Well since it is (for some) a gateway machine from the pc world, where hw modding and upgrading is more common the appeal of buying it and upgrading is lost. A

Well since it is (for some) a gateway machine from the pc world, where hw modding and upgrading is more common the appeal of buying it and upgrading is lost. Apple is probably well aware they were losing money on premiums like upgrades and decided to lock people out of that option. I'm sure the loss of sales is probably offset by the increase in profit from forcing people to upgrade via the factory or not at all. In short I believe this is a conscious decision on Apple's part to maximize profits.