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To me it looks more like they swapped the motherboard out with their own, keeping the rest of the hardware the same. With RAM and SSD already soldered to the m
by duhi88 6y ago
To me it looks more like they swapped the motherboard out with their own, keeping the rest of the hardware the same.
With RAM and SSD already soldered to the motherboard, repairability can't really get much worse than it already is.
- varispeed 6y agoIt's not difficult to replace RAM or SSD with the right tools (which may be within reach of an enthusiast), problem is that you often cannot buy spare chips as manufacturers can only sell them to Apple or that they are serialised - programmed to work only with that particular chip and then the unit has to be reprogrammed after the replacement by the manufacturer. I think they started doing it after rework tools became affordable for broader audience. You can get a trinocular microscope, rework station and an oven for under a $1000 these days.
- nicoburns 6y agoYou can get a screwdriver (allowing you to replace RAM and SSDs in most laptops, including older macs) for $5. There's really no excuse for them to do this all the while claiming to be environmentally friendly.
- martimarkov 6y agoExcept the RAM is in the M1 now. Pretty good excuse Id'say.
- nicoburns 6y agoMmm... it's certainly better than they had before. But really they ought to be designing repairable machines. If that makes them a little slower then so be it.
- bloody-crow 6y agoIs it? I thought only memory controller is in the chip, not the memory itself.
- Reason077 6y agoThe M1's RAM is integrated into the SoC package. But it's still separate RAM chips, not actually on the same die as the M1.
- chrisweekly 6y agoDepends on the model. My 2012 mbp15r uses glue and solder, not screws. Maxed out the specs when I got it, which is why it's still usable. Would've been delighted for it to have been thicker and heavier to support DIY upgrades and further improve its longevity while reducing its environmental impact, but that wasn't an option. Needed the retina screen for my work, bit the bullet. Someday maybe there will be a bulletproof user-serviceable laptop form factor w a great screen, battery life and decent keyboard, that can legally run macOs... glad to say my client-issued 2019 mbp16r checks most of those boxes. /ramble
- varispeed 6y agoSomething like ATX standard but for laptop shells would be awesome - imagine being able to replace a motherboard etc, just like you can with a desktop PC.
- bolotye 6y agoIntel tried this more than a decade ago. The designs were as horrible as you might imagine, and a few OEMs did come out with a handful of models and parts. As I recall, consumers didn’t care or wouldn’t live with the awful designs that they initially brought out. I don’t remember. I remember thinking I wouldn’t touch one after seeing a bunch of engineering samples.
- varispeed 6y agoMaybe it was too early for this kind of thing. I could imagine today such shell would be much slicker.
- duhi88 6y agoMy 2007 MBP, yes. I don't think that's true of my 2017 MBP, nor my 2012 MBA. It's been years since Apple did away with this stuff, and nobody expected them to suddenly allow after-market upgrades.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- Miraste 6y agoSerialized components should be illegal, frankly.
- kube-system 6y agoThere are good privacy and security reasons that someone might want serialized components.
- Miraste 6y agoI don't believe those reasons are more important than open access and reducing the environmental impact of planned obsolescence, outside of the kind of government agencies that are exempt from consumer electronics regulations anyway.
- kube-system 6y agoSurely there is a better (and I'd bet, more effective) way to handle environmental regulations than mandating specific engineering design patterns within the legal code. Perhaps instead, it might be a better idea to directly regulate the actions which cause the environmental impact? i.e. the disposal of those items themselves? Engineers tend to get frustrated with laws that micromanage specific design choices, because engineering practices change over time. Many of the laws that attempt to do so, backfire with unintended consequences. It is quite possible that your solution might be just that -- many industries with high security needs are already very concerned with hardware tampering. A common current solution for this is "burner" hardware. It is not uncommon for the Fortune 500 to give employees laptops that are used for a single trip to China, and then thrown away. Tech that can give the user assurance that the device hasn't been compromised decreases the chance that these devices will be disposed of. As a side note, I don't think serialized components is even one of the top 25 factors that does(/would) contribute to unnecessary electronics disposal.
- varispeed 6y agoI think resetting instead of bricking doesn't compromise security, but saves a burner laptop from ending up in landfill. I get your point, but I think company would have to demonstrate that e.g. serialising meets particular business need that is different from planned obsolescence. Could be a part of certification processes that products before getting marketed have to go through.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- Reason077 6y agoWith Apple Silicon, the RAM is not even on the motherboard. It's integrated into the SoC package!