[GLLUG] So the new Macbook Pro...

Eduardo Cesconetto eduardo at cesconetto.com
Wed Jun 13 23:15:52 EDT 2012


Just a heated debate among friendly nerds :) it's all good!

On Jun 13, 2012, at 10:14 PM, David Crampton wrote:

> I'd get upset about this not really having anything to do with using Linux (Darwin being based on BSD aside), but the original poster asked for it, I think.  Heh.
> 
> On Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 11:10 PM, Eduardo Cesconetto <eduardo at cesconetto.com> wrote:
> 1- Batteries on the compares are replaceable for around $100 bucks by a certified tech with free service, try to get an IBM battery(original) for that price… Good luck with that… And one more thing: they last over 1000 cycles, not the 200 that a good IBM battery will...
> 
> 2- I can take the white iMac apart in 15 minutes(the whole thing), if you can't or can't afford the extra tools, it six to be you…
> 
> 3- I have a 12 year old PowerMac G4 sitting on a basement running as a web server with over 1100 accounts.. how is that not a long life computer?
> 
> 4- My oldest daughter's computer is a 5 year old iMac(the white one…) and run EVERYTHING a new Mac can, so it seems you guys are very misinformed…
> 
> 5- Life cycle of Apple laptops is waaaaayyyyyy longer then any PC laptop BECAUSE they are built better… 
> 
> 6- Apple computers will outlast any PC in the "hand me down" category..
> 
> 7- Been smoking that crack pipe since 1979, still happy :D
> 
> 8- My customers want to be productive, and they are soooo glad they smoke from the same pipe… They can actually spend time making $$$ instead of troubleshooting a shitty OS or geeing out.
> 
> 9 - Good day! I said GOOD DAY!!! (as Fes from That 70's Show)
> 
> <50313_227109984289_2049431_n.jpg>
> 
> Miss you guys! 
> 
> 
> On Jun 13, 2012, at 9:25 PM, Marr wrote:
> 
>> On Wednesday 13 June 2012 20:34:08 Taylor Burke wrote:
>>> Apple is slowly turning the world of computing into a crapshoot. Their new
>>> Macbook features a fused display [...]
>> 
>> Normally, I would not comment on this, given my limited experience with Apple 
>> hardware. But, by complete coincidence, just today I happened to be trying to 
>> get at the hard disk drive in an iMac (one of the polycarbonate-encased ones 
>> with a 20" LCD and a little webcam built in). It turns out to be a friggin' 
>> nightmare and I soon decided that it wasn't worth the effort.
>> 
>> For starters, there are 6 screws on the bottom of the monitor (which is where 
>> the HDD is ensconsed -- deeply, as it turns out) that have to be removed. No 
>> problem, but slightly odd that 2 are Phillips and 4 require a #9 Torx. (Yes, I 
>> know why they do that, but it's still annoying.) Then, of the 4 Torx screws, 1 
>> is slightly longer than the other 3 so make sure you're paying close attention 
>> as you remove them because, unlike my 12-year-old Toshiba Satellite laptop 
>> which I recently disassembled, the position for the longer screw is not marked 
>> near the hole in any fashion. And the longer screw seats easily in 2 of the 4 
>> holes, so just hope that it's not shorting anything out if you happen to pick 
>> the wrong 1 of the 2!
>> 
>> The next obstacle to the HDD access comes with the plastic surrounding the 
>> LCD, which cannot be easily removed because there are 2 hard-to-access 
>> interior clips inside at the top (which I only learned about after trying to 
>> remove the plastic, encountering resistance, and watching a 7-minute YouTube 
>> video that only covered removal of the outer plastic, not even getting 
>> anywhere close to the HDD access/removal!). Releasing those clips requires 
>> what us mechanically inclined types would call an SST (Special Shop Tool). 
>> It's $30 at Apple, but discontinued. YouTube has a video about how to make one 
>> from an old credit card, so get out a pot of boiling water, some tongs, and 3 
>> old CD jewel cases. (Don't forget the old credit card!  I actually have a 
>> couple of those for cracking the cases of things like remote controls and 
>> briefly considered making this SST.)
>> 
>> However, at that point, before wasting too much (more) time on this endeavor, 
>> I figured I should dig a little deeper and found this website showing the 
>> involved process just to get access to the HDD:
>> 
>>   http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/iMac-Intel-20-Inch-EMC-2105-and-2118-
>> Hard-Drive-Replacement/1092/1
>> 
>> That's an excellent guide, but still... "No, thank you", Apple.  Anyone 
>> contemplating an Apple purchase and ever wanting to repair or upgrade should 
>> take a good look at all 23 steps involved in that guide. I sure hope that's 
>> atypical for Apple, but I think I know better, based on what I've heard over 
>> the years and continue to hear, right up to today's thread-starter.
>> 
>> On Wednesday 13 June 2012 20:44:24 Eduardo Cesconetto wrote:
>>> We call it innovation for those who want innovation
>> 
>> That's what Microsoft called it too. It doesn't make what they do innovative. 
>> Or useful. Seeing that nightmare just to get a peek at the HDD made me swear 
>> off ever buying any Apple product. I'm glad that this iMac is a loaner and that 
>> it never cost me a dime because I'd be rather annoyed (correction, "more 
>> annoyed") right now.
>> 
>> On Wednesday 13 June 2012 21:22:31 Eduardo Cesconetto wrote:
>>> Upgrading RAM to the same motherboard is a waste of time and effort for
>>> most people, maybe not for us geeks, dweebs, nerds, etc… Do you believe a
>>> lawyer, dentist, doctor, engineer o any other professional would spend
>>> time even thinking of gaining 3.765% speed by replacing RAM?
>> 
>> Funny you mention RAM. That's the _ONLY_ thing on this iMac that's easy to 
>> upgrade! Not counting the mouse or the keyboard, of course. :^)  There are 2 
>> Phillips screws and a couple of pop-out levers to leverage out the RAM. If so 
>> few people upgrade the RAM, then why is that the thing that they make so easy 
>> to upgrade? Yeah, I know you're talking laptop and I'm talking desktop, but I 
>> think the point is still applicable.
>> 
>> On Wednesday 13 June 2012 21:22:31 Eduardo Cesconetto wrote:
>>> Think about Taylor, if you are not building your PC and you decide to buy a
>>> brand name one, it'll have a warranty seal on it, so technically, you
>>> can't upgrade that unless you WANT to void your warranty…
>> 
>> Huh?!? The last 2 laptops I bought (both Toshiba, but I have no affiliation with 
>> them) had easily accessible doors to upgrade the RAM with no warranty-voiding 
>> whatsoever.  Just how long have you been smoking the Apple crack-pipe, 
>> Eduardo?
>> 
>> Still, I'm glad that Apple is out there for some competition. And, of course, 
>> people are free to buy what they like. Some people never even think about 
>> touching the "innards" -- more power to them if that is what they want/like 
>> and can live with and/or are willing to pay Apple to repair/upgrade. But I'm a 
>> DIY guy deep in the core and just cannot fathom such unmaintainable and 
>> (effectively) non-upgrade-able hardware. Reasonably easy RAM and HDD access is 
>> _required_ on even a laptop PC and especially on a desktop PC. And yes, I'm 
>> old enough to remember when even Apples were called PCs and I still consider 
>> them PCs.
>> 
>> Bill
>> _______________________________________________
>> linux-user mailing list
>> linux-user at egr.msu.edu
>> http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> linux-user mailing list
> linux-user at egr.msu.edu
> http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Dave Crampton
> --
> http://davidmcrampton.com
> --
> _______________________________________________
> linux-user mailing list
> linux-user at egr.msu.edu
> http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/public/linux-user/attachments/20120613/1124262f/attachment-0001.html>


More information about the linux-user mailing list