SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the sudden-outbreak-of-common-sense? dept.
DIY repair site iFixit has announced the results of its teardown of the 2019 Mac Pro – the latest eye-wateringly priced, professional-oriented computer from fruit-branded-biz-turned- kitchenware supplier, Apple.
And while the Mac Pro looks like [a] cheese grater and costs a lot of cheddar, you'll be delighted to discover it's no stinking bishop[*]. With PCIe slots galore, and modular RAM that isn't soldered to the motherboard, Apple's latest tower is delightfully easy to repair and upgrade, or so iFixit found.
The screwdriver botherers bestowed the Mac Pro with a repairability score of 9. That's pretty much unprecedented for Apple's latest crop of machines. The 16-inch MacBook Pro, for example, has a score of just one, with most components either soldered or glued in place.
In its teardown, iFixit commended Apple for the ease in which punters can open the case, remarking that some simple procedures require no tools at all.
It also lauded Apple's decision to use industry-standard sockets and interfaces, as well as its publication of repair diagrams and instructions. Both moves will allow owners of the ultra-pricey boxes to repair their kit without making an appointment at the Genius Bar.
Or, you could just purchase one fully-kitted out from the start for only $53,000. (Display not included.)
(Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday December 18 2019, @03:19PM (2 children)
Back in 2006 I did a lot of cost comparison analysis between Macs (particularly Mac Pros, also Minis) and the general market. At the time, if you wanted exactly what the Macs were providing, they were priced reasonably as compared to identically prepared Dells or other machines of the same quality (well, except for RAM, buying RAM from Apple was a serious cost disadvantage...) What Apple didn't offer was a lot of options in their configurations- like Mercedes imported to the US, they tended toward (but not all the way up to) the top of the market and were a pretty reasonable choice if you just wanted a good machine and didn't want to do all the research and component compatibility work.
I worked for a Doctor for about 12 years - he wasn't a "car guy", but he needed a car, so what he did every 3 years was go to the Mercedes dealership, pick what looked reasonable to him (usually the C class), and sign the 3 year lease, no questions asked. He got a reasonably nice, reliable car (with a too small back seat IMO, but it didn't bother him...), he might have paid several thousand dollars more than he had to to get equivalent value, but that would have required investment of more of his time than the money was worth - to him. I think MacPros are marketed toward a similar audience - not tech geeks, but computer users who have better ways to spend their time/brain cycles than to learn/worry about what's inside their tool.
It's not surprising that the Mac Pros are configured with easily serviced industry standard interfaces - they're not size (or cost) constrained, so why not allow people who are buying them to color outside the lines if they want to, it should expand their market quite a bit, but not too much - geeks who know all about what's inside just aren't the target market.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Acabatag on Wednesday December 18 2019, @07:15PM (1 child)
You're comparing Apple to Mercedes. Apple is the Buick of computer companies, in a Chevy market.
Let's be real.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday December 18 2019, @07:58PM
You're talking about what's inside - I'm talking about who buys them and why... actually very different things.
Due to the fast cycling high volume nature of computer components, there is not much real "high quality" option out there - if you get into components that cost too much more than mainstream, the sales volumes drop off so much that actual quality drops off as well. Kind of the "Toughbook" phenomenon - pay twice as much for three year old tech, in a rugged package.
🌻🌻 [google.com]