Apple Restricts Hard Drive Replacements on New iMacs

[soldier1st]

Typical apple behavior. They want more money so they screw something just to get it.It's no wonder i never buy any apple hardware, because if apple decides to change something then i am forced to pay more when i should not have to.

[xWhiplash]

If you had an iMac would you take a suction cup in order to replace a hard drive? Personally 500GB is more than enough for me for my primary drive, and I make hundreds of GBs of photoshop, after effects, garageband, and other very large files. You keep all of this on a secondary hard drive, preferably a external so you can use it elsewhere.

I guess you never really learn this until your main hard drive messes up and you lose several hundreds of hours of work for your projects.

[TheLegendOfMart]

Its not about replacing working hard drives with bigger ones, its what happens when you run out of warranty and the HDD dies. Not everyone wants to buy into the Apple Tax by having to purchase Apple Care or they are screwed.

[xWhiplash]

And not everybody wants to take a suction cup to remove the display glass and alter too many things. This has been a common issue since iMac first came out, yet people are complaining about it now?!

It is an AIO system, far different than a Laptop since it has higher quality hardware.

[Elliott]

Its not about replacing working hard drives with bigger ones, its what happens when you run out of warranty and the HDD dies. Not everyone wants to buy into the Apple Tax by having to purchase Apple Care or they are screwed.

And what about "You can still do that" do you not understand? Failing the hardware test and fan speed ramp ups are technicalities that are easily circumvented

But hey guys, let's all just jump at the chance to bash Apple because they wanted some fine grain control over their temperature sensors on a part that's not supposed to be user serviceable!

[TheLegendOfMart]

The only reason its not replaceble is because of the silly Unibody design, there is no logical or physical reason why there cant be a latch on the back to get to ram and HDD other than the lines will ruin the pretty shiny casing. You apologists are talking like the only way they can build a Mac is so having to use suction cups is normal.

[Elliott]

The only reason its not replaceble is because of the silly Unibody design, there is no logical or physical reason why there cant be a latch on the back to get to ram and HDD other than the lines will ruin the pretty shiny casing. You apologists are talking like the only way they can build a Mac is so having to use suction cups is normal.

Uh, no, actually, if you tried to access the hard drive through the back, you'd have a mother board in your way. Try again.

Edit: Actually, you'd have a ton more than that in your way. Just take a look at any teardown.

[TheLegendOfMart]

But hey guys, let's all just jump at the chance to bash Apple because they wanted some fine grain control over their temperature sensors on a part that's not supposed to be user serviceable!

They dont NEED fine grain control, non Macs can read temps perfectly fine without having to use a special or propietary connector/cable.

Uh, no, actually, if you tried to access the hard drive through the back, you'd have a mother board in your way. Try again.

Apples design choice, ive opened quite a few All in Ones where the motherboard is mounted on a plate that the LCD is also mounted on. Just like everything Apple its form over function.

[Elliott]

Apples design choice, ive opened quite a few All in Ones where the motherboard is mounted on a plate that the LCD is also mounted on.

And they're all just as thin and unobtrusive as an iMac, I'm sure.

Compare these machines on their merits and demerits. If you want an all-in-one that's user serviceable, get that. I'll take the lean iMac that runs OS X for my purposes. I know how to get into the machine if I ever seriously needed to, so it's not a big deal for me.

[TheLegendOfMart]

And they're all just as thin and unobtrusive as an iMac, I'm sure.

Not as thin, no. But nowhere near as thick as you are trying to insinuate. Why does an iMac have to be thin, why do they have to make everything so tightly packed to the point where you cant replace anything without completely stripping it or by having to create propietary connectors just to keep it cool.

[xWhiplash]

Again, this has been an issue in the iMac for years, even before the unibody aluminum design. Why didnt people complain before this news?

[TheLegendOfMart]

Again, this has been an issue in the iMac for years, even before the unibody aluminum design. Why didnt people complain before this news?

Because theyve just created a propietary connector causing people who do want to strip the machine to replace the hard drive to have a fan running 100% unless they want to hack a workaround in. Or the people or businesses that want to repair out of warranty but dont want to have to hack a workaround making them pay over the top for a propietary mac hdd.

[Elliott]

Not as thin, no. But nowhere near as thick as you are trying to insinuate. Why does an iMac have to be thin, why do they have to make everything so tightly packed to the point where you cant replace anything without completely stripping it or by having to create propietary connectors just to keep it cool.

Honestly, I have no idea what the proprietary connector is about, but I imagine it would've been much cheaper to just use S.M.A.R.T if that was a viable solution. As for the thin design, it's because it goes on your desk. It's practical to be thin and sleek (and yes, pretty) when the machine is on your desk instead of on the floor.

[TheLegendOfMart]

Honestly, I have no idea what the proprietary connector is about, but I imagine it would've been much cheaper to just use S.M.A.R.T if that was a viable solution. As for the thin design, it's because it goes on your desk. It's practical to be thin and sleek (and yes, pretty) when the machine is on your desk instead of on the floor.

How much thicker do you think its going to have to be to allow for user replaceable parts?????

Its going to take the same amount of space wether its screwed to the back of the unibody or the back of the LCD with a plate inbetween, a few inches at best and most likely no one would even notice.

[Guest]

If Apple wanted to make it easy to replace parts in the iMac, they could, and they would. They obviously don't want to do that though.

I also believe that they could keep the same form factor. I'm not saying it would be easy for them but they have a lot of smart people working there.

It wouldn't be profitable for them to make them so easy to upgrade. It's a bit disappointing to see them turning their efforts specifically to make this process more difficult though.

[TheLegendOfMart]

The fact that they have $billions in surplus proves their intentions, i just find it shocking how Apple apologists still defend them.

[LiquidSolstice]

The fact that they have $billions in surplus proves their intentions, i just find it shocking how Apple apologists still defend them.

Agreed, it's also shocking how much this bugs people who obviously don't own any Apple products and are not going to be affected by them in any way whatsoever, but still continue to somehow express outrage at details like this.

[TheLegendOfMart]

Agreed, it's also shocking how much this bugs people who obviously don't own any Apple products and are not going to be affected by them in any way whatsoever, but still continue to somehow express outrage at details like this.

I also agree. I love Macs and the design aesthetics of the OS but i dont buy into the whole cult thing they have going on.

As stated previously i was actually saving up for a Sandybridge mac but i wouldnt be buying Apple Care just because i have to. This has put me completely off buying one.

[LaP]

I'm not sure opening an iMac is a good idea. You can't really compare an iMac to a standard PC tower.

I'm a computer tech and looking at some pictures of an iMac i would not open that to replace parts like i would not open a Xbox 360 to replace part. You can't really compare computers like this (both are computer) to standard PC tower.

[LiquidSolstice]

I also agree. I love Macs and the design aesthetics of the OS but i dont buy into the whole cult thing they have going on.

Cult? Really? Like dancing naked around a fire in a forest? Grow up. They'll make their decisions based on what they think is right, and that's that.

As stated previously i was actually saving up for a Sandybridge mac but i wouldnt be buying Apple Care just because i have to. This has put me completely off buying one.

Yes, how dare they change something that was never meant to be user-accessible in the first place. I mean, it's not like it's their product, or anything. If you want to be able to change out the hard drive, you'll find a way to. That's not Apple's problem, nor is it their responsibility to let you do that. It seems these days with consumer electronics that everyone wants to pull out their invisible bill of rights as to what every single company on earth owes them in terms of tech responsibility.

[xWhiplash]

Oh yeah no company should get money for their products, every company should only be allowed to break even! Businesses are created to make profit.

If you want easily upgradeable system, the Mac Pro is there for your needs. iMac has always been labeled as a consumer device, not a pro device. They do not advertise that the hard drive is replaceable, and if your hard drive fails while it is under warranty they will replace it for you.

And if you do not buy Apple Care, what happens a year later when your mother board messes up or some other critical component needs replaced? Apple Care is not just for the hard drive.

[Scorbing]

Apple just doesn't learn. Always trying to limit he users on what they can or cannot do on their Macs. They want control of everything. Just another way to force users to buy the Apple Care.

[LaP]

No, Apples decisions are always against the user, because actually, they don't want you to buy their stuff because of quality hardware wise but because of the quality of their ads, you know.

Dunno i own one product made by Apple only. It's an iPod Touch. It is the first product made by Apple i buy in my life. So far i'm 100% satisfied. It's a good product. Well made. I did drop it from 2 foot this weekend and it still perfectly works. Battery still last for 2-3 days and takes 2 hours at most to charge via an USB cable (can charge it at work easily). I wont be able to change the battery but who cares? By the time the battery will be dead it will be the time to replace it anyway like it's always the case for 99% of the products out there (my Panasonic Wireless phone did break about the same time the battery started to be over and the same happened for my Logitech g7 mouse).

If you own an iMac fine. But i doubt it. I'm looking at pictures and it doesn't looks like a good idea to open one of those imo.

[xWhiplash]

Wow people have become such complainers. FACTS:

1. The hard drive was NEVER meant to be user replaceable

2. In order to replace it, you have to take a suction cup to the display glass to remove it, get around all the components and display in the front, and then you will have access to the hard drive.

3. Removing the display almost always leads to dust or some damage because you wanted to do this in 10 seconds.

4. I am pretty sure this voids the warranty

5. RAM was and still is user replaceable and is still advertised as such, whereas the hard drive was never advertised this way.

6. Apple Care =/= hard drive only. Like I said, what happens a year later and the motherboard goes bad? What do you do then? Unless you build it yourself, or you plan to only use the computer for a year, you should always get the extended warranty.

[Brandon]

Wow people have become such complainers. FACTS:

6. Apple Care =/= hard drive only. Like I said, what happens a year later and the motherboard goes bad? What do you do then? Unless you build it yourself, or you plan to only use the computer for a year, you should always get the extended warranty.

You are assuming the motherboard will die? If thats the case, then Apple fails at designing computers.

I've never had a computer with a dead motherboard, RAM or any component besides a DVD drive and 2 hard drives.