Apple Planned Obsolescence

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Bill, Dec 16, 2014.

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  1. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    I will say that Apple has made some of the newer iMacs a real PITA to replace hard drives, etc. Ram soldered to the motherboard on the smaller models ?
    That's bad.
     
  2. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    I believe the newer MBP's are the same way, or so I've read. :(

    I actually plan on replacing my HDD on my 2011 MBP with an SSD and it looks fairly easy to do -- unscrew bottom cover and pull off / replace HDD with SSD and rebuild OS. I guess those days are over, though.
     
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  3. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    Most users never add RAM or change the hard drives. Buy what you need to begin with and you will never need to open the case. Makes sense to me (and apparently Apple).
     
  4. I guess you never have read my posts. It was a tongue and cheek snarky statement. I do it often and when I include that hat man. thats the hint.

    But seriously for a laptop and that price level, I would pay the $400. and get a Mac for so many reasons. But I would probably get $200 off as well because I get an Education discount. But this time it wasn't for me
     
  5. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Yep that's really easy. I've done two HD upgrades at work in the last two weeks.

    Other World Computing has a nice little tool kit available to speed things along.
     
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  6. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    I've never had a computer where I didn't upgrade ram or hd or graphics card or whatever. I would never buy my ram from Apple, as they totally jack the price up.

    Apple 32gb ram for iMac =$600
    Crucial 32gb ram for iMac=$316
     
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  7. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Needs change, that's the problem. Also, you may start with X amount of RAM, and then four years later you've upgraded to the latest version of the OS and X isn't really good enough anymore. Or maybe that 256GB SSD is maxed out and you now want to bump things up a bit.

    On this same MBP of mine, I didn't buy the SSD or extra RAM at the time because I knew I could upgrade them later as SSD / RAM prices dropped (not sure if RAM prices really did, but SSD's certainly dropped in price). Not sure what I'm going to do if my next MBP purchase has no upgradability but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
     
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  8. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    If you keep a computer long enough, memory prices come down enough to make upgrading a reasonable option. I've done it on two older PCs in the past.
     
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  9. ElvisCaprice

    ElvisCaprice Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jaco, Costa Rica
    Well if Apple says so it must be okay!! LOL, just kidding.
    Actually a lot of the newer PC's are doing the same thing. I think the surface model is soldered in.
    My thought is, I only buy what I need now. When the time comes for a new model for new needs, dump the older unit back onto the market. Go new.
    When we getting Windows 10?
     
  10. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    I shouldn't post in this thread. I'm on record as hating Apple, and that won't change. It always amazes me when they do things as outlined in this thread, and then people will defend their doing it. It's an Apple disease, and it means their feet are never held to the fire. A computer that is difficult to add memory too, or a hard disc too, it useless. I'm sorry - but in the 60-odd years computers have been about, we're supposed to go backwards?!? Or if we want a change, get a new model? It's a terrible disposable society we live in.

    Back in the 80's I'd upgrade CPU's, hard discs, memory, on a regular basis. You shouldn't have to buy a whole new machine to have the privilege. It's a retrograde step, and it's anti-consumer. Apple do it because they want you to have to go back to them to find a solution.

    I just don't get it. But I never will, so...........
     
  11. mikeyt

    mikeyt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    It's a breeze to upgrade. I just added a SSD to my 2009 MBP, prices on Black Friday were killer so I couldn't resist. I'm even considering replacing the SuperDrive for more storage.
     
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  12. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Keep in mind that not every Mac user is a fanboy. The MBP's were historically pretty good in the upgrade department (see mikeyt's post, above) - but I believe Apple did away with that on the 2013 models or newer. It will likely be something I'll need to consider when I'm looking for a new laptop eventually.
     
  13. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    Its a tool with a lifespan. The technology moves so fast that upgrades to hardware is nearly pointless. I have been doing this computer thing for a long time (mid 80's), built many PCs for myself and others, owned different brands and operating systems. I like Apple because it requires the least amount of attention. It lets me do what I want and need without getting into the guts. I don't want to swap drives or add RAM. Its an appliance, a useful appliance. For those who have computers as a hobby fine. Been there and done that, I was into amateur radio as well until cellphones made that moot. Apple products give me what I want. I don't even have to think about it. PCs can be cheeper and even hands off but that hasn't been my experience. Hate Apple all you want.
     
  14. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Understood and I can see your POV (I'm an old DIY'er as well, and I guess I still am to a certain extent). But I liked the privilege, and I guess it was a privilege, of upgradability - even on a Mac. But where I don't agree are that upgrades are pointless....they can be useful on PC's, on MBP's and really any device that allows it because it allows the consumer to hold off on the inevitable hardware upgrade as long as possible.

    With my MBP the HDD to SSD upgrade is going to likely breath new life into this old device, so again I'm happy that I can do that.
     
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  15. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    To counter this buy with a view toward the future, if today you need 4GB of RAM buy 8GB of RAM. Or go hog wild and buy the largest RAM array available and have it factory installed. This should cover you for the lifespan of the device. Same with storage drives. If I never have to open a computer again that would suit me well.
     
  16. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    Ok, so $300 over six years is $50 a year. Or less than $4.20 a month for the same amount of time. I pay more than that for Netflix (and get less of a benefit). Computers are Ephemera, they aren't meant to last beyond a certain predictable lifespan.
     
  17. Baron Von Talbot

    Baron Von Talbot Well-Known Member

    Even i found it easy to stuff 2 4GB moduls inside my first generation Mac Mini. That thing-y works flawlessly and i am still using the same OS x version that was inside. I upgraded that one as long as Snow Leopard got replaced by another predator. I may or may not be able to use the latest gimmicks or all IOS features but i don't mind as long as I can surf and watch youTube videos and listen to my 35.000 pls music files and sync it with my even older iPd.
    Unless you are the type to stay on top of what's new app-wise. i use them zero, got no cell phones neither.
    What sets great hardware apart from not so good is how stable it is. Hardly ever freezes on me..and if the functionality is given under serious conditions.
    We all know about the russian computer super powers, like a Kalshnikov they will always function. Stalin-organs, T 32 tanks - all really cheap, primitive technique compared with what was build in germany or the US but it always di a mean job.
    Same with the SOJUS computers and the stuff for the first space orbiter. electronics that are reliable for decades.
    Another interesting fact. The ESA recently landed on an asteroid way outside of our solar system 28 light minutes away from frankfurt. the flight took 14 years (!). That means al of the computer hard + software was already 15 years old BUt still reacted precisely to each manouver and controlled all of the parameters of that space vehicle.
    Asked if it was not frustrating to work with such dated PC technique the answer was. we need something as basic and simple as possible to do the job. We cannot use the most advanced technique for this kind of operations and there is a lot of truth in it.
    Unless you are a geek run 2 systems. One as a server/base for your audio + video documents OR your workflow and one mobile device you can exchange every 12, 18 or 14 months to stay on top of the latest wave !
     
  18. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    I mentioned this before, but just to reiterate -- what if I bought with a "best guess" (essentially) that I'd need 8GB in the future and then it ends up that I needed 12GB? The whole reason behind upgrades such as these is to offset that cost until later, if needed, and with the hope that the prices drop later on. But also that it's hard to gauge your needs three years from now, it's really just a best guess.

    Again I'll use SSD's as a prefect example - I considered it at the time but the prices were way too high. The prices today are much lower and the upgradibility allows me to do this without having to buy a new laptop today.

    Basically, I still don't agree with you, nor Apple's decision to do away with these types of user upgrades. I think it's a bad decision on their part.
     
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  19. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    For the vast majority of users Apple's decision makes sense. For advanced users it may represent a lost opportunity and I understand your desire to have the option.
     
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  20. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Agreed and a good point. I should have written "a bad decision for power users like myself", probably a more accurate statement.

    Doesn't mean I won't miss that option though. :)
     
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  21. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    98% of people don't upgrade their computers, or don't know how. If I owned a business with global profit aspirations, I would chase the 98%, not the 2%.

    And as a result, they're the most profitable company in the world.
     
  22. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    $300 = 30 nice used records that will last a lot longer than 6 years.
     
  23. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I'm wondering why those computers are dead. Are they really dead, did they just become obsolete, or did some small part wear out that the owner just didn't know how to repair?
     
  24. mikeyt

    mikeyt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Me too. My computer wasn't slow by any means, and I'm still running Snow Leopard bc it works flawlessly with everything I need to do. But adding a SSD was like drizzling truffle oil on top of my same old favorite meal. I like the option to maximize my machine's potential when I can and when I want, rather than going for broke (literally & figuratively) when purchasing the machine new. Sometimes needs change, and I'd prefer to adapt my tools when I need to. Saves money and headaches. But that's just me.
     
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  25. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    True, its up to you how to prioritize. For me $300 is inconsequential sum over the life of the computer. And not having to open the case makes it worth it to me.
     
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