Oh yes, most customers are gravely concerned about how the back of their computer looks, and two almost invisible (as is the outline of the RAM access door on my 2017 iMac) rectangles of ultra thin lines would be a deal-breaker.
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iMac 2018 probably around the corner, question regarding memory-upgrade
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Oh yes, most customers are gravely concerned about how the back of their computer looks, and two almost invisible (as is the outline of the RAM access door on my 2017 iMac) rectangles of ultra thin lines would be a deal-breaker.
Yes, mreg376, why bother bother making an effort? I mean, I can't see the cable mess behind my desk so why should I care?
I should apply your excellent reasoning to software development. My users can't see the code so I might as well just not give a ****. I mean, it still works.
...but it also depends on how many you sell - I'd expect the Air sells in quite large numbers so it can get away with a smaller margin. I doubt that the Mini is a huge seller, but with no battery, display or keyboard, and less severe miniaturisation (the Mini form-factor is pretty roomy now it doesn't have an optical drive) they can probably get quite a good margin on it. Of course, a shiny new model would also be a good chance to hike the price a bit.
The Mac Pro line is already abandoned. The Mac Pro hasn't been updated for nearly 5 years - longer if you equate "Mac Pro" with a proper tower system with space for substantial internal storage and standard expansion cards. If/when the new Mac Pro appears it will be a "reboot" rather than a renewal...
Your argument - "here's the internal layout of the iMac Pro, now show me where the RAM door would go" - is fallacious. If "must have user-upgradeable RAM" had been high on the designers' list of essential features then it could have been taken into consideration from the start and would have influenced the layout of the logic board (as it obviously did during the design of the regular 27" iMac). If you're claiming that they wanted to have a RAM door but discovered some unavoidable technical snag during the design then, as they say, "citation needed". The fact that you can't easily kludge a RAM door onto the final design proves nothing.
Meanwhile, the fact that the RAM is socketed doesn't mean Apple wanted to allow aftermarket upgrades. Are the appropriate ECC RAM chips available in a suitable form to solder directly to the logic board - and is that cheaper than buying pre-made DIMMS? I don't know. What it could also mean is that rather than try and anticipate how many 32GB, 64GB, 128GB models (of each CPU/GPU variant) they will sell at the logic-board-manufacturing stage, they could configure the RAM at the final assembly stage - maybe on-demand.
No bbnck, this is not about not giving a sh**. It's about providing access to one's own computer so you can spend $600 to upgrade memory instead of giving Apple $1,400, after you've already paid at least $5,000. The lack of RAM doors on the iMac Pro is nothing but a money grab by Apple, not the result of some stumped engineers or obsession with the back of the machine. You can still buy a regular iMac maxed about for over $4,000, so obviously (to most) Apple does not consider the existence of a RAM door an aesthetic disaster.
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Gosh, yes, that would be completely unthinkable and impossible and would never, ever happen. /s
Also, there's a difference between robustness and mere cosmetics. Fortunately, code still works if it isn't formatted quite as prettily as you might like (oh, wait, Python... never mind...)
They're a business, not a charity, mreg376. Each consumer makes a choice for themselves... "is this good value for me?" If it isn't, they won't buy it. And this is the same reason I chose not to buy a MacBook Pro for home, because I don't find them to be good value at the price they are now at, with only Thunderbolt 3 ports.
I claimed they made an engineering decision and people should consider the challenges of designing a system like this that has server-grade components before jumping to conclusions about intent.
The reason the DIMM modules are socketed is quite simply because they are using server-grade components. Did you know the 2017 4K iMac now has socketed memory as well? Why would they do that? It has to be the result of an engineering decision. What else could it be? You still can't upgrade the memory without taking it to an Apple Authorised Service Provider, so it certainly can't be the result of user complaints that the RAM in the 21.5-inch iMac isn't user upgradeable, because as far as Apple is concerned, it still isn't.
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...well, obviously not because the 4K iMac is using server-grade components, because it isn't.
All other things being equal, its probably best to have all the optional components in sockets so you don't have to guess in advance how many of each of the resulting multiple permutations of logic board you're going to need, so you can pretty much build the less popular combinations "to order". I suspect its more a case of there being engineering reasons for not having things in sockets (e.g. physical space in the ultra-thin laptops).
...although the sort of people who buy iMac Pros with their workstation/server class (& price) components are also the sort who might need more than 32GB of RAM. ...and while its nice to think that "pro" users will buy exactly the spec they need for the job at hand, they do normally have to place their orders through the camel's nether region that is the procurement officer, well known for tricks like cutting the specs to save an illusory buck or two.