colinng

daven said:

I still have my OpenStep computer but need a keyboard and mouse for it. It would be fun to fire it up. 

Would this help? 

https://www.drakware.com/shop/p/nextusb

k2kw said:

Great product now that Apple is fixing the mistakes of Ive.   I think that this will be a big seller as pros upgrade from the Butterfly keyboard and the pre2016 models.  I think it is the best that Apple could do given what Intel is providing.   I’m looking forward to a future model with 10th gen 10nm chips and Lpddr.

It's possible that Ive pushed for the Butterfly keyboard, but it's also possible that he didn't. Same goes for: soldered Flash, and soldered RAM. But if the past is a predictor of the future, he was the one who pushed for the "one-button" upgradeable PowerMac 8600. I was stunned when I first saw that machine. Having just helped someone upgrade a PC and deal with the rat's nest of wiring (and slicing myself in several places from the sharp sheet metal cases), to this one-button drop-open hinged case, where everything was right in front of you and easy to reach. From some quotes I've read elsewhere - Ive fough hard for that. 

So before we heap all the blame on one person, consider this alternative scenario. Ive quits because he's had it with all the MBA maximimize shareholder value BS, which forces him to choose planned obsolescence, and then to lie about it - justify it as a technical decision required to make laptops thinner. 

Now he sees the 16", and goes, $@(*#! it! If I only stayed 6 months longer! 

seanj said:

No ‘people’ aren’t asking for SSDs and RAM not be soldered in. Because most people are busy living there lives doing stuff. It’s only a few nerds that want to open up their computers, cars, toasters, whatever and tweak/customise them.

Steve Jobs knew that, that was the driving ethos from the Apple ][ onwards.

I am.

Let's say an iPhone is $1000. $1000/3 years vs. $1029/5 years (battery replacement, slumming it that last year because there’s more to “living their lives doing stuff” than having the latest iPhone), means I save $608 over 5 years because someone was willing to change the battery for $29.

When the flash on a Mac is replaceable, it saves even more. The 1TB SSD option, $1000 4 years ago, is now $129 on Amazon.

Why would any non-nerd want to upgrade an old Mac? Two major reasons:

1. Moore’s Law stopped. 7 years later, the $999 2012 Mac mini holds up really well (within 30%) against the latest $999 Mac mini. 

GeekBench scores (Configuration | Single Core | Multi-Core):

2012 Quad i7 2.3 | 3,142 |   9,959
2012 Quad i7 2.6 | 3,376 | 10,666
2018 Quad i3 3.6 | 4,670 | 13,792

Source: MacTracker

2. The environment:

Mac mini life cycle carbon emissions
53% Production
44% Transport
3% Use
<1% End-of-life processing

Source: Apple 


You don't need tools to upgrade RAM on a Mac mini 2012. Instructions: Mac mini (Late 2012)

They "forgot" how to make the Mac mini 2018 serviceable: 

Mac mini (2018) does not have user-installable RAM. You can configure the memory in your Mac mini (2018) when you purchase it. To upgrade the memory in your Mac mini (2018), go to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.

To quote Sir Jony Ive:

“It's sad and frustrating that we are surrounded by products that seem to testify to a complete lack of care. That's an interesting thing about an object. One object speaks volumes about the company that produced it and its values and priorities.”

I think MBAs (not MacBook Airs) run the place now. "Maximizing Shareholder Wealth". 

What happened to making great stuff? Changing the world? Caring about the environment? They forgot who they were. The "Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s..." is gone from their media boilerplate. 

Steve Jobs’ Advice to Nike: Get Rid of the Crappy Stuff

Maybe they should get rid of the crappy shenanigans. Sir Jony Ive made the PowerMac 9600 door swing open with a button. Mac users got a LOT of use out of their upgradeable computers. 

If even a fraction of Mac mini users could upgrade Flash and RAM, they would more than double the expected lifetimes of their computers, and halve their environmental impact.

Upgradable Macs? Good for the environment, good for our wallets, good for poor students, bad for "Maximizing Shareholder Wealth" in the short term. 

@Racerhomie3, you can just turn it off on your device (if you're in an abusive household). 

JustSomeGuy1 said:

("shenanigans" was opinion). 

You're right. It was judgmental on my part, an unwarranted speculation on Apple's motive, and purely my opinion at that moment. I definitely do better when sticking to facts. 

As for taxes... That was a bizarre digression, and unrelated to the main topic. 

Agreed. Will stay on topic. I was hoping to illustrate that being overly pro-Apple is not a feasible stance, as they on occasion make decisions that don't always seem in favor of the general public. But again, it was off-topic and such digressions shall be excised in the future.