Sealed-Box Macs: Should Computers Be Disposable?

An anonymous reader writes "Apple's new Retina MacBook Pro is essentially completely non-upgradable, a sealed-box, following a trend started with the MacBook Air in 2008. It's a given that hardware companies are in the business of selling hardware, and would love for computers to have iPhone-like replacement cycles of 1-3 years. But does this mean we're moving irresistibly into an era of 'sealed-unit computing,' even for power users?"

Comments

Re:$3000 every 1-3 years. Right.

[alen]

And what can you upgrade on a Mbp or any other laptop other than the ram?

I got tired of upgrading my desktop years ago when I saw I had to buy new ram, CPU, mobo and graphics unless I upgraded every few months for no reason

The geeks are usually years behind common sense lately

Re:MacBook Air confirmed most don't care.

[_xeno_]

It's also worth mentioning that the new MacBook Pro Retina is really just a 15" MacBook Air. Like the Air, it's missing ethernet and a DVD drive. Like the Air, it has a thin form factor and is non-upgradeable. I think the only ports they added over the Air is a second Thunderbolt port (that you can use with literally nothing) and an HDMI port.

I'm not sure why Apple decided to go with the "Pro" brand, but the MacBook Pro Retina isn't "Pro" so much as it is a larger Air with a different display.

All the complaints that can be aimed at the Air (it's a slow, useless laptop that's only selling point is being pointlessly thin) can be aimed at the MBPR. Oh, and with the higher DPI screen that nothing bothers to support. (Because who the fuck is going to spend $3000 and redraw all their assets for some tiny fraction of users?) So there's that, too.