2gb-4gb Ram [in Store]

[r2fa3l]

So i called Apple right now.

And asked them if you could upgrade the RAM
from 2gb to 4gb instore. The person said yes. Sometime in
about 2-3 weeks since right now they're only going to sell the
4GB option online

Just letting ya know.
She mentioned the upgrade should be about $100 as well.

 

[coelacanth]

Not to doubt your info, but are you sure she was not talking about selling 4GB upgraded model? I'm somewhat doubtful the RAM chip is removable for after-purchase upgrade.

 

[C64]

So i called Apple right now.

And asked them if you could upgrade the RAM
from 2gb to 4gb instore. The person said yes. Sometime in
about 2-3 weeks since right now they're only going to sell the
4GB option online

Just letting ya know.
She mentioned the upgrade should be about $100 as well.

I very much doubt this person meant: opening up the MBA, remove a soldered-on strip of memory, re-soldering a new strip. I stead, he/she probably meant: yes we can give you a box that has a MBA with 4GB instead of a box with a 2GB MBA.

 

[r2fa3l]

I very much doubt this person meant: opening up the MBA, remove a soldered-on strip of memory, re-soldering a new strip. I stead, he/she probably meant: yes we can give you a box that has a MBA with 4GB instead of a box with a 2GB MBA.

No she mentioned it would be upgradeable in-store.
I called 3 Technical people to make sure.
They all said yes..... Which I hope is true

 

[coelacanth]

I sure hope it's true too, but still doubtful. My bet is the Apple supports got mixed up info from the "above."

I think it is

"Upgraded model will be in store in 2-4 weeks"

not

"Can be upgraded in store in 2-4 weeks"

I remember they started selling Mac mini with re-bumped spec that was originally available only online after a while.

 

[bolsen78]

I hope you are right because I was on livechat with apple last night and they told me that the only way to upgrade to 4GB was to order online and that they wont be selling those in the Apple Stores.

 

[tigres]

I would not risk this for $100.

Get the 4g ram and be done. I don't want a genius soldering on my new mba. And... if they replace the system board for this, I would be amazed.

 

[mac jones]

We will know pretty soon, as soon as someone removes the back plate.

I'm betting it's just more 'genius' know-how.

Only at Apple do geniuses have IQs of 50.

 

[DiamondGCoupe]

Apple will not carry the 4GB models in-store but of course it can be upgradeable in-store after you purchase the 2GB. Easier to order online if you plan to go that route.

 

[J400uk]

If this is true it may be they just swap out the logic board for a 4GB version, rather than solder on the RAM to the existing board.

 

[Hellhammer]

If this is true it may be they just swap out the logic board for a 4GB version, rather than solder on the RAM to the existing board.

I'm 99% sure that Apple Stores doesn't have soldering equipment... What I've heard, re-soldering isn't very simple and requires expensive equipment. For example, when people had issues with 8600M GT, the whole board was replaced, not just the GPU.

 

[HelloMikee]

Soooooo... has anyone been able to purchase any models in-store with 4GB of ram?

 

[gwsat]

I can't imagine that Apple Stores have the capability to solder additional RAM into the MBA. Thus, if it's really true that Apple Stores will be authorized to add 2Gb of additional ram, there must be some sort of receptacle for additional RAM built in to the the new MBA. We will no doubt be getting the answer to this and a bunch of other questions we have been asking, too, in the coming days. For the moment, unfortunately, the answer to how the MBA's RAM is configured remains a mystery, to me at least.

 

[J400uk]

I'm 99% sure that Apple Stores doesn't have soldering equipment... What I've heard, re-soldering isn't very simple and requires expensive equipment. For example, when people had issues with 8600M GT, the whole board was replaced, not just the GPU.

Re-read what I said

"it may be they just swap out the logic board for a 4GB version"

....as in if you take your 2GB Air instore and ask for a RAM upgrade they will simply take out the logic board (or motherboard/ whatever you want to call it) and replace it with a 4GB version.

 

[Transporteur]

Guys, please don't take ANYTHING the men and women in the store tell you for granted!

In 99% they are wrong about hardware facts, simply because they are not trained the way they should be. It makes total sense that they don't know anything about the RAM of the new MBA, yet (or ever).

Fact is, the RAM can't be upgraded in the complete MBA line. As said a hundred times in this forum, it is soldered to the logic board! There is absolutely no way that an Apple Store (even if they are also an AASP) can replace the RAM chips. They'll swap the whole logic board in case of a failure of any system part.

In case that a user that already has a 2GB model wants to upgrade his RAM to 4GB, they will say that it is not possible (maybe not as of now, but they will once they spoke to their supervisor who may have better understandings of the current hardware).
And since Apple will certainly not swap the logic board for a RAM upgrade which, by the users' idea, should be done for $100, people that want to go up from 2 to 4GB have only one single option, buying a new MBA or pay the price for a new logic board, which btw. will be very close to the retail price of the whole MBA.

 

[Yr Blues]

Is there a separate board that attaches to the logic board? Also, there may be some confusion on which memory is actually soldered onto the logic board.

 

[J400uk]

Meh. We will see.

 

[Hellhammer]

Re-read what I said

"it may be they just swap out the logic board for a 4GB version"

....as in if you take your 2GB Air instore and ask for a RAM upgrade they will simply take out the logic board (or motherboard/ whatever you want to call it) and replace it with a 4GB version.

My bad. I think I read it as

If this is true it may be they just swap out the logic board for a 4GB version, OR solder on the RAM to the existing board.

That happens when you try to do 8 things at the same time Well, at least I explained why they can't do a simple RAM upgrade

 

[Transporteur]

Is there a separate board that attaches to the logic board? Also, there may be some confusion on which memory is actually soldered onto the logic board.

No.
It really is the logic board. Just check the pictures of the stripped MBA.

The SSD, however, is on a separate chip. That might well be upgradable in store.

 

[justin216]

iFixit has a 11.6" teardown, and the memory is soldered directly to the logic board. This will not be user replaceable at the store. If you buy a 2GB Macbook Air, it'll be 2GB until the entire logic board is replaced or you get a 4GB model.

They will likely be able to replace the SSD (as it's on a separate, dedicated board, in a mPCIE fashion), but the memory is not swappable without soldering.

 

[Yr Blues]

No.
It really is the logic board. Just check the pictures of the stripped MBA.

The SSD on the 13", however, is on a separate chip. That might well be upgradable in store.

The iFixit photos are enlightening.

 

[gwsat]

My bad. I think I read it as

That happens when you try to do 8 things at the same time Well, at least I explained why they can't do a simple RAM upgrade

I think the poster to whom you responded may be on to something when he suggests that the Apple Stores will upgrade the new MBAs by changing out mother boards, rather than adding RAM chips. Nevertheless, it seems to me that his remarkably ill-tempered response to your having misread his earlier post makes your gaffe pale into insignificance.