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Why does the 64GB SSD cost $1000?

J

JTag

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
27
0
Sorry to be the dumb one here but...

Here is what I figure:
32GB iPod Touch = $500... so 2 x 32GB iPod Touch (64GB of flash memory total) = $1000

So why does Apple not put two 32GB of flash memory (from the Touch) into the MBA? It would certainly cost less than $1000 because they do not need to include the iPod Touch hardware. I know that the iPod Touch and MBA do not use the same type of flash memory, but why doesn't Apple put the flash memory used in the Touch in the MBA?
 
MazingerZ

MazingerZ

macrumors 6502
Aug 22, 2007
262
2
JTag said:
Sorry to be the dumb one here but...

Here is what I figure:
32GB iPod Touch = $500... so 2 x 32GB iPod Touch (64GB of flash memory total) = $1000

So why does Apple not put two 32GB of flash memory (from the Touch) into the MBA? It would certainly cost less than $1000 because they do not need to include the iPod Touch hardware. I know that the iPod Touch and MBA do not use the same type of flash memory, but why doesn't Apple put the flash memory used in the Touch in the MBA?
Click to expand...

Performance.
 
robrose20

robrose20

macrumors 6502
Jun 5, 2007
275
0
JTag said:
Sorry to be the dumb one here but...

Here is what I figure:
32GB iPod Touch = $500... so 2 x 32GB iPod Touch (64GB of flash memory total) = $1000

So why does Apple not put two 32GB of flash memory (from the Touch) into the MBA? It would certainly cost less than $1000 because they do not need to include the iPod Touch hardware. I know that the iPod Touch and MBA do not use the same type of flash memory, but why doesn't Apple put the flash memory used in the Touch in the MBA?
Click to expand...

Its actually a good deal. Newegg sells 64 gb SSD for about $1500.00, the 128 GB goes for about $3000.00.
 
hayduke

hayduke

macrumors 65816
Mar 8, 2005
1,177
2
is a state of mind.
Some enterprising young lad should buy a few MBAs with SSDs. Then, replace the SSDs with hard drives. Then sell the reconfigured MBAs at the current retail price and sell the SSDs at retail and pocket a few hundred dollars. Wash, rinse, and repeat, until you have a "free" MBA. What do the 80GB HDs retail for? You might get there after 10-12 machines.
 
ob81

ob81

macrumors 65816
Jun 11, 2007
1,406
356
Virginia Beach
After the benchmarks from Ars, I have no idea why. At best it matched the battery life of the HDD. Which is a lame 2.75 hrs roughly. It also is no fatser in real world tasks that a 4200rpm iPod drive. Ironically people stress the fact that it doesn't crash. I have owned like 7 or 8 laptops in my 27 years, and not 1 of my HD 's crashed.
Hey, if you slam your Macbook Air down to the ground though, technically it should still work (The SSD).

Not convinced.
 
A

ahaxton

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2008
552
0
Flash drive and SSD are two different things. If they were the same thing we'd be using flash drives by default for years in our computers.
 
J

JustinEvil

macrumors newbie
Jul 15, 2004
28
0
At my local apple store I set up the 17 inch macbook pro next to the SSD macbook air. The air was opening applications much much faster than the pro. SSD makes a difference.
 
N

n8kwx

macrumors newbie
Jan 31, 2008
15
0
JTag said:
Sorry to be the dumb one here but...

Here is what I figure:
32GB iPod Touch = $500... so 2 x 32GB iPod Touch (64GB of flash memory total) = $1000

So why does Apple not put two 32GB of flash memory (from the Touch) into the MBA? It would certainly cost less than $1000 because they do not need to include the iPod Touch hardware. I know that the iPod Touch and MBA do not use the same type of flash memory, but why doesn't Apple put the flash memory used in the Touch in the MBA?
Click to expand...

I see two factors in the price:

Whenever you shop memory there come a point where double the memory costs more than double the price. A 32 GB SSD could be less than $500 but would be next to useless in a laptop.

Also quantity pricing. Apple buys the bare chips in bulk and sells millions of iPods. In the SSD drive case, Apple is paying (Samsung?) for an already assembled drive (Samsung makes a profit too) and they quantities are probably a LOT lower.

SSDs are in their infancy right now. Within a year there will be BIG drops in price as the quantities sold rise.
 
P

PlaceofDis

macrumors Core
Jan 6, 2004
19,241
6
there is a difference between the flash drives of the ipods/thumb drives and the SSD that the macbook air uses.

the SSD drive will have faster read/write times, along with more reliability and a different interface than that of the flash you see all over the place.

basically the SSD is the newest tech with the best performance in its class so it costs big bucks.

flash is in everything and being bought big time, thus being so cheap.
 
A

ahaxton

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2008
552
0
PlaceofDis said:
there is a difference between the flash drives of the ipods/thumb drives and the SSD that the macbook air uses.

the SSD drive will have faster read/write times, along with more reliability and a different interface than that of the flash you see all over the place.

basically the SSD is the newest tech with the best performance in its class so it costs big bucks.

flash is in everything and being bought big time, thus being so cheap.
Click to expand...

Yup, SSD is built to replace a HDD. Way different manufacturing than flash memory in an ipod.
 
squeeks

squeeks

macrumors 68040
Jun 19, 2007
3,393
15
Florida
barefeats

barefeats

macrumors 65816
Jul 6, 2000
1,058
19
HDD vs SSD - QuickBench results

I just posted extensive test results of random and sequential read/write tests using block sizes from 4KB to 100MB:
http://www.barefeats.com/macair1.html

BOTTOMLINE: The SSD does small random read/write faster than any existing notebook drive. That's why it boots fast, launches fasts, wakes fast, and does virtual memory efficiently.
 
clayj

clayj

macrumors 604
Jan 14, 2005
7,648
1,384
visiting from downstream
bluedoggiant said:
I don't see a difference, one 64gb ssd, or 2x32gb ssd from the touch both equal $1000.
Click to expand...
The RAM in an iPod Touch or an iPhone is NOT an SSD. It's not the same in terms of read/write speed or number of writes before the memory fails. Saying that they are the same thing is like saying that kerosene and aviation fuel are the same thing... sure, they both burn and you can drive an engine with them, but they don't burn the same and they don't deliver equal amounts of power per gallon. An SSD is qualitatively superior to the Flash memory in a thumbdrive or iPod Touch in virtually every way, and therefore it costs more per gigabyte.
 
clayj

clayj

macrumors 604
Jan 14, 2005
7,648
1,384
visiting from downstream
MacBooksRock said:
you can get a 8 gig for like $30... at walmart..
Click to expand...
Perhaps, but (again) this is a pointless comparison.

Flash memory such as that found in thumbdrives, iPod Touches, and iPhones is NOT THE SAME as the memory in an SSD. You're comparing a WW I Sopwith Camel to an F-22 Raptor; they're both airplanes, but one is superior to the other and costs more as a result.
 
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