5 ms·

Not being user-servicable does not mean it's disposable. You can take it to Apple Stores and they'll fix it for you (and they certainly don't tuck the entire th

Not being user-servicable does not mean it's disposable. You can take it to Apple Stores and they'll fix it for you (and they certainly don't tuck the entire thing in the trash, they probably have some complex machines (that not everyone has) that are able to de-glue screen/battery and case). It's a compromise most regular customers will probably accept. And I don't get ""disposable products made of low quality components"" at all. Low quality?!

kalleboo 14y ago
But you can't upgrade them. I just added 4 GB of RAM and an SSD to my mom's 4-year-old MBP, ensuring it'll last another 3-4 years. 2 GB RAM and a 5400rpm drive just wasn't cutting it anymore. Several of my friends extended the lives of their MacBooks by replacing the DVD with a secondary SSD. Apple's new generation design of Macs have soldered-in RAM and a proprietary disk. Will we be able to upgrade them in 4 years? edit: Imagine if you could upgrade the RAM in an iPad. I could still have used my original iPad now instead of it being junk.
- rafadc 14y ago
  Junk!!?? I have a first generation iPad and it does more things than the first day it was purchased. Not being updated will mean that it will do the same things it does now but no more. That's far from junk.
  - kalleboo 14y ago
    Every iOS update slows it down more and more and makes apps crash more as they run out of RAM and developers have only tested it with the latest device.
    - runako 14y ago
      You pointedly didn't respond to the post: >> I have a first generation iPad and it does more things than the first day it was purchased. That's certainly true of mine, crashing 3rd-party apps notwithstanding.
      - kalleboo 14y ago
        The original iPad was very much sold on the promise of upcoming third-party apps. If it didn't have the potential of apps, I would definitely not have bought it, just how I didn't buy the original iPhone.
        Avenger42 14y ago
        And it has had upcoming third-party apps for 2+ years since you bought it. I'm not seeing the problem. If your issue is "developers have only tested it with the latest device", that's not an issue Apple can correct.
    - nirvana 14y ago
      This is simply not true.
      - myak 14y ago
        I agree
    - batista 14y ago
      That has not been my experience. I also use a 1st gen iPad.
- larrydavid 14y ago
  Not true, only the Retina Macbook Pro and Airs have soldered-in batteries/RAM, just like ultrabooks made by other manufacturers (ASUS, Dell, Acer). It's a design decision. If you want an ultra thin/light machine then you have to compromise. If servicing the machine yourself is an issue then buy one of the 'regular' Macbooks.
  - mitjak 14y ago
    Something's telling me the 'regular' MacBooks won't be around for very much longer.
    - CamperBob2 14y ago
      Then the market will have spoken.
  - kalleboo 14y ago
    Sorry, with "new generation" I meant "next generation". There's no way the fullsize laptops are staying around any meaningful time (unless they survive on no-update life support like the Mac Pro)
- bdcravens 14y ago
  Original iPad being junk? There's tons still in service. As a matter of fact, I'd imagine most who upgraded to the 2 or 3 did so due to additional features (camera, Retina), not the RAM. Also, how do I upgrade the RAM in a Galaxy Tab or a Kindle Fire? I think the lack of upgradability is endemic to the tablet form-factor.
  - hollerith 14y ago
    >how do I upgrade the RAM in a Galaxy Tab or a Kindle Fire? You probably cannot, but iFixit gives the Fire a repairability score of 8 and the iPad a score of 2.
    - bdcravens 14y ago
      Be fair and link to the review: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Kindle-Fire-Teardown/7099/2#s30265 http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Kindle-Fire-Teardown/7099/2#s... Main positives are for ability to remove the back side and use of Phillips screws: big pluses. However, primary iPad issues: glued on front glass, RAM, persistent storage: all true for Kindle as well.
- pooriaazimi 14y ago
  My dear friend, that's the definition of compromise. Lighter/smaller vs. being very powerful. I carry my 15" MacBook Pro + iPad 2 in my bag and the next time would definitely go with the lighter product. I'm not saying I like it. I would probably buy a Retina MacBook Pro if it wasn't "crippled" (for me), now I just use my 2009 MacBook Pro a year longer, hoping for a better rMBP next year. It's crippled for me, but the retina MacBook Pro does more things than anything 95% of the world could hope to do in 3 years (it's a beast).
  - kalleboo 14y ago
    I'm still going to buy the new Retina MacBook Pro, but I can currently afford to upgrade my laptop every year and gift away the old one. Plus I personally don't care much about recycling/the environment. That doesn't mean it's not an environmentally unfriendly design.
recursive 14y ago
Fantastic. Just a 5 hour round-trip to my nearest apple store. Why would I want to service it when I have access to that level of convenience?
- pooriaazimi 14y ago
  You happen to have a stack of unused screens/batteries handy in the attic? If no, you need to take that trip anyway. And a 5 hour trip every 3 years is better than carrying 60 grams more in your backpack for 800 days (in that 3 year period). I'm not saying it's ideal, and I don't like it myself that much. I'm just saying it's a compromise most people accept.
  - recursive 14y ago
    Last time I needed to replace a screen in my laptop, I got one from ebay. They shipped it to my apartment.
    - X-Istence 14y ago
      You are still free to do that ... get a screen off ebay, get a case with batteries off ebay, you can still get a new motherboard with more soldered ram off ebay and have it shipped to your apartment as well. I fail to see how that would change ...
      - deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
    - nirvana 14y ago
      Wow, you ordered something from ebay, and they shipped it to your apartment, and you replaced it, and all of this- from the moment you started looking at the auction, to completing the repair - was less than 5 hours?! Amazing! Well, if that's the case, you've certainly made your point!
      - 14y ago

kalleboo 14y ago

But you can't upgrade them. I just added 4 GB of RAM and an SSD to my mom's 4-year-old MBP, ensuring it'll last another 3-4 years. 2 GB RAM and a 5400rpm drive just wasn't cutting it anymore. Several of my friends extended the lives of their MacBooks by replacing the DVD with a secondary SSD. Apple's new generation design of Macs have soldered-in RAM and a proprietary disk. Will we be able to upgrade them in 4 years? edit: Imagine if you could upgrade the RAM in an iPad. I could still have used my original iPad now instead of it being junk.

rafadc 14y ago
Junk!!?? I have a first generation iPad and it does more things than the first day it was purchased. Not being updated will mean that it will do the same things it does now but no more. That's far from junk.
- kalleboo 14y ago
  Every iOS update slows it down more and more and makes apps crash more as they run out of RAM and developers have only tested it with the latest device.
  - runako 14y ago
    You pointedly didn't respond to the post: >> I have a first generation iPad and it does more things than the first day it was purchased. That's certainly true of mine, crashing 3rd-party apps notwithstanding.
    - kalleboo 14y ago
      The original iPad was very much sold on the promise of upcoming third-party apps. If it didn't have the potential of apps, I would definitely not have bought it, just how I didn't buy the original iPhone.
      - Avenger42 14y ago
        And it has had upcoming third-party apps for 2+ years since you bought it. I'm not seeing the problem. If your issue is "developers have only tested it with the latest device", that's not an issue Apple can correct.
  - nirvana 14y ago
    This is simply not true.
    - myak 14y ago
      I agree
  - batista 14y ago
    That has not been my experience. I also use a 1st gen iPad.
larrydavid 14y ago
Not true, only the Retina Macbook Pro and Airs have soldered-in batteries/RAM, just like ultrabooks made by other manufacturers (ASUS, Dell, Acer). It's a design decision. If you want an ultra thin/light machine then you have to compromise. If servicing the machine yourself is an issue then buy one of the 'regular' Macbooks.
- mitjak 14y ago
  Something's telling me the 'regular' MacBooks won't be around for very much longer.
  - CamperBob2 14y ago
    Then the market will have spoken.
- kalleboo 14y ago
  Sorry, with "new generation" I meant "next generation". There's no way the fullsize laptops are staying around any meaningful time (unless they survive on no-update life support like the Mac Pro)
bdcravens 14y ago
Original iPad being junk? There's tons still in service. As a matter of fact, I'd imagine most who upgraded to the 2 or 3 did so due to additional features (camera, Retina), not the RAM. Also, how do I upgrade the RAM in a Galaxy Tab or a Kindle Fire? I think the lack of upgradability is endemic to the tablet form-factor.
- hollerith 14y ago
  >how do I upgrade the RAM in a Galaxy Tab or a Kindle Fire? You probably cannot, but iFixit gives the Fire a repairability score of 8 and the iPad a score of 2.
  - bdcravens 14y ago
    Be fair and link to the review: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Kindle-Fire-Teardown/7099/2#s30265 http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Kindle-Fire-Teardown/7099/2#s... Main positives are for ability to remove the back side and use of Phillips screws: big pluses. However, primary iPad issues: glued on front glass, RAM, persistent storage: all true for Kindle as well.
pooriaazimi 14y ago
My dear friend, that's the definition of compromise. Lighter/smaller vs. being very powerful. I carry my 15" MacBook Pro + iPad 2 in my bag and the next time would definitely go with the lighter product. I'm not saying I like it. I would probably buy a Retina MacBook Pro if it wasn't "crippled" (for me), now I just use my 2009 MacBook Pro a year longer, hoping for a better rMBP next year. It's crippled for me, but the retina MacBook Pro does more things than anything 95% of the world could hope to do in 3 years (it's a beast).
- kalleboo 14y ago
  I'm still going to buy the new Retina MacBook Pro, but I can currently afford to upgrade my laptop every year and gift away the old one. Plus I personally don't care much about recycling/the environment. That doesn't mean it's not an environmentally unfriendly design.

recursive 14y ago

Fantastic. Just a 5 hour round-trip to my nearest apple store. Why would I want to service it when I have access to that level of convenience?

pooriaazimi 14y ago
You happen to have a stack of unused screens/batteries handy in the attic? If no, you need to take that trip anyway. And a 5 hour trip every 3 years is better than carrying 60 grams more in your backpack for 800 days (in that 3 year period). I'm not saying it's ideal, and I don't like it myself that much. I'm just saying it's a compromise most people accept.
- recursive 14y ago
  Last time I needed to replace a screen in my laptop, I got one from ebay. They shipped it to my apartment.
  - X-Istence 14y ago
    You are still free to do that ... get a screen off ebay, get a case with batteries off ebay, you can still get a new motherboard with more soldered ram off ebay and have it shipped to your apartment as well. I fail to see how that would change ...
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
  - nirvana 14y ago
    Wow, you ordered something from ebay, and they shipped it to your apartment, and you replaced it, and all of this- from the moment you started looking at the auction, to completing the repair - was less than 5 hours?! Amazing! Well, if that's the case, you've certainly made your point!
    - 14y ago