Apple gives a new meaning to solid state.

On 2013.10.26, 12:36 , Savageduck wrote:

Folks like you, Alan, & me have no problem making these changes, but the
average buyer is being exploited by Apple, and I have been an Apple user
and supporter of all things Apple since 1983 starting with my Apple][e,
and that is my observation.

Apple has been making the options for user servicing for stuff such as
RAM upgrades(replacing bad RAM), replacing/upgrading optical drives,
HDD/SSD tougher with each new model. the new MacBooks are just the next
step in the progression.
It seems that with this trend of moving to a disposable laptop, Apple
should consider extending their standard warranty, but I suspect this
will be a major selling point for AppleCare which will repair a failing
new generation MacBook by replacing it.

Beyond Apple's outrageous prices for RAM, the thought has occurred to me
that Apple are shooting themselves in the foot in terms of conversions
from PC platforms.

The nice thing about PC's (even the recent all-in-ones) is you can open
them up and change things even if such is limited to the HD and RAM, at
least it can be done efficiently and quickly - even by ordinary users.

PC users rightly see Macs as less and less maintainable and think they
will be screwed if something goes wrong [1].

And this is a barrier to conversion that Apple should not ignore -
whether it is "right" (it is) or "wrong" (Macs are more reliable[2])
does not matter.

Mac sales have been slowing over the past few quarters. This is mostly
saturation (Macs last a long time and get handed down or sold - I was
helping someone fix their 2006 laptop the other day - it ran great and
it's 7 years old and has a lot left in it).

And there is of course the adoption of tablets that has dented all PC
sales (including Macs).

The surge in conversions that Apple got when they converted to intel
just around the time that MS did the stupidest thing ever (Vista) has
ended as Apple are making Macs harder and harder to repair. (Though the
Mac mini actually improved a lot in this respect).

By making Macs a little less Johny Ive pretty and easier to do basic
upgrades and repairs I would bet a lot more PC users would consider the
jump to Macs.

Macs have been coming down in price in the meantime (see the recent
laptops).

Apple would do very well to make their iMacs and laptops easier for
ordinary users to make basic config changes. It would - IMO -
increase Mac sales to current PC users.

[1]: Though I had an extended warranty on my first iMac, when the HD
failed (about 3 months before the end of the ext. warranty) Apple Laval
and Montreal quoted me 5 - 10 business days to turn it around AFTER
making a genius appointment to look it over.

(Though I sent them the diagnostics showing the SMART status - 3rd party
s/w of course since the Mac SMART showed everything as fine).

That 5 - 10 days was completely unacceptable to me so I bought an HD and
did it myself (45 minutes). Some claim they get much faster service
than that with Apple. But Apple Montreal and Laval (who send repair
jobs to Montreal IAC) are totally useless when it comes to timely
turnaround.

[2] While Macs are more reliable per the various surveys Apple have no
control over HD manufacturers who in the last 10 years have had higher
fail rates than in the past.

--
"Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another."
-Ambrose Bierce

In article , Alan Browne wrote:

For example on the i7 iMac, selecting the wrong clock timings for a
1600 MHz DDR3 will cause the memory to run at 1033 or 1333 MHz. At
that, the correct timing numbers are counter intuitive.

all the more reason a non-geek doesn't want to bother.

A friend of mine just did exactly that - with the caveat of calling me
up to check what he did. And he did fine.

So, does that really count as him doing it, then?

--
Sandman[.net]

On 2013-10-26 16:42:31 +0000, Savageduck said:

On 2013-10-26 16:12:16 +0000, PeterN said:

On 10/26/2013 11:16 AM, nospam wrote:
In article , PeterN
wrote:

For some strange reason, I like the option, to be able to replace. I
don't like having replacement forced on me.

nothing is forced on anyone.

What are my options when the battery goes?
must I get a new machine, or can the battery be easily replaced?

it's very easily replaced. take it to an apple store and it's replaced
while you wait. not a big deal, especially since it only needs to be
done once every 5 years or so.

there might also be third party repair shops that offer battery
replacement services.

if either isn't convenient for some reason, apple can dispatch a box
for overnight delivery.

it may also be possible to replace the battery yourself with nothing
more than a screwdriver, depending on which macbook it is.

keep in mind that the battery is rated for 5 years and will normally
outlive the computer.

in 5 years you will more than likely want a new computer and there's a
good chance you will have already replaced it by that time anyway.

in other words, this is a lot of noise over nothing.

also keep in mind that by having an internal battery, the laptop is
thinner, lighter and more reliable, something that the user benefits
from every single day, versus being able to swap the battery once in
five years, which is something they might never actually do.

and let's not forget that apple isn't the only company moving to
internal batteries, for the very same reasons.

if you want to bash apple over this, you must also bash many other pc
makers, including microsoft, as well as smartphone makers, video camera
makers, bluetooth headset makers and the list goes on and on.

what happens when the battery in my spendy bluetooth headset fails? can
i replace it? nope. it's not even an option and there's no way to open
it either, without major damage. it really *is* disposable.

I suspect that "most
people," and I exclude the gaming crowd, use their computers solely for
Internet browsing, email and occasional word processing. The tablets
changed that somewhat, by making low cost specialized apps available.

many people do little more than that, which is why an ipad works out
well for them. a laptop and certainly a desktop is overkill.

for those who are doing stuff like 3d rendering, video editing, etc.,
they can get a more powerful workstation for those tasks and fall back
to an ipad for the simpler stuff. use the best tool for the job.

it also won't be all that long until some of the more sophisticated
stuff will be done on mobile devices.

What do you mean by "sophisticated stuff?"

did you not read the examples i gave?

My point is that from a
purely functional standpoint, an old e-machine would do what a lot of
user want to do. If they wnat a new machine just to play, fine. They
should have the option.

everyone has options.


Not to replace the battery. The lack of options will certainly be
factored into my purchase decision.

A few years ago I went to a Honda dealer, who may have been related to
you. He told me the car he had for me had all the extras I needed.
Needless to say he did not make the sale.
That is my real option. If enough people feel asI do, Apple will change
their policies. If not, I will get what I want from a competitor, or
make an informed purchase.

This is beginning to sound like the guy who advises trading a car
because the ashtray is full, or the gas tai is empty.

....er gas tank.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

In article , Alan Browne says...
I was
helping someone fix their 2006 laptop the other day - it ran great and
it's 7 years old and has a lot left in it).

It may be running fine, but is totally outdated in terms of processor power.
Why keep it when you can buy a machine which is five times as fast? Nowadays
notebook computers cost very little.
--

Alfred Molon
------------------------------
Olympus E-series DSLRs and micro 4/3 forum at
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/MyOlympus/
http://myolympus.org/ photo sharing site

In article , Alan Browne says...
OTOH it could all backfire on Apple - it is _very_ easy to install OS X
in a wide number of non-Apple laptops and desktops.

For sure I wouldn't buy a notebook computer in which the battery is glued to
the machine and where you can't upgrade the RAM or the HDD. So, yes, Apple are
shooting themselves into the foot.
As to switching to OS X, I fail to see the benefit. It's just another windows
based OS like Win 7 or 8.
--

Alfred Molon
------------------------------
Olympus E-series DSLRs and micro 4/3 forum at
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/MyOlympus/
http://myolympus.org/ photo sharing site

On Sat, 26 Oct 2013 11:16:18 -0400, nospam
wrote:

In article , PeterN
wrote:

For some strange reason, I like the option, to be able to replace. I
don't like having replacement forced on me.

nothing is forced on anyone.

What are my options when the battery goes?
must I get a new machine, or can the battery be easily replaced?

it's very easily replaced. take it to an apple store and it's replaced
while you wait. not a big deal, especially since it only needs to be
done once every 5 years or so.

How do you reconcile that claim with the following quote from the
article which started this thread?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10...013_teardowns/

"Most vexing thing about the new MacBook Pros is that Cupertino has
once again chosen to fix the battery in place using not screws but
glue, a practice that began with the MacBook Air and now seems de
rigueur for all of Apple's laptops. This time around, iFixit's
repair gurus spent half an hour trying to pry the 15-inch MacBook
Pro's battery away from the case and weren't pleased with the
results. Complicating the process was the fact that the battery now
covers the trackpad cable, meaning not only is the trackpad
difficult to replace, but any attempt to remove the battery is
likely to shear the cable in half."

there might also be third party repair shops that offer battery
replacement services.

if either isn't convenient for some reason, apple can dispatch a box
for overnight delivery.

it may also be possible to replace the battery yourself with nothing
more than a screwdriver, depending on which macbook it is.

keep in mind that the battery is rated for 5 years and will normally
outlive the computer.

--- snip ---
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

On 2013-10-26 19:34:56 +0000, Alfred Molon said:

In article , Alan Browne says...
OTOH it could all backfire on Apple - it is _very_ easy to install OS X
in a wide number of non-Apple laptops and desktops.

For sure I wouldn't buy a notebook computer in which the battery is glued to
the machine and where you can't upgrade the RAM or the HDD. So, yes, Apple are
shooting themselves into the foot.

Agreed.

As to switching to OS X, I fail to see the benefit. It's just another windows
based OS like Win 7 or 8.

Windows based???
Where did you come up with that?

OSX is what Linux would like to be when it grows up.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

In article , Alfred Molon wrote:

OTOH it could all backfire on Apple - it is _very_ easy to install OS X
in a wide number of non-Apple laptops and desktops.

For sure I wouldn't buy a notebook computer in which the battery is glued to
the machine and where you can't upgrade the RAM or the HDD. So, yes, Apple are
shooting themselves into the foot.

They would, if you were their only customer

It's just a matter of stats. It's not just that "most" of their customer
don't tinker with or plan to upgrade internall. It's that the vast vast
vast majority of them don't.

If they can save weight and expenses by cutting out an incredibly small
group of people's "joy of tinkering", they're going to do it.

Computers are in the midst of a huge paradigm shift, started by the iPad.
computers and computer OS's won't look and work the same five years from
now.

Cars is a good analogy, really, because car manufacturers are working in
the same way - saving money and cutting out the buyers ability to tinker.
That business is changeing a lot slower, however. But soon the world will
drive Tesla's, where you can't open anything up and change anything. You
can charge it and drive it. You can't tinker with the engine, you can't
change the batteries. Nothing.

Plus - most of the few "protestors" will end up buying a Mac in the end
anyway, being a bit bitter about it but realizing that they don't buy a
computer soley to tinker with it, and that it's just a bonus if they can.

As to switching to OS X, I fail to see the benefit. It's just another windows
based OS like Win 7 or 8.

Much like a Bugatti Veyron is another "steering wheel-based car" like Ford
Focus and VW Beetle.


--
Sandman[.net]

On 2013-10-26 19:42:18 +0000, Eric Stevens said:

On Sat, 26 Oct 2013 11:16:18 -0400, nospam
wrote:

In article , PeterN
wrote:

For some strange reason, I like the option, to be able to replace. I
don't like having replacement forced on me.

nothing is forced on anyone.

What are my options when the battery goes?
must I get a new machine, or can the battery be easily replaced?

it's very easily replaced. take it to an apple store and it's replaced
while you wait. not a big deal, especially since it only needs to be
done once every 5 years or so.

How do you reconcile that claim with the following quote from the
article which started this thread?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10...013_teardowns/

"Most vexing thing about the new MacBook Pros is that Cupertino has
once again chosen to fix the battery in place using not screws but
glue, a practice that began with the MacBook Air and now seems de
rigueur for all of Apple's laptops. This time around, iFixit's
repair gurus spent half an hour trying to pry the 15-inch MacBook
Pro's battery away from the case and weren't pleased with the
results. Complicating the process was the fact that the battery now
covers the trackpad cable, meaning not only is the trackpad
difficult to replace, but any attempt to remove the battery is
likely to shear the cable in half."

Well the Apple store "Genius" guys have the proprietary 'iCrowbar',
'iHammer', 'iChisel' to use for the removal of new Macbook batteries,
HDDs, & SSDs. The replacement items are fixed back in place with
'iEpoxy'. No big deal.


there might also be third party repair shops that offer battery
replacement services.

if either isn't convenient for some reason, apple can dispatch a box
for overnight delivery.

it may also be possible to replace the battery yourself with nothing
more than a screwdriver, depending on which macbook it is.

keep in mind that the battery is rated for 5 years and will normally
outlive the computer.

--- snip ---


--
Regards,

Savageduck

On Sat, 26 Oct 2013 13:45:02 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On 2013-10-26 19:42:18 +0000, Eric Stevens said:

On Sat, 26 Oct 2013 11:16:18 -0400, nospam
wrote:

In article , PeterN
wrote:

For some strange reason, I like the option, to be able to replace. I
don't like having replacement forced on me.

nothing is forced on anyone.

What are my options when the battery goes?
must I get a new machine, or can the battery be easily replaced?

it's very easily replaced. take it to an apple store and it's replaced
while you wait. not a big deal, especially since it only needs to be
done once every 5 years or so.

How do you reconcile that claim with the following quote from the
article which started this thread?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10...013_teardowns/

"Most vexing thing about the new MacBook Pros is that Cupertino has
once again chosen to fix the battery in place using not screws but
glue, a practice that began with the MacBook Air and now seems de
rigueur for all of Apple's laptops. This time around, iFixit's
repair gurus spent half an hour trying to pry the 15-inch MacBook
Pro's battery away from the case and weren't pleased with the
results. Complicating the process was the fact that the battery now
covers the trackpad cable, meaning not only is the trackpad
difficult to replace, but any attempt to remove the battery is
likely to shear the cable in half."

Well the Apple store "Genius" guys have the proprietary 'iCrowbar',
'iHammer', 'iChisel' to use for the removal of new Macbook batteries,
HDDs, & SSDs. The replacement items are fixed back in place with
'iEpoxy'. No big deal.

iWondered.



there might also be third party repair shops that offer battery
replacement services.

if either isn't convenient for some reason, apple can dispatch a box
for overnight delivery.

it may also be possible to replace the battery yourself with nothing
more than a screwdriver, depending on which macbook it is.

keep in mind that the battery is rated for 5 years and will normally
outlive the computer.

--- snip ---
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens