I'm quite ignorant on the Apple products, and not having much luck with their site, so I hope someone can provide input. Is there a relatively small model that accepts two standard height (9.5mm) internal hard drives? Can I assume correctly that the models with only SSDs listed could not be "upgraded" to a standard hard drive? Thanks,

EBH

Not a huge Apple person either but I do know that there are kits out there to replace the optical drive of just about any MacBook Pro (except the new retina display models) with a second HDD.

Any of the models that use a 2.5" SSD could be "upgraded" with a HDD. MacBook Airs do not use 2.5" drives though.

all the NEW models a factory sealed (pretty much glued shut).there are no afterthought internal options unless they are doing the upgrade and thats pretty much limited to the drive or failed board or screen

Why, do they use some custom Torx or such?

EBH

yes and some components are glued down inside
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-with-Retina-Display-Teardown/9462/1#.T90nJ3B5Eux
http://www.ifixit.com/Tools/MacBook-Pro-and-Air-5-Point-Pentalobe-Screwdriver/IF145-090?utm_source=ifixit_guide&utm_medium=wiki_text&utm_term=if145-090&utm_content=product_link

there's your memory in the middle integrated to the board (wave soldered w the rest of the components)
http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/vkuKGsNkWXXe1BRv

Yikes. It looks disposable.


EBH

Fom what I understand the new non-retina display models are still okay to work on since they're not as thin as the retina display models. Somebody just had a nice 17" model on th buy/sell the other day with dual hard drives, one SSD and one HDD.

But it's their best Mac yet! Tim Cook said so.

You have 2 choices and 2 compromises

We were looking for under 4 lbs.

EBH

simply you then get what you get and accept the compromises.

i look at a computer as a tool and a commodity. i do want relative easy access to its components and am willing to pay the fare for it.

Well, it will not exactly be for me, but I am responsible for it.

EBH

You could do that w/ a 13" MBP and macsales.com 'data doubler' which removes the DVD drive and replaces it w/ a bracket and 2nd HDD.

You may want to move quickly since any replacement MBP that Apple comes out w/ may in fact go the RMBP route and do away w/ actual HDDs in standard form factors.

you mean superduper ipads (those with I/O ports)?

The ssd in the new RMBP (Retina MacBook Pro) are not the standard 2.5" drives. They look like this:

sjms wrote:
you mean superduper ipads (those with I/O ports)?


If you had an iPad as well you'd soon be putting finger prints on your computer screen only to realize that it isn't a touch screen version of the retina display in the iPad.

I reckon Apple went over the top trimming down the retina macbook pro, and didn't give us enough USB 3 or thunderbolt ports on the non-retina 15" MBP - and so I haven't bought either. It might only be a tool but I want my screwdrivers to have a straight shaft instead of a bent one, especially at the premium prices Apple charge.

i won a "new ipad" a few months ago. i refer to it as the slot machine disguised as a notepad. a very limited product to say the least. except for checking email and watching a few flicks and at least now my cable system around a limited area a fairly useless piece of so called "technology". but as they say "free is good". and i forgot with IOS 6 on it and its 200 or so "improvements" i did actually find one useful (Siri not being one of them), it is a marvelous alarm clock (that rips off the Swiss National Railway clock look and they will answer for that i believe)

the future for them and access to your wallet is the "cloud".

I just ordered a SSD to replace the hard drive in my 2010 13 in MacBook Pro. I will be installing the old hard drive where the DVD is currently installed with the aid of a plate replaced the DVD drive and hold the hard drive. I paid about $12 for the plate/mount on Amazon (cheaper version of data doubler howardm4 mentions).

heres a seriously maxed on mbp for sale...

http://diglloyd.com/blog/2012/20121013_2-MacBookPro-for-sale.html