Why is the retina Macbook unrepairable? Why is the RAM soldered? How can you upgrade the memory then? Why is the battery glued? Why is the LCD also glued to the laptop? Why all this?
I would have planned to buy one today but will decide not to anymore.
Logic Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.1)
Dealer's Choice.
Spend more and buy what you need now, that's the mentality. Personally, I think it is a bad move.
Dealer's Choice.
Spend more and buy what you need now, that's the mentality. Personally, I think it is a bad move.
All anyone here can say is "because that's the way Apple designed it". I'm sure they had reasons they felt were valid to them.
If it doesn't meet your needs, by all means don't buy it. I don't think anyone of us here, your fellow users, will fault you for deciding not to buy a product you don't feel meets your requirements.
Doesnt the macbook air do the same? The new retina macbook, feels more like a.... macBook Air Pro
The retina MBP is not "unrepairable" at all. Whatever gave you that idea? Apple will be happy to repair it, either under warranty or for a price, depending on whether it's covered or not when it needs repair.
To make a computer with replaceable parts requires slots, screws, bolts, cables, struts, and guides. Room must be built into the design to allow tools and fingers access. The result is the 'old style' MacBook Pro that many of us love so much. While not nearly as 'take apartble' as your typical chunky Dell or HP, it is pretty much a joy to work on.
How can you make the computer yet slimmer and lighter? Do away with all of the above and design a computer that has a logic board where every component is totally surface mounted. Drop the screws and use glue instead. The result is a computer that can't be upgraded but the cost has been trimmed along with the weight and size.
Apple gave consumers the choice of a MacBook and a MacBook Air at the same price point and the consumer chose the MBA by a wide enough margin that the MacBook was dropped. The consumer spoke and Apple listened. So now the pro user has been offered the same choice....
A reviewer had an interesting take on the conundrum. In his view, Apple is putting out a question to the customer base: "what kind of MBP do you want? A fully serviceable, upgradeable system with more weight and size or a sealed "don't worry of what's inside" system that's use and discard? Let your wallet do the talking and after awhile we'll use the sales figures to decide which way to go."
I would pray that reason prevail and sensible users resist drinking the current Retina Kool Aid. However, what will probably occur is that the stupidified and consumerized masses will go gaga with just a gimmicky display and force a closed system fully onto the rest of us. And Jobs will get one last laugh from the grave.
eww wrote:
The retina MBP is not "unrepairable" at all. Whatever gave you that idea? Apple will be happy to repair it, either under warranty or for a price, depending on whether it's covered or not when it needs repair.
And "repair" will most probably entail gutting the thing and just replacing the entire insides, if not the whole unit. Not green at all. The AppleCare sticker price will probably be quite a shock...
The AppleCare sticker price, which is plainly stated on the Retina MBP store pages, is exactly the same as it was for previous 15" MBPs, and will probably be discounted by resellers just as the old AC price was.
I think that is absolutely correct. In order to achieve the ultra-slim footprint that seems to be so successful for Apple they had to alter the assembelies. The repair now will be total replacement, not parts unless they and others figure out how to unsolder and re-solder major componants. I personally prefer the older style because I can upgrade ram and HD's much easier and also for much less money. When it comes to an optical drive, I prefer one, because I have too many situations where I am handed information in that format, though I can work around having no built in drive or even FW ports, the USB 3.0 is very nice and I'll have to see what TB connections and adopters will be around as well as when manufactoreres start brining the drives down in price. What I don't understand is the choice of all or nothing. Why do away with the Retina screen on the legacy style MBP and force us down the thin-line model if we want that screen?
If Apple happens to be cruising these forums, what I really, really would like to see is the upgradable slightly thicker version that I still like, with the retina display. Don't see why they couldn't do both if they are doing a split line now. I'm seriously thinking about waiting to the next refresh to see which direction they will go. Even at a little more money, I would pay for old style with Retina. I don't know why Apple is forcing that particular choice. Cake and eat it too. Yessssssssss.
Last point. I have played with the new Retina models, and they are extremely light and fast and that screen is a game changer for visual content work. Pretty nice. If Apple would just tweak the line to give us a little more flexibility It would be awesome.
But if Apple did that, would the 'ultralite' version sell very well? I do not know a single pro currently using ThB. I like what I see and I am sure it will catch on, but until it does, I'll stick with FW800 which is solid. Editors in fixed suites will not be bothered by the lack of a DVD drive because they will be working on MacPro towers but field work is a different ball game. But I still say the real issue is with people using the computer for a multi-purpose machine. DVDs are not going away anytime soon - I'll arbitrarily guess a decade. And, as I have said before, people want physical media.
It appears that the drive to ultra-thin is being driven by user desire, I think they will buy it. But many would also still buy the older style, especially if it had the retina display. But there are work-arounds. Portable optical drives are available. As I said above, it would be awesome to not have to choose between the new monitor and the usability and expandibility of the older style.
eww wrote:
The AppleCare sticker price, which is plainly stated on the Retina MBP store pages, is exactly the same as it was for previous 15" MBPs, and will probably be discounted by resellers just as the old AC price was.
Let's wait six months or so when they have a big pile of unrepairable Retinas with dead batteries or else at the service centers and the bottom line starts to get eaten up by all the units not sold cause they had to be used for replacements. After all, this is version 1.0 of the new technology and an old sysadmin saw was "never trust a 'point-oh' release".
People have made fully functional computers with 8 GB RAM that fit is a 1 in by 1 in by 1 in cube. The problem is they have 1 control port that is proprietary to the designed use.
Small and light means harder access.
When you put parts of portable computers in sockets, reliability goes way, way down. Portable computers get banged around a lot. Sockets are nothing but trouble. So the processor has been soldered to the board for a long time. Not to vex you, but because it is more reliable that way.
Now the price of memory has come way down. Eliminate the gold-plated connectors and solder the chips to the board and the reliability goes up.
Removable heavy devices like Drives have to be connected with flex cables, because of the amount of force and vibration that can be generated between major components. Replace that heavy drive and its flex cables with a circuit board in a socket with a retaining screw, and no cable needed. There are no replacements today, but I expect there will be, surprisingly soon.
Why is the retina Macbook unrepairable? Why is the RAM soldered? How can you upgrade the memory then? Why is the battery glued? Why is the LCD also glued to the laptop? Why all this?
None of the people I watched leave the Apple Store today with their brand new MacBooks seemed to care.
No fewer than four of them in about a half hour, right after lunch.
the hippie wrote:
I would have planned to buy one today but will decide not to anymore.
Good for you!
I thought I mention this as thes people usually have security and privacy concerns.
1: SSD's/flash are not "scrubbable" like hard drives are.
2: One can't open the MBP-R to remove/replace the SSD for destruction. (Well they could remove it, but it makes the machine worthless.)
3: Best one can do is enable Filevault 2, but the password is required to repair the machine, for Customs and court orders, etc. Of course someone skilled can easily break the password.
The SSD is on a proprietary daughtercard, meaning it could be replaced by Apple, however no mention of a policy or procedure concerning a users private data and if the old SSD is given to the user for destruction or can be accessed via outside enclosure means.
All in all I would assume at this point the SSD is replaceable only if defective, then only by Apple.
You will have to be careful who you hand that MBP Retina machine down to later, as there is no way to ensure the data on it is destroyed.
Many people don't realize this, but data on SSD's and in closed devices (iPhones, iPads etc) are accessible with the right technology, even if it's encrypted.
Why is the retina Macbook unrepairable? Why is the RAM soldered? How can you upgrade the memory then? Why is the battery glued? Why is the LCD also glued to the laptop? Why all this?
