iFixit: New Macbook Pro is Least Repairable Notebook to Date
iFixit has dubbed the new Retina Display MacBook 'the least repairable laptop' they've ever taken apart.
T'was just the day before yesterday when Apple announced the launch of a brand new Retina Display MacBook Pro, but same-day availability means many people already have the new notebook sitting on their desks. Among those is the crew at iFixit. However, rather than use the computer for, you know, computing, our reliable friends have torn it apart. What did they find when they ventured inside? All the things they hate. Apparently, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display is a repairman's worst nightmare.
" [...] even though it packs lots of gee-whiz bells and whistles, we were thoroughly disappointed when we ventured inside," the site said in an emailed statement. "This is, to date, the least repairable laptop we've taken apart. Apple has packed all the things we hate into one beautiful little package."
With Pentalobe screws and its RAM soldered to the logic board, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro shares a few features with the MacBook Air. Considering the MacBook Pro is now nearly as thin as the MacBook Air, this makes a lot of sense, but the MBP also has some unique assembly features that we haven't seen before. Chief among them is the display assembly, which is is completely fused with no glass protecting it. If anything ever fails inside the display, you will need to replace the entire assembly. Yikes.
Leaving aside the fact that the laptop is literally glued together and the RAM and SSD aren't upgradable, iFixit found the following major chips inside: Nvidia's GeForce GT 650M GP, an Intel Core-i7 3720QM 2.6 GHz processor, what appears to be an Intel E208B284 Platform Controller Hub, Hynix H5TC2GB3CFR DDR3L SDRAM, and an Intel DSL3510L Thunderbolt controller.
Check out iFixit's full teardown for more pictures and a total rundown of how they came to score the new MacBook Pro a 1/10 on the repairability scale. Ouch.

newegg: "that'll be $50"
iSheep: "hello, i'd like to upgrade the RAM in my 15" macbook pro from 4G to 8G."
"Genius": "that'll be $2300."
iSheep (with vacant stare): "i will obey."
8 year old chinese kids making macbooks: "why does this thing cost 5 years salary again?"
Steve Jobs in grave: smirking.
So in reality this computer is worth (apple's idea of worth) closer to $2818 - $3418.
iHATEit. it's getting annoying!
I won't recommended laptop Macintosh to anyone, if it ain't repairable, it ain't good.
Now that is a novel idea.
Don't get me wrong, I use Macs religiously for work (and Windows for play) since the early 1990s, so I am by not any means an anti-Mac person.
But common Apple, give me a bone here. I love the monitor but there is no way I am going to drop cash on a laptop that I can't even upgrade! Which means I would have to buy a laptop that is pre-built to last me 3-5 years.... which means that $2200 list price all of a sudden turns into a $3800 laptop, not to mention all of the accessories I will have to buy since it doesn't even have a Firewire or ethernet port, and the warranty to protect my $3800 investment.
Thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to buying the older Macbook Pro design.
It seems I'm the odd man out... when my laptop gets old enough that I'd think about upgrades I inevitably replace it - so the lack of upgradability doesn't bother me. What does bother me is the difficulty with repairs... I guess the thing is like a BMW... great to own as long as you're in warranty.
They don't sell the new Macbook Pro design with a mechanical hard drive... they only sell it with an SSD. I'm not sure about most people's experiences... but I've never had an SSD fail on me on any of my machines. So that design decision makes sense.
That said... non-upgradable memory makes no sense. It would make sense if they shipped the computer with 8GB standard (they could even solder it onto the board)... but at least make one memory slot available to upgrade the laptop's memory down the road. But perhaps they thought of that, and they decided to ditch that idea due to the complexity of matching memory timings and whatnot. Who knows
Don't get me wrong, it is an amazing laptop, but the price is going to scare away most people (including me).
Luckily, Apple was smart enough to continue to sell an upgraded version of the old Macbook Pro design for those who are not willing to take the risk.
If you're going to be an ignorant fanboy and flame, you might as well get your facts straight. For the cheapest $2200 model, you could make up $500 from the ssd and processor alone. Don't forget the screen (probably several hundred too), the battery (gigantic, as always with apple), the 650m, and the case and mobo and ram and all that other stuff
I know right? I can get 2880 x 1800 at my corner store... They're like... 75 bucks, easy.
No, just NO. FU off Apple, especially with the standard wallet-gouging price tag.
newegg: "that'll be $50"
iSheep: "hello, i'd like to upgrade the RAM in my 15" macbook pro from 4G to 8G."
"Genius": "that'll be $2300."
iSheep (with vacant stare): "i will obey."
8 year old chinese kids making macbooks: "why does this thing cost 5 years salary again?"
Steve Jobs in grave: smirking.
Connectors aren't cheap. Plus, the more they can lock up the product, the things they need to support. This all equates to bigger profit margins and less expense if you ignore stuff like customer satisfaction (specifically people that would want to upgrade)