iFixit Tears Apart Apple's Shiny New Retina iMac

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iFixit Tears Apart Apple's Shiny New Retina iMac

Posted by timothy on Saturday October 18, 2014 @12:05PM from the good-work-if-you-can-get-it dept.

iFixit gives the new Retina iMac a score of 5 (out of 10) for repairability, and says that the new all-in-one is very little changed internally from the system (non-Retina) it succeeds. A few discoveries along the way: The new model "retains the familiar, easily accessible RAM upgrade slot from iMacs of yore"; the display panel (the one iin the machine disassmbled by iFixit at least) was manufactured by LG Display; except for that new display, "the hardware inside the iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display looks much the same as last year's 27" iMac." In typical iFixit style, the teardown is documented with high-resolution pictures and more technical details.

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Broken link by thegreatbob · 2014-10-18 12:09 · Score: 3, Informative

it's just a simple 'a' tag...

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There is no XUL, only WebExtensions...
1. Re:Broken link by Georules · 2014-10-18 12:19 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  slashdot, news for nerds, written by people who can't even html.
2. Re:Broken link by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 12:29 · Score: 0
  
  https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+Retina+5K+Display+Teardown/30260
3. Re:Broken link by craigm4980 · 2014-10-18 12:34 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  a real link
4. Re:Broken link by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 12:34 · Score: 0
  
  link. FTFY.
5. Re:Broken link by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 13:09 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  With so much junk on /. lately I wondered where I would use my mod points, so fixing links from the summary will have to do. Mod Parent up :s
6. Re:Broken link by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 13:28 · Score: 0
  
  I love that you used HTML as a verb.
7. Re:Broken link by r1348 · 2014-10-18 14:18 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I shamefully admit clicking on it at least 10 times and cursing at my browser before realising.
8. Re:Broken link by dohzer · 2014-10-18 14:22 · Score: 1
  
  Hold your horses. Don't worry, iFixit, iFixit!
9. Re:Broken link by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 14:54 · Score: 0
  
  BUSTED!!!
  You tried to RTFA!
10. Re:Broken link by Jane+Q.+Public · 2014-10-18 15:59 · Score: 2
  
  A worthy commenter.
  
  Sometimes I think they should go above 5. You just saved a lot of people A LOT of work.
11. Re:Broken link by NormalVisual · 2014-10-18 16:29 · Score: 1
  
  Still not fixed, four and a half hours later...
  
  --
  Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
12. Re:Broken link by ArcadeMan · 2014-10-18 17:11 · Score: 2
  
  Even Bob the Builder would have fixed it by now.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
13. Re:Broken link by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 17:54 · Score: 0
  
  Maybe browsers shouldn't highlight non-links as links.
14. Re:Broken link by tlhIngan · 2014-10-18 19:07 · Score: 1
  
  I shamefully admit clicking on it at least 10 times and cursing at my browser before realising.
  The middle button on my mouse has acted up before, so I was clicking it and nothing was happening. I kept thinking it was the mouse so I clicked it harder, softer, and every which way. Then on a lark, I clicked a link elsewhere and a new tab opened sup, to which I noticed the link wasn't bringing up the destination in the status bar and figured that was the reason why it wasn't middle-clicking.
15. Re: Broken link by jovius · 2014-10-18 21:11 · Score: 1
  
  Have you tried turning it off and on again?
16. Re:Broken link by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 00:30 · Score: 0
  
  You're holding it wrong.
17. Re:Broken link by Andy_R · 2014-10-19 02:03 · Score: 1, Offtopic
  
  For those of you who don't know Bob the Builder, here in the Britain he appears on TV all the time, is inexplicably popular with people who have had barely any education, implements large scale infrastructure projects with no regard to their actual cost, and often repeats the catchphrase "Yes we can".
  Do you have something similar in the USA?
  
  --
  A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
18. Re:Broken link by Applehu+Akbar · 2014-10-19 02:39 · Score: 1
  
  Until this moment the only language without vowels was Bella Coola, a language of British Columbia.
19. Re:Broken link by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 06:05 · Score: 0
  
  Georules: a German who can't even English?
That would be fun to watch... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 12:11 · Score: 0

once.
how do SSD's compare to HD's? by alen · 2014-10-18 12:12 · Score: 1, Interesting

only reason i ask is that it's almost given that your hard drive is going to die after AppleCare ends and it's going to cost a lot of money to have it fixed. if i buy one with an SSD, will it give me more life than a spinning rust drive?
1. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Thagg · 2014-10-18 12:20 · Score: 1
  
  It depends on how you use it. You could wear-out a SSD in six months if you're continuously writing and re-writing to it; but for 99.9% of people the SSD will probably last longer.
  
  --
  I love Mondays. On a Monday, anything is possible.
2. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by GrahamCox · 2014-10-18 12:21 · Score: 1
  
  I think the jury's still out - SSDs haven't been in the field long enough to know how they fare in the real world. In theory, they should be better, but there are some concerns.
  
  I recently upgraded my older 2011 iMac 27" to an SSD - I had to drop to half the original capacity but it's far, far faster and a little quieter. So even if the lifespan ended up the same as the spinning disk, it would be worth it.
  
  By the way, "to have it fixed" does cost a lot of money, but DIY and it's obviously only as expensive as the drive. I'm not sure abut the newer iMacs, but getting into mine to swap the drive was a cinch.
3. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 12:24 · Score: 0
  
  I have no real data to back this up, but i Put a momentus XT 750GB hybrid in my macbook pro to replace the original 500GB mech hard drive and there is a real, definite improvement in speed. Probably not as fast or as much as an SSD would provide but it was a fraction of the price. It was about £100 if I recall and a 512SSD at the time was about 4-500 GBP
4. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by alen · 2014-10-18 12:42 · Score: 1
  
  did you have to take it apart? i'm fairly technical but looking at the instructions to take it apart along with the warnings really scared me out of buying an iMac. i have a 13" late 2011 MBP where the hard drive died and it took me 15 minutes to replace it with a SSD hybrid which made a huge difference
5. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by russotto · 2014-10-18 12:48 · Score: 2
  
  The only real problem taking it apart is cutting the stupid tape, which you then have to replace.
6. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by mysidia · 2014-10-18 12:55 · Score: 1
  
  The only real problem taking it apart is cutting the stupid tape, which you then have to replace.
  Well this sounds like a new problem Apple have created then.... the mid 2010 27" iMAC had no tape to cut or replace; just some annoying magnets that made it very difficult to put the thing back together by ripping screws away from your screwdriver and occasionally causing them to get flung into the computer.....
7. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by mlts · 2014-10-18 13:17 · Score: 2
  
  AFAIK, the jury is out on that fact. SSDs -tend- to be more predictive due to how they wear out. However, I've not seen any definite comparisons that state that a SSD will have a life longer than a HDD.
  There is one limiting factor with SSDs: Once the electrons escape the gates, that's it. No recovery is possible unlike HDDs which the magnetic domains can be present indefinitely. So, as an archiving medium where data is stashed, it isn't very good, unless the media is constantly checked and the data moved periodically.
  The a good thing to do with an iMac would be a decent SSD... as well as an external drive appliance with RAID 1, or a volume with software RAID that is similar.
8. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by kosmosik · 2014-10-18 13:24 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  > The a good thing to do with an iMac would be a decent SSD... as well
  > as an external drive appliance with RAID 1, or a volume with software
  > RAID that is similar.
  To have backups is the good thing to do whatever OS or hardware you run.
9. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 13:27 · Score: 0
  
  I have replaced quite a few macbook and macbook pro HDD's with some £39.50 500GB 2.5" hybrid drives. They only have 8GB SSD cache but this is actually enough for most peoples use and the cost is stupidly cheap.
  Linq: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500gb-seagate-25-solid-state-hybrid-drive-sshd-slim-7mm-sata-6gbs-8gb-ssd-64mb-cache-ncq-pc-mac
  I have also put the 1TB variant in the 2013 21" and 27" iMac's.Again stupidly cheap at £48.10 each.
10. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Silvrmane · 2014-10-18 13:37 · Score: 1
  
  They work the same as hard drives. You back them up, use them till they break, and replace them, restore from backup.
  
  --
  planet texture maps and more
11. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 14:24 · Score: 1
  
  The one you open with a plunger? Or is that all Imacs these days?
12. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by TubeSteak · 2014-10-18 14:52 · Score: 1
  
  Anyone who actually needs a 5k display should already have a backup system in place.
  It's only real purpose is so graphics designers can work on 4k media without dual screens and for industrial/medical fields where high res images are normal.
  The truth is, if you want to watch 4k media, you're better off with a 4k display.
  Upsampling &/or stretching to fill a 5k display is less than ideal.
  
  --
  [Fuck Beta]
  o0t!
13. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by sjames · 2014-10-18 15:13 · Score: 1
  
  I had no idea the Daleks had gone into the computer business.
  That explains a lot actually...
14. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by rmdingler · 2014-10-18 15:33 · Score: 1
  
  link
  
  --
  Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
  Ernest Hemingway
15. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by russotto · 2014-10-18 15:44 · Score: 2
  
  Many of the older iMacs you open with a plunger and/or suction cups -- remove the glass with the suction cups, then unscrew the screen. This sounds worse than it is. This one (and I think the previous one) is held together with tape; you have to use a cutting wheel to cut the tape from the side, then pry it apart. To put it back together you need to remove the tape remnants and put new tape on.
16. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by timeOday · 2014-10-18 16:10 · Score: 1
  
  I would take 5K any day. It will beat 4k for everyday computer usage because text will be sharper (and any other scalable UI elements). It is 220 ppi which is (only) the same pixel density as the Macbook Pro I'm looking at right now.
  As for pixel resampling, unfortunately 4k doesn't have any particular definition, so you'll often have resampling even with 4k content on a 4k display. But at such resolutions, resampling isn't so bad anyways, especially with video/photo content (as opposed to computer-generated imagery - games - that are perfectly sharp).
17. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 16:12 · Score: 0
  
  Posting anon 'cuz unreleased data...
  Disclaimer: I work with large numbers of SSDs and spinning disks for a living. These are my rough guesstimates based upon my replacement and observed failure rates, and not official statistics.
  Speaking anecdotally, SSDs with heavy write rates seem to fail at two to three times the rate of hard drives under similarly heavy writes after several years of operation. SSDs with moderate to low write rates are failing at roughly the same rate as hard drives after several years of operation. In no case across a cluster of over 100,000 mixed SSDs and hard drives do I see significantly higher reliability rates of SSDs over spinning disks under climate-controlled data-center conditions.
  For the case of a typical home or laptop computer, however, it's reasonable to assume a SSD will give better reliability than a spinning disk if your write rates are modest, simply due to shock, movement, and heat variation far in excess of that found in most typical data centers.
  Curiously, even though the OS fails the disk, about 80% of the disks returned are actually "No Fault Found". This typically indicates a successful remap/realloc of failed sectors, but due to the failed read that generated the remap/realloc, eventually the OS will increment the error count too high and fail the disk out despite the disk itself reporting that it's in good condition and subsequent re-writes of the whole disk showing all sectors readable and writable.
  Consider the above an anecdote, not data. I have ample data to back up my opinion, but that's probably best a subject for a future white paper than a Slashdot post.
  In short: I'd trust an internal SSD on an Apple product to be fit for purpose for several years under the typical slight/nominal workloads of a home user. If you do heavier recording & re-recording, you should probably invest in an external Thunderbolt RAID array of some stripe (heh, heh, get it?) to secure your data.
18. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 16:47 · Score: 0
  
  "if it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid"
19. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by rtb61 · 2014-10-18 17:00 · Score: 1
  
  Truth is before going on about systems with 4K or 5K or any other K display, first and foremost is not how they look when consuming content but how well they work when creating content, now that's the slashdot viewpoint. What it looks like when playing content you buy, excluding all forms of interactive content requiring real processing power, is for the TV guide. Apple has long since hidden it's lack of real processing capability to pump up its profit margins behind a masquerade of pretty pictures and marketing.
  
  --
  Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
20. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 17:13 · Score: 0
  
  Been running an OCZ Vertex V3 for over three years straight. Workstation/productivity/editing/gaming environment. Works great loading up ram drives and hasn't skipped a beat. Total 10tb of spinning rust playing with it. Plenty of copying too and from it.
  So considering it's older style transistors, I'd say they are plenty reliable for mainstream use now as long as you are not running some heavily updated, fragmented database 24/7 in server role.
21. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by ArcadeMan · 2014-10-18 17:15 · Score: 2
  
  Welcome to the 21st century.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
22. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 22:26 · Score: 0
  
  Oh yes, I bet all of the new skyscrapers and cars are being constructed with tape instead of rivets and screws.
  
  Fucking idiot.
23. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 22:31 · Score: 0
  
  It is only real purpose?
24. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by AmiMoJo · 2014-10-18 22:37 · Score: 1
  
  Modern HDDs are so high density that the data actually degrades over time if not refreshed, due to the earth's magnetic field and other near by electronics. When idle drives do a background scan of the disk, re-writing data where required. If you keep the disk offline for very long periods of time there is no opportunity to monitor and correct the degradation, so hard drives don't make good archival media.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
25. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 00:44 · Score: 0
  
  We're talking about computers, someone gives you proof that adhesive can be more than up to the task and then you switch to cars and skyscrapers to somewhat try to prove your point of view.
  Fucking idiot.
26. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 01:19 · Score: 1
  
  Many of the older iMacs you open with a plunger and/or suction cups -- remove the glass with the suction cups, then unscrew the screen.
  A process that takes a couple minutes to replace the HDD.
  
  This one (and I think the previous one) is held together with tape; you have to use a cutting wheel to cut the tape from the side, then pry it apart. To put it back together you need to remove the tape remnants and put new tape on.
  A process that can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on how stubborn the tape is. Usually 30 minutes. Made me decide to never buy Apple again. If we have to fix 3 computers, we either waste our own time cleaning tape or babysitting a repair man cleaning tape. I realize neodymium is more expensive than tape, but using special magic tape is kind of passive aggressively hostile vs your customers.
27. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by russotto · 2014-10-19 02:26 · Score: 1
  
  Nobody argues that the adhesives aren't up to the task of holding the machine together. Just that they make repair and/or upgrade difficult. Obviously Apple deems it worth saving the few cents it would take them to use a more convenient fastener even if it costs them in warranty repair time. Economically they're almost certainly correct, but it still seems like something of a dick move to those few of us who still repair our own machine.
28. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Applehu+Akbar · 2014-10-19 02:42 · Score: 2
  
  And if computers were put together with robot welds and 1" steel torsion bolts, would that make them easier to repair?
29. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 07:50 · Score: 0
  
  Doesn't matter, they are all constructed. Next thing you know, you'll be advocating airplanes being built with tape because "it's just as good".
  Using tape??? Get this through your microscopic brain, little kid: tape can NEVER be as strong as screws or rivets. It's hilariously pathetic, like you.
30. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 07:52 · Score: 0
  
  Tape isn't strong and you can reuse bolts, stupid Apple shill.
31. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by tibit · 2014-10-19 20:50 · Score: 1
  
  Modern HDDs media have coercivity so high that the Earth's magnetic field, and the fields from nearby "electronics", are immaterial. The best thing you can do to a HD is leave it alone, not spinning, in a non-condesing atmosphere. As long as the spindle doesn't seize up due to lubricant migration, it might well last for centuries.
  
  --
  A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
32. Re:how do SSD's compare to HD's? by bhiestand · 2014-10-23 17:48 · Score: 1
  
  I read it three times and I still don't understand your point. I know plenty of people in the media industry who are going to love the new 5K iMac. It looks plenty powerful to produce content.
  You know a good portion of Hollywood is still running on cheese grater Mac Pros, right?
  
  --
  SWM seeks new sig for a brief fling
Set the record straight by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 12:41 · Score: 4, Funny

Sure, these imacs MAY use screens from LG, but when those screens are combined with Magic Apple hardware, the result is so much better than the competition. You have to use macs for graphic design because their LG screens are much more accurate than everybody else's LG screens. There's whole colors you're not even seeing unless you go mac, like blurple, the exact spot between blue and purple.
1. Re:Set the record straight by MikeMo · 2014-10-18 12:57 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  I shouldn't feed the troll, but you have to know that not every screen made by LG is the same as every other one they make. In addition, the rest of the layers in he assembly have a lot to do with the visual results, and those might be different from other screens you will see in the future (there are no other 5K screens shipping at the moment). And then there's the control circuitry (an Apple proprietary chip is involved in that) and the software that drives it. So yes, the results may be much better than the competition even if LG makes those screens, too.
2. Re:Set the record straight by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 13:29 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  It isn't just the screen. Using a Mac makes you more creative because only Macs contain Jobs particles
3. Re: Set the record straight by kimvette · 2014-10-18 13:34 · Score: 1
  
  Somebody needs to read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H...
  
  --
  The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
4. Re:Set the record straight by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 14:28 · Score: 0
  
  LOL @ the downmod. It's a joke, you stupid moderators.
5. Re:Set the record straight by GrahamCox · 2014-10-18 14:43 · Score: 1
  
  It's the software... do the alternative systems you talk about have end-to-end colour management built right into every use of colour on the system? Macs do. Maybe others do, I don't know - but if they don't then just having the same hardware isn't the issue.
6. Re:Set the record straight by PopeRatzo · 2014-10-18 15:15 · Score: 2
  
  an Apple proprietary chip is involved in that
  I kinda figured that from the logo.
  
  --
  You are welcome on my lawn.
7. Re:Set the record straight by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 16:37 · Score: 0
  
  It's the software... do the alternative systems you talk about have end-to-end colour management built right into every use of colour on the system? Macs do. Maybe others do, I don't know - but if they don't then just having the same hardware isn't the issue.
  Not only that, but each color in a Mac has its own personal assistant that ensures that the color appears at its best when called for by the Mac user.
8. Re:Set the record straight by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 20:11 · Score: 0
  
  No, it a feeble old attempt at a joke which lost all humor long ago.
9. Re:Set the record straight by drinkypoo · 2014-10-18 22:28 · Score: 2
  
  an Apple proprietary chip is involved in that
  I kinda figured that from the logo.
  You can't tell that from the logo. For example, Viewsonic doesn't make anything today. All they do is stick their logo on stuff, they don't even do cases any more.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
10. Re:Set the record straight by AmiMoJo · 2014-10-18 22:30 · Score: 2
  
  According to TFA they are using off the shelf parts, with one that has an Apple logo slapped on it but isn't made by them. There is nothing special about it.
  Also, Dell announced a 5k monitor before the iMac was announced, which probably uses the same panel. We should be able to compare the two soon. In the past Apple displays have proven to be exactly the same as other displays with the same panel and similar glass, so I wouldn't expect any surprises.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
11. Re:Set the record straight by drinkypoo · 2014-10-18 22:32 · Score: 1
  
  And then there's the control circuitry (an Apple proprietary chip is involved in that) and the software that drives it.
  Are they up to feature parity with monitors with nVidia control chips in them yet?
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
12. Re:Set the record straight by Freedom+Bug · 2014-10-18 23:07 · Score: 1
  
  (an Apple proprietary chip is involved in that)
  
  Which, according to iFixit, is labelled as a Parade Technologies DP665.
13. Re:Set the record straight by PopeRatzo · 2014-10-19 02:08 · Score: 1
  
  You can't tell that from the logo.
  Sure you can. Tell me one product with an Apple logo that does not have an Apple proprietary chip.
  
  --
  You are welcome on my lawn.
14. Re:Set the record straight by gnasher719 · 2014-10-19 04:29 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Also, Dell announced a 5k monitor before the iMac was announced, which probably uses the same panel. We should be able to compare the two soon. In the past Apple displays have proven to be exactly the same as other displays with the same panel and similar glass, so I wouldn't expect any surprises.
  Dell announced earlier, Apple deliverd earlier.
  
  Both monitors cost the same (comparing Apple's real price and Dell's announced price), but Apple's monitor contains a nice computer :-)
15. Re:Set the record straight by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 07:57 · Score: 0
  
  The only thing that has lost all humour (and ability to spell, apparently) is you. Also, you sound angry.
16. Re:Set the record straight by the_B0fh · 2014-10-19 11:20 · Score: 1
  
  But wait, I thought OP's stance was that Apple uses bog standard parts. Now you're claiming Apple use proprietary parts.
  Which is it?!?!
iMac? by koan · 2014-10-18 14:04 · Score: 2

With Yosemite on it it's a "deskpad", oh wait it doesn't have a touch screen yet, soon... very soon.

--
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
1. Re:iMac? by fustakrakich · 2014-10-18 14:44 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, I'm wondering if they're going straight for 3D gesture and voice control type stuff.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
2. Re:iMac? by PopeRatzo · 2014-10-18 15:16 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  Yeah, I'm wondering if they're going straight for 3D gesture and voice control type stuff.
  They've already got the mind control covered.
  
  --
  You are welcome on my lawn.
3. Re:iMac? by koan · 2014-10-18 15:23 · Score: 0
  
  LOL
  
  --
  "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
4. Re:iMac? by Carewolf · 2014-10-18 20:53 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, I'm wondering if they're going straight for 3D gesture and voice control type stuff.
  They've already got the mind control covered.
  It just too bad they made it work the wrong way. I would prefer a machine I could control, and not the other way around.
can not get out of beta by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 14:15 · Score: 0

can not get out of beta from http://beta.slashdot.org/story/208687
links do not work.
Mac Mini by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 14:25 · Score: 0

I'm more interested in the tear down of the $499 mac mini. I run an AMD only shop and I have to port some software to OSX. So it's a great internal debate on building a hackintosh, buying a mini, or finding a used one (I require >=hd4000 gpus. So even 2009 model all-in-ones are more expensive than the new Mac Mini...)
I have the feeling I'll look like goatse by the end of it. Why the hell do people even use this garbage.
1. Re:Mac Mini by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 15:12 · Score: 0
  
  I'm more interested in the tear down of the $499 mac mini.
  This article might help you. Notice that you can ask questions of the article's author.
2. Re:Mac Mini by Stormwatch · 2014-10-18 15:20 · Score: 1
  
  It's insane to use a hackintosh professionally. It's tricky to set up and so much can go wrong.
  
  --
  Circumcision is child abuse.
3. Re:Mac Mini by ArcadeMan · 2014-10-18 17:17 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Why the hell do people even use this garbage.
  I keep asking this question myself when I see people using Windows for anything but games.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
4. Re:Mac Mini by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 18:21 · Score: 0
  
  Convienience, consumerware is aimed at windows and the OSS comunity ports a lot of it's work. I never have to configure or compile anything and I only see the comand line when my ISP fucks off and I'm trying to figure out whats wrong.
5. Re:Mac Mini by operator_error · 2014-10-19 00:20 · Score: 1
  
  You must be doing it wrong. VMware, all the way.
6. Re:Mac Mini by operator_error · 2014-10-19 00:30 · Score: 1
  
  Ummmm, err VMware on Intel CPUs, all the way. And LMGFTY.com is your friend.
7. Re:Mac Mini by jones_supa · 2014-10-19 00:38 · Score: 1
  
  That's true. I have been experimenting a bit with setting up a Hackintosh, and it really lives up to its name: hacks after hacks. A complete nightmare, and even if you get it working, you wind up with an unstable system. Hunting third party drivers for Windows, or the little tweaks you need in Linux, start to look like child's play after that.
  If you happen to find compatible hardware, setting up a Hackintosh can be a fun thing to screw around with for one weekend, but other than that, it doesn't provide much value, and is not a realistic shortcut for "a cheap Mac".
8. Re:Mac Mini by phillymjs · 2014-10-19 03:56 · Score: 1
  
  > A complete nightmare, and even if you get it working, you wind up with an unstable system.
  It's not as bad as that. I built 2 back back in 2008-2009, and they were rock stable-- kernel panics were extremely rare. They also didn't require much in the way of hackery. I put the EFI boot loader on a thumb drive and kept my OS X drive as free of hacked bits as possible. I wanted to be able to hook it up to a real Mac and boot it without issue, and I achieved this goal. Still, I would never recommend them in a business setting.
  One of the machines was my daily driver, and dual booted Windows. The other ran OS X Server and was the fileserver in my house. The specs on the server were enough to get the job done, but my daily driver gave me top of the line Mac Pro performance for about $1200.
  The only problem was OS updates-- they usually broke something. I maintained a bootable clone of both machines' boot drives, and waited a few days for other hackintoshers to find and figure out how to fix the issues before installing those updates. Both machines ran Snow Leopard for their entire term of service, which ended last year. They were replaced with refurb Mac minis. The hackintoshing was an interesting experiment, but I wanted a new OS without more hackery, supported hardware, and worry-free updating again. As a side effect, my electric bill fell off a cliff, which was nice.
9. Re:Mac Mini by tibit · 2014-10-19 20:55 · Score: 1
  
  I've been using one for almost a year now, and there's no looking back. It was only tricky to set up because initial releases of Mavericks were trickier than the current release. I'd say it was a day well spent to set it all up. These days, using it is no different than using any Apple hardware would be, except that after OS version upgrades one has to reboot to the recovery partition and re-run Multibeast.
  
  --
  A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
10. Re:Mac Mini by tibit · 2014-10-19 20:57 · Score: 1
  
  There are two ways to a hackintosh: using random hardware, and using hardware that's purposefully selected to use the same components that Apple uses in their hardware. The "I''ll just try running OS X on whatever I have" route is perilous and ill-advices. Buying stuff from tonymacx86's buyer guide is a much saner choice, and it worked great for myself.
  
  --
  A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
11. Re:Mac Mini by tibit · 2014-10-19 20:59 · Score: 1
  
  These days the "hackery" is equivalent to booting to a working partition (can be on a USB stick) and running Multibeast. It's about as fire-and-forget as it gets.
  
  --
  A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
Re:The best thing they could do is... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 14:31 · Score: 0

Don't over-credit the twerp. BHO is the climax of a century of progress. But were he unavailable, another phallus of malice would've been proffered.
SSD primary with HDD for Time Machine by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-18 14:52 · Score: 1

SSD primary with HDD for Time Machine seems to me to be a reaonably safe yet simple route, this I use. If offsite backup of everything is desired, swap the external onsite/offsite HDDs periodically (I simply backup current projects to thumb drives for offsite).
Mac Mini sidenote by jones_supa · 2014-10-18 18:51 · Score: 4, Informative

BTW the new Mac Mini comes with fixed onboard RAM. I wish I could see a more detailed teardown soon, would like to see how hard it is to replace the HDD.
1. Re:Mac Mini sidenote by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 02:50 · Score: 0
  
  BTW the new Mac Mini comes with fixed onboard RAM. I wish I could see a more detailed teardown soon, would like to see how hard it is to replace the HDD.
  If you want to replace the HDD, then you are not the market the Mac Mini is intended for. Besides, apple is going the route of external peripherals with the Thunderbolt interface.
2. Re:Mac Mini sidenote by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 04:51 · Score: 0
  
  >Besides, apple is going the route of external peripherals with the Thunderbolt interface.
  So we're back to the SCSI days, then.
3. Re:Mac Mini sidenote by mick129 · 2014-10-30 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...
  http://blog.macminicolo.net/po...
  
  The hard drive is replaceable after a couple hurdles.
  
  --
  Move along, no sig to see here.
Weird situation with Mac Pro by cerberusss · 2014-10-18 19:05 · Score: 1

With this new iMac and its display, the Mac Pro is starting to look a bit bleaker. I actually think it starts to look a little weird.
Performance-wise, if you configure this iMac with the 4 GHz processor, you get the fastest CPU, at least 25% faster than the Mac Pro in single-threaded tasks according to this benchmark. Mac Pro still has Ivy Bridge-architecture Xeons.
And the current Mac Pro can't drive a 5K display, but it's true that it can drive up the three 4K displays.
So the Mac Pro doesn't really make sense anymore unless you need its graphics cards to support OpenCL applications, or you want the parallelism of 8 or 12 cores, or you need its ECC RAM.

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8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?
1. Re:Weird situation with Mac Pro by Golden+Section · 2014-10-18 20:37 · Score: 1
  
  > Performance-wise, if you configure this iMac with the 4 GHz processor, you get the fastest CPU, at least 25% faster than the Mac Pro in single-threaded tasks
  
  One does not buy a workstation to run single threaded tasks. If you buy a Mac Pro, you want/need the 8 to 12 cores.
  
  --
  Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
2. Re:Weird situation with Mac Pro by itsdapead · 2014-10-19 01:40 · Score: 1
  
  So the Mac Pro doesn't really make sense anymore unless you need its graphics cards to support OpenCL applications, or you want the parallelism of 8 or 12 cores, or you need its ECC RAM.
  The Mac Pro never did make financial sense unless you needed those things (or 6 Thunderbolt 2 ports).
  Apple's range lacks a basic quad-i7 headless desktop with good "consumer" graphics cards - and it will go on lacking it because,
  (a) as other PC manufacturers are finding, there's no bloody money in mid-range mini towers, and other PC manufacturers don't have to bankroll the development of their own operating system and loss-leading application suite.
  (b) it would cannibalize sales of iMacs, Pros and laptops which do make money.
  
  --
  In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
Re:Hipsters... by Applehu+Akbar · 2014-10-19 03:02 · Score: 1

Go ahead and build a PC. Then you would have to run an operating system that has to self-adjust to the infinity of possible variations in specific implementations of that "standard." And such an OS would perform accordingly.
hum by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 03:08 · Score: 0

It's nice how sharp and easy on the eyes the OS X is on an apple screen compared to the windows 7 Aero, But, I hate it when apple paid advertisers claim that the imac's are so damn thin but in reality it's only the sides but the rest of the back is just bulged out and they never show this. Apple products are overpriced and like linux there are a few applications and not big on gaming. Rather have a windows 8.1 AIO based tablet.
1. Re:hum by tibit · 2014-10-19 21:02 · Score: 1
  
  I'm probably feeding the troll, but who the fuck cares if the middle is not thin? Heck, I'd say who the fuck cares if the sides aren't thin - I have no problem with the look of the inch-thick '07 aluminum iMac. It'd be sheer insanity to try and make the whole thing as thin as a laptop, with the power supply inside of it. You can save quite a bit of money by not making it super-thin where the guts are.
  
  --
  A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
Re:Hipsters... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 07:59 · Score: 0

The only people I ever see using Macs are unemployed, homosexual-looking "artists" leeching off of the free internet connections at coffee shops.
Re:Hipsters... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-10-19 12:12 · Score: 0

You make no sense whatsoever. Just admit that you're pissed that you spent a thousand bucks more for what you could have built yourself at the fraction of the price. FYI always buy last years latest and greatest hardware as not only is it cheaper but it will have gone through several reversions and firmware upgrades...
Mac Mini sidenote by zarex95 · 2014-10-24 23:41 · Score: 1

I don't like this trend of soldering components directly to the main pcb. It effectively prevents any cheap upgrades or repairs.