. Are you deliberately trying to start flamewars with these inflammatory threads that breathe new air into Apple haters?

So you agree this is something to "hate"?

 

[tshrimp]

First, the new ones have a price hike for what many consider a minimal or incremental-at-best upgrade. Then, to get the new, much-hyped Touch Bar is basically another price tag all on its own. Then, they remove all the compatibility for older ports and chargers, so you need to buy dongles, cables, and chargers. Then, the guys at iFixIt tear it open and find that nothing inside is user-replaceable or even user-serviceable. Finally, and because of that, the guy at 9to5Mac says you'd better purchase AppleCare to protect it for three years, though it will likely get outdated or superseded in two.

Cupertino has been clever for years, but they're coming fast to that crossroads or tipping point where it no longer becomes worth it, competition is catching up, and users are willing to jump ship to a different platform.

On a side note, what good is that 'environment friendly' chart they always tout, when nothing is upgradable and the whole system has to be tossed when it goes bad or becomes obsolete because it can't be tweaked anymore?

Well, hey, at least it's beryllium-free, right?

What he could have said is "you need to purchase Apple care or go else ware". It is a sad day for me, as I read this and realize that I will probably be moving away from Mac on my next purchase. I have both Mac and PCs (my wife does not like OSX), and I have fewer issues with both software (Windows 10) and hardware upgrades on the PC.

 

[Constable Odo]

I understand the hate of the way Apple is building non-upgradeable laptops but won't other brands eventually have to go the same way if they're going to compete with Apple for having the thinnest laptop? From what I've heard, the HP X360 Spectre also can't be upgraded without breaking the warrantee. Where's all the non-stop hate for that company? Don't get me wrong. I definitely don't like the idea of computers that are non-upgradeable, and it may get to the point where you'll need to build your own computer for ease of upgrading. Most tablets can't be upgraded so consumers have gotten used to that fact. I'm guessing but most people probably don't upgrade their desktops or laptops, but I think the ease of repairability if something does break is very important. Any Apple product I'd buy would have to have AppleCare. I still don't like the idea of having to turn my hard drive over to repair people but it's been that way for Apple products for a long time. When you buy an Apple product, there's always compromises that have to be made. I just wish Apple had a policy where they could pull the drive out in front of you and give it back but clearly that's not going to happen.

 

[bobdobalina]

edit

 

[miknos]

Good way to charge for insurance/warranty.

 

[jayducharme]

How is this PRO?????

I think at this point Apple is using the word "Pro" for identification and marketing purposes rather than to indicate any actual functionality. I don't know many "Pros" who would be able to get by with a 256 gb hard drive these days. Logic Pro alone is a nearly 100 gb installation. The soldered connections allow Apple to create sleeker devices, but eliminate any ability to upgrade. It used to be that "Pro" devices were upgradable and adaptable. I can understand Apple's move toward externalizing peripherals like optical drives and SD readers. But I can't add more memory and system drive space via USB-C (at least not at this point).

Perhaps Apple's practice will make anyone who buys a MacBook Pro feel better about themselves, since they obviously must become a pro just by using it.

 

[Constable Odo]

You know what one of the most common problems for a huge host of issues with laptops was before soldered RAM and SSDs? Poorly seated connections. By soldering these things in, Apple has saved themselves millions on repair time and costs.

SSD quality is great these days. Failure rates are low. Replacing a couple logic boards is a fine tradeoff for the huge payoff of killing all the support issues due to having to reseat RAM or hard drives.

I definitely believe Apple is trying to make things as simple as possible for customer service repairs. It's easier to trouble-shoot a product if everything is in the original state. I'm not sure if Apple is carrying this too far but I do see an advantage to Apple. However, even if they swap the logic board for free, they still have my data information on it and I don't know where it's going to end up. If I'm able to wipe the "drive" before I turn it in for repairs, all well and good, but if it suddenly dies, I can't to anything to protect my secured data. Some non-bonded service person can do anything with that data. That's very frustrating. Maybe with the Touch ID (and secure enclave) system on the MacBook Pro everything stays secure, so that would help me sleep better at night.

 

[Appleaker]

Imagine the cost of replacing a top of the line motherboard....

 

[dominiongamma]

Apple really has dumb down the macs for kids it's sad we can't modify our macs anymore

 

[ValSalva]

Except that the price of lenses don't drop exponentially every year. Quite the opposite - cameras and video equipment are producing larger and larger files. The only solution here is to use external disks

With Apple products the latest and most up to date products do not decrease that much generation over generation. I'm just talking about the initial purchase. With high end lenses manufactures often make newer models, Mark II's for example, rendering the older ones less valuable. But I agree with you. It's not ideal. It would be great to be able to update a PCI-e SSD. The only problem with third party SSD's is lack of TRIM support. Too bad you couldn't buy new PCI-e SSD's from Apple, lol, like Apple would ever do that …

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

Everyone should be backing up their data on a regular basis regardless of whether the SSD is removable or not.

Don't bother mate, this guy is a complete joke.
He not only edited his comment to steer clear of your response..

But he had literally copied his own comment from here -

"By soldering the storage to the board, if anything else goes wrong on the logic board you also lose all your data. You can't simply remove the SSD and recover the data anymore."
http://www.pcmag.com/news/349613/15-inch-macbook-pro-uses-a-non-removable-ssd

 

[bobdobalina]

edit

 

[Khemsmtl]

That's funny how they used to create iPhones who work like computers and now they are making computers like phones