8 ms·

>"They built those things to last, last a lifetime," Hustwit says. "And if they did break, they built them to be repaired very easily." You know. Kind of like

>"They built those things to last, last a lifetime," Hustwit says. "And if they did break, they built them to be repaired very easily." You know. Kind of like a MacBook.

on_and_off 8y ago
I miss the old macbookpros (and by old I mean 2011 I think ? ) You could replace the battery, RAM, hard drive, optical drive and maybe even CPU (I haven't tried that last one) yourself, with just a screwdriver.
- nanomonkey 8y ago
  I'm writing this on a 2008 MacBook which I've replaced the HD and optical drive with ssd, upgraded the RAM and repeatedly replaced battery. If I could update the CPU and screen I would.
  - jacobush 8y ago
    If you can update the screen... or at least replace it if it breaks. IIRC there are 3rd party screens for it.
    - nanomonkey 8y ago
      Yes, replacements can be had. What I would really like is an upgrade...ie a 1080p screen over the current 1280x800, and perhaps a faster CPU and motherboard. The battery chemistry also leaves something to be desired. I saw a huge difference upgrading the HD. Enough so, that it's still a usable machine that I tend to gravitate towards more than my 13" Dell XPS with 4k screen.
- amelius 8y ago
  I prefer PCs for not locking software to the platform. I can still run Linux on my 386.
- phreeza 8y ago
  Well I suppose there is not much stopping you from still using one of those, right? Except the technology is quite outdated now, so in a way it is a bit moot how maintainable the hardware is, beyond a certain point. Unless they went an extra step, and made things like the processor or even the motherboard upgradeable.
_emacsomancer_ 8y ago
I don't have much experience with MacBooks, but ThinkPads (at least certain lines) are very much of this nature. I have a 2008 ThinkPad which is still usable and in great condition (I've upgraded various things on it, which the design also makes relatively easy).
- dredmorbius 8y ago
  Where / how do you upgrade?
  - _emacsomancer_ 8y ago
    At home. The ThinkPads come with comprehensive manuals and one can easily (by undoing one screw) change the drive, (by undoing a couple of screws) upgrade memory, (by undoing a few screws) replace the screen, (by undoing a few more screws) replace the keyboard and/or access the motherboard.
    - goldcd 8y ago
      I've not taken a thinkpad apart for a long time - but my memory of upgrading them is a great one. Yes, they have the technical manuals easily available - but they had the information embedded in their molds for the parts. e.g. If you wanted to 'upgrade the memory' you just removed every screw that had a 'memory logo' next to the screw and then wiggled stuff to see what moved. Eventually you'd see a nice empty memory slot.
      - _emacsomancer_ 8y ago
        Yes, that's true. I think the main thing I actually referred to the manual for was the screen (esp. on the X200 where it was a bit trickier; later models are easier). The other bits are more or less intuitive, aided by the icons as you point out.
    - dredmorbius 8y ago
      Thanks. I've done basics (mem, HDD/SSD), not keyboard or display.
ozaark 8y ago
/s? Apple are one of the worst offenders
addicted 8y ago
I agree regarding the original MBP and MacBooks. RAM and batteries were easily replaceable. The keyboard, hard disk and several other components were replaceable with a little bit of effort. I don’t believe any of that is true of Apples current lineup.
- snazz 8y ago
  This [edit for clarity: the GP] appears to be intended to be sarcastic. You’re right, but you may have missed the sarcasm, which we know transmits poorly over text-based mediums.
  - HillaryBriss 8y ago
    you're right. thanks. and yet, it's interesting/educational to me that the ambiguity elicited differing responses depending upon the model year of the MBP. the things used to be maintainable! but, nowadays, when a single key starts malfunctioning, it's a pretty significant repair job, a big problem.
umvi 8y ago
I bought a MacBook Pro and a Chromebook 5 years ago. Guess which one I've had to replace the hard drive twice and has slowly become unusable over the course of several OS upgrades and which is just as good as the day I bought it? Chromebook is still ticking, MacBook I gave away. Pretty shameful for being 10x the price of the chromebook
pbhjpbhj 8y ago
So something basic like changing the battery, or adding new memory/drives ... the YouTube repairers are lying when they say you have to entirely dismantle, unglue, fight Apple's customs interventions and suing of parts suppliers?? [Sorry, I just realised this can only be sarcasm.]

>"They built those things to last, last a lifetime," Hustwit says. "And if they did break, they built them to be repaired very easily." You know. Kind of like a MacBook.

on_and_off 8y ago

I miss the old macbookpros (and by old I mean 2011 I think ? ) You could replace the battery, RAM, hard drive, optical drive and maybe even CPU (I haven't tried that last one) yourself, with just a screwdriver.

nanomonkey 8y ago
I'm writing this on a 2008 MacBook which I've replaced the HD and optical drive with ssd, upgraded the RAM and repeatedly replaced battery. If I could update the CPU and screen I would.
- jacobush 8y ago
  If you can update the screen... or at least replace it if it breaks. IIRC there are 3rd party screens for it.
  - nanomonkey 8y ago
    Yes, replacements can be had. What I would really like is an upgrade...ie a 1080p screen over the current 1280x800, and perhaps a faster CPU and motherboard. The battery chemistry also leaves something to be desired. I saw a huge difference upgrading the HD. Enough so, that it's still a usable machine that I tend to gravitate towards more than my 13" Dell XPS with 4k screen.
amelius 8y ago
I prefer PCs for not locking software to the platform. I can still run Linux on my 386.
phreeza 8y ago
Well I suppose there is not much stopping you from still using one of those, right? Except the technology is quite outdated now, so in a way it is a bit moot how maintainable the hardware is, beyond a certain point. Unless they went an extra step, and made things like the processor or even the motherboard upgradeable.

_emacsomancer_ 8y ago

I don't have much experience with MacBooks, but ThinkPads (at least certain lines) are very much of this nature. I have a 2008 ThinkPad which is still usable and in great condition (I've upgraded various things on it, which the design also makes relatively easy).

dredmorbius 8y ago
Where / how do you upgrade?
- _emacsomancer_ 8y ago
  At home. The ThinkPads come with comprehensive manuals and one can easily (by undoing one screw) change the drive, (by undoing a couple of screws) upgrade memory, (by undoing a few screws) replace the screen, (by undoing a few more screws) replace the keyboard and/or access the motherboard.
  - goldcd 8y ago
    I've not taken a thinkpad apart for a long time - but my memory of upgrading them is a great one. Yes, they have the technical manuals easily available - but they had the information embedded in their molds for the parts. e.g. If you wanted to 'upgrade the memory' you just removed every screw that had a 'memory logo' next to the screw and then wiggled stuff to see what moved. Eventually you'd see a nice empty memory slot.
    - _emacsomancer_ 8y ago
      Yes, that's true. I think the main thing I actually referred to the manual for was the screen (esp. on the X200 where it was a bit trickier; later models are easier). The other bits are more or less intuitive, aided by the icons as you point out.
  - dredmorbius 8y ago
    Thanks. I've done basics (mem, HDD/SSD), not keyboard or display.

ozaark 8y ago

/s? Apple are one of the worst offenders

addicted 8y ago

I agree regarding the original MBP and MacBooks. RAM and batteries were easily replaceable. The keyboard, hard disk and several other components were replaceable with a little bit of effort. I don’t believe any of that is true of Apples current lineup.

snazz 8y ago
This [edit for clarity: the GP] appears to be intended to be sarcastic. You’re right, but you may have missed the sarcasm, which we know transmits poorly over text-based mediums.
- HillaryBriss 8y ago
  you're right. thanks. and yet, it's interesting/educational to me that the ambiguity elicited differing responses depending upon the model year of the MBP. the things used to be maintainable! but, nowadays, when a single key starts malfunctioning, it's a pretty significant repair job, a big problem.

umvi 8y ago

I bought a MacBook Pro and a Chromebook 5 years ago. Guess which one I've had to replace the hard drive twice and has slowly become unusable over the course of several OS upgrades and which is just as good as the day I bought it? Chromebook is still ticking, MacBook I gave away. Pretty shameful for being 10x the price of the chromebook

pbhjpbhj 8y ago

So something basic like changing the battery, or adding new memory/drives ... the YouTube repairers are lying when they say you have to entirely dismantle, unglue, fight Apple's customs interventions and suing of parts suppliers?? [Sorry, I just realised this can only be sarcasm.]