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As the title said: Why doesn't Apple use standard M.2 SSDs like everybody else?

I know that someone is going to say that Apple's proprietary form factor precedes M.2, but at this point M.2 is standard.

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Apple can charge extortionate prices by using a proprietary connector. And it does.
 
I think it's because Apple gets better performance out of their SSDs

The Samsung 960 Pro is just as fast.

My guess is that Apple had to go with a proprietary design because Samsung (and others) only produced OEM components at the time the original rMBPs were introduced. Since then Samsung produced standardized components (950 Pro), but the Apple engineers had already tweaked their design for higher capacities and it worked very well, so why change it.
 
Maybe cause if it should break it's much easier for them to replace it... they only need to keep one kind of drive in their Apple stores. So when your drive fails and you bring it in, they simply yank it out and insert the spare. Also they only need to have one typ of drive enclosure in case your logic board fails and you want to keep the drive as a external drive. It's a no brainer.... cheaper for them, cheaper for you. Everybody is a winner.
 
They can charge extortionate prices just like anyone else, regardless of using proprietary or not. Its up to the consumer to determine if they feel that its worth the cost.

Let's not forget the fact that the target audience that these systems are designed for, can make up the price of the laptop in probably one project.
 
Let's not forget the fact that the target audience that these systems are designed for, can make up the price of the laptop in probably one project.
Yup, or that other makers like Microsoft charge even more and is just as locked down.

I have a Surface Book, and for a 13" laptop, its incredibly expensive, topping out at over 2 grand. I opted for the base unit for my needs, but the fact remains that is a very expensive computer.
 
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Likewise with the haters.

"Fashion statement". Really?

Yes, "fashion statement". There is a reason that Gizmodo's review on the new touch bar MacBook Pro's listed, among its top "cons" for these systems, that there is no rose gold option.

There is a not insignificant portion of Apple consumers that buy Apple products for their appearance.
 
Yes, "fashion statement". There is a reason that Gizmodo's review on the new touch bar MacBook Pro's listed, among its top "cons" for these systems, that there is no rose gold option.

There is a not insignificant portion of Apple consumers that buy Apple products for their appearance.
That's really great for Gizmodo.

Apple products? Sure. The Apple Watch is a fashion statement. The iPhone is as well, to a certain extent. A MBP? Not the same thing.
 
I once had someone ask me if they should buy a MacBook Air, because that is what everyone at Starbucks has.

Honestly, that sounds kind of elitist and snobby.

If a lot of people in public had them and someone didn't understand why (and especially if they've only heard negative things), I would certainly give someone the benefit of the doubt to ask why they're popular or why they'd want one themselves.
I've had the same conversation with my parents at one point and I definitely don't think less of them because they have different experiences or preferences back in the day...
 
I wouldn't say these products are fashion statements, but they are definitely somewhat of a social symbol. Any Apple device is something a lot of people want just because other people have it, and it's what they see on TV/in the movies. Also, everyone else has it so Apple markets it so that you need to have this device to feel cool. I personally don't care for it, but this is happening left and right, especially with teenagers. This is just indicative of the successful marketing campaign Apple runs.
 
I personally believe that by locking the SSD like that they've forced the consumer to indulge into buying the Premium editions of each variation. Because you can't upgrade the system you're force to purchase the higher edition, much like how Iphone Sales work. Most people buy mid level and up while the entry levels exist, they don't sell high thus leading to better sales for apple. At the same token that also made it very hard for the consumer to swallow spending nearly 3 grand, because for the average 15' macbook user consumer the entry point had to be spending $2700 and nothing less to get at least 512GB, which is very high for a floor, I mean that floor is like most people's ceilings lol..

And that hurts, no doubt about that...
 
That's really great for Gizmodo.

Apple products? Sure. The Apple Watch is a fashion statement. The iPhone is as well, to a certain extent. A MBP? Not the same thing.

I am not sure about that. Do you remember all the people saying Apple must ship a matte black MBP? And people that were upset that the new MBP Apple logo on the back of the display does not glow? And then there is the whole popularity of decal/skins.
 
I once had someone ask me if they should buy a MacBook Air, because that is what everyone at Starbucks has.

If everybody has a Surface Pro at Starbucks, that what people would be asking you about. It is not a fashion statement. I was asked if someone should get a Galaxy phone because that was the most common ones they saw. Is that a fashion statement?
 
If everybody has a Surface Pro at Starbucks, that what people would be asking you about. It is not a fashion statement. I was asked if someone should get a Galaxy phone because that was the most common ones they saw. Is that a fashion statement?

A fashion statement is anything that a person decides to buy in order to be noticed. Somebody using or wearing it at a Starbucks is inconsequential. They could be using it at a McDonald's or Burger King, but that does negate it being a fashion statement.

It does not have to be an article of clothing or a piece of jewelry. It can be any object that somebody has.

A pink MacBook Pro with Touch Bar would be a fashion statement, and the fact that industry media sources are decrying the lack of a pink color option is quite telling in that regard.

Furthermore, this is also a testament to the popularity of the Apple brand. Being that popular also means that it will be thought of as a fashion statement to a certain element of the population, and I would tend to believe that that segment does not read these forums very often, if at all, as they usually don't care about the technical aspects of such things. You would be hard pressed to find a person that would buy a MacBook Pro solely because it was pink, and would also care about the NVMe SSD inside, or the fact that both the RAM and SSD are soldered.
 
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I don't apple engineers are sitting in a room and thinking lets create a product that can't be upgraded on purpose. Their obsession is design and performance usually leads them to seek out he best method to achieve that. Additionally based on the performance numbers the SSD in the new MacBook Pro 2016 is likely based on the Samsung 960 PRO since the performance numbers are identical with a custom controller from Apple to make it more energy efficient.

Unless you have sit in on a meeting how would you know? I would "Guess" the complete opposite. Designing soldered in memory, and non replaceable hard drives is a great way to add revenue. I am sure they discussed it explicitly.

I am sure that design requires adjustments to the type of parts used, batteries, etc., but still I dont think anything is done on a corporate level at Apple by chance or with good will towards the end user.
 
That's really great for Gizmodo.

Apple products? Sure. The Apple Watch is a fashion statement. The iPhone is as well, to a certain extent. A MBP? Not the same thing.

I spent a lot of time studying in the library before the midterms and finals.

I look around and I see a lot of people using MacBook Pros, but somehow I highly doubt that they are making blockbuster movies using Final Cut Pro.
 
Nope.

2 TB 960 Pro does about 2.8 GB/s sustained read: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-960-pro-ssd-review,4774-2.html

Late 2016 MBP does about 3.3 GB/s sustained read: https://macperformanceguide.com/MacBookPro2016-SSD.html

I'm curious. Why are you comparing the 128k transfer size result from Tomshardware, to the numbers for the 128M transfer size from Macperformanceguide.com?

You should be comparing the TH data to the 128k numbers from this graph on MPG:

IMG_0755.PNG
 
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