The Dixons Approach Arrives At Apple?

[Macman45]

This really belongs elsewhere, but this seems the closest place to post it I have access to...So.

With the introduction of the new MBP, the disregard for Pro users, and the discontinuation of lines that don't make volume sales, have Apple started to suffer from the Dixons / PC World, approach?

You can no longer upgrade your own RAM, buy it from us at purchase time at our prices...( UK members will remember this approach in PC world well) Okay, I'm prepared to accept that there are perfectly good technical reasons for the way in which these boards have been designed, but it just has a whiff of PC World about it.

It also opens a new revenue stream for Apple...We all know how expensive RAM and peripherals are from them, some chose to purchase, others, myself included chose to shop around for better deals elsewhere.

This is a good thing. It keeps Apple on Their toes, and gives the consumer more choice.

I'm not knocking the new lines, times move on and we all have to move with them, but this just begins to smell a little of the approach you'd get in a UK Dixons / PC World store.

The Pro range? Remains to be seen what happens, but the guy at the steering wheel was as we all know a former adopter and employee of these chains.

I hope I'm wrong, but is that kind of approach coming to Apple? Look between the lines, the hype and excitement, and you can detect a little of it I think.

I hope sincerely that I'm wrong.

 

[FrankHahn]

I think that it is OK if they keep the original MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro lines. The new retina MacBook Pro has almost the same un-upgradability as the MacBook Air.

I hope that Apple does not make the iMac and Mac Pro less upgradable. If Apple chooses to make the iMac more user-upgradable, it will be greatly praised!

 

[Macman45]

I think that it is OK if they keep the original MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro lines. The new retina MacBook Pro has almost the same un-upgradability as the MacBook Air.

I hope that Apple does not make the iMac and Mac Pro less upgradable. If Apple chooses to make the iMac more user-upgradable, it will be greatly praised!

I agree, it's just a concern of mine. I really can't see Apple going down that road, but in the really bad old day's when Packard Bell et. al. were what newbie users got from these superstores, it left a sour taste in the mouth when after learning a little they realised that you couldn't even install a dial up ISA or PCI card without a "Technician" (Actually you could, but it wasn't easy) I am hoping for a new Mac Pro next year...I am still on target for my upgrade path, but others have not been so lucky.

It remains to be seen what will happen to the iMac pre-2013, but there does appear to be a glimmer of hope on the horizon after yesterdays announcements from the WWDC.

I would never wish to return to a Windows computing environment, but I can understand the feelings of those badly let down this year.

 

[rdowns]

Yes, the guy from Dixon's started last month and had impact on products developed months ago.

 

[Macman45]

Yes, the guy from Dixon's started last month and had impact on products developed months ago.

It's not the products so much as the ethos I was thinking about...Probably just a knee jerk thing.

 

[Ap0ks]

You can no longer upgrade your own RAM, buy it from us at purchase time at our prices...( UK members will remember this approach in PC world well) Okay, I'm prepared to accept that there are perfectly good technical reasons for the way in which these boards have been designed, but it just has a whiff of PC World about it.

Erm, last I checked you could install your own RAM, the only exception being models where it is soldered to the logic board to achieve a reduction in size.

There is no whiff of PC World at all, firstly as pointed out by others the Macbook Air used the non-upgradeable approach and that was long before Apple hired a Dixons retail guy. Secondly PC World are a retailer that have to make margins on a suppliers pricing so they tend to try forcing up-sell of RAM and other upgrades by their own techs rather than DIY or elsewhere, whereas Apple are the supplier and retailer so they can make their margins along any step of the process.

 

[Chundles]

Erm, last I checked you could install your own RAM, the only exception being models where it is soldered to the logic board to achieve a reduction in size.

There is no whiff of PC World at all, firstly as pointed out by others the Macbook Air used the non-upgradeable approach and that was long before Apple hired a Dixons retail guy. Secondly PC World are a retailer that have to make margins on a suppliers pricing so they tend to try forcing up-sell of RAM and other upgrades by their own techs rather than DIY or elsewhere, whereas Apple are the supplier and retailer so they can make their margins along any step of the process.

The Retina MacBook Pro has RAM soldered to the logic board. Upgrading to 16GB is not too badly priced considering the vendor... It's basically a sealed unit - there's no reason for the user to ever open it.

The regular MacBook Pros though, HDD and RAM are easily accessible and upgrading them is a piece of cake.

 

[Ap0ks]

Exactly Chundles, as I pointed out, the only exceptions are the Air and the new Retina MBP where RAM is soldered to the logic board to make the overall laptop slimmer.

Are there any ultraportables that offer upgradeable RAM slots? I'm pretty sure the Sony Vaio Z is a sealed until except for the battery.