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There's not much evidence that any upgrade actually happened. The photo show someone has managed to desolder the RAM & SSD chips, which isn't really news. Also

There's not much evidence that any upgrade actually happened. The photo show someone has managed to desolder the RAM & SSD chips, which isn't really news. Also, looks like they only upgrade the 8GB/256SSD to 16G/1TB SSD, which is a supported configuration, so at best this is someone skilled at soldering BGA parts. I'd be more interested if someone had managed to get 32GB RAM working.

baybal2 6y ago
> so at best this is someone skilled at soldering BGA parts. It is, but I am afraid the next thing Apple will do now would be to DRM the memory chips. > I'd be more interested if someone had managed to get 32GB RAM working. I believe there is no 16GB LPDDR4 on the market at the moment.
- meibo 6y ago
  > It is, but I am afraid the next thing Apple will do now would be to DRM the memory chips. They already do that(check the other article on the frontpage), but at they moment, they still give you software to re-DRM it :)
- ribit 6y ago
  > It is, but I am afraid the next thing Apple will do now would > be to DRM the memory chips. Why "afraid"? I hope you are not considering resoldering BGA chips on tightly integrated machine a viable upgrade path?
  - vladvasiliu 6y ago
    Maybe not GP directly, but this could be a possibility for an "upgrade as a service". I have no idea what the cost of desoldering and resoldering the modules is, but given Apple's markup on RAM and SSD, it might make it worthwhile, just as there are many shops doing repairs on iPhones.
    - robotnikman 6y ago
      I've thought of this myself. As devices get more integrated, it could be worth having a professional with the right tools and machinery to upgrade laptops/phone/tablets by unsoldering and re-soldering in new modules. Upgrade your RAM for cheaper, replace NAND Flash modules near their write capacity or slowing down with fresh ones, breathing new life into a device... There might be a market for it, also it would be an eco friendly way of upgrading old devices so they remain usable instead of throwing them away and creating more e-waste
  - solarkraft 6y ago
    The market is already fairly flooded with the lowest spec models, while the higher-spec ones are more sought after - for a new device each upgrade step costs 300€. What do the chips and BGA soldering labor cost?
  - MrBuddyCasino 6y ago
    You'd be surprised what chinese smart phone repair shops in Shenzen can do with tiny parts. Soldering Macbook BGA parts will be trivial in comparison. I don't think there is a western equivalent to this though.

baybal2 6y ago

> so at best this is someone skilled at soldering BGA parts. It is, but I am afraid the next thing Apple will do now would be to DRM the memory chips. > I'd be more interested if someone had managed to get 32GB RAM working. I believe there is no 16GB LPDDR4 on the market at the moment.

meibo 6y ago
> It is, but I am afraid the next thing Apple will do now would be to DRM the memory chips. They already do that(check the other article on the frontpage), but at they moment, they still give you software to re-DRM it :)
ribit 6y ago
> It is, but I am afraid the next thing Apple will do now would > be to DRM the memory chips. Why "afraid"? I hope you are not considering resoldering BGA chips on tightly integrated machine a viable upgrade path?
- vladvasiliu 6y ago
  Maybe not GP directly, but this could be a possibility for an "upgrade as a service". I have no idea what the cost of desoldering and resoldering the modules is, but given Apple's markup on RAM and SSD, it might make it worthwhile, just as there are many shops doing repairs on iPhones.
  - robotnikman 6y ago
    I've thought of this myself. As devices get more integrated, it could be worth having a professional with the right tools and machinery to upgrade laptops/phone/tablets by unsoldering and re-soldering in new modules. Upgrade your RAM for cheaper, replace NAND Flash modules near their write capacity or slowing down with fresh ones, breathing new life into a device... There might be a market for it, also it would be an eco friendly way of upgrading old devices so they remain usable instead of throwing them away and creating more e-waste
- solarkraft 6y ago
  The market is already fairly flooded with the lowest spec models, while the higher-spec ones are more sought after - for a new device each upgrade step costs 300€. What do the chips and BGA soldering labor cost?
- MrBuddyCasino 6y ago
  You'd be surprised what chinese smart phone repair shops in Shenzen can do with tiny parts. Soldering Macbook BGA parts will be trivial in comparison. I don't think there is a western equivalent to this though.