I mean, I like mine, but:
There are FAR fewer servers to be sold than client machines. So if they’re trying to maximize the return on their R&D, they were right to get out of the server game. And there are the dorks like me who’ll open up a machine to fix/tinker/upgrade, but I’m in the (tiny) minority of users. So where’s the incentive to develop products for us?
Just how it is, I suppose.
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Obviously, they have something for their own use. The development work has been done…even if it is virtual servers, share the recipe.
For me it’s a message that users will no longer be allowed to buy less expensive RAM or storage drives. Apple has always charged a premium for both, now there is no practical work around. 
I just upgraded my current obsolete MBP by maxing out the RAM and may upgrade the storage drive - giving my laptop a much needed boost in utility. However, I think the most offensive thing is still the non-user replaceable batteries. Batteries have a lifespan that is less than the lifespan I expect of a $2500 laptop. At this point I think it should be illegal for consumer devices over a certain price point from having non-user replaceable batteries. The amount of waste in throwing away entire devices because the batteries are dead is insane (or even just having to ship entire computers back and forth rather than letting a user replace the battery themselves).
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You don’t get it though. Making it impossible for the customer to replace and/or repair Apple electronics is what makes them so thin. I can practically shave with an iPhone. [/s]
Much wow. Very thin.
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Yeah, I’m really getting annoyed with Apple’s thinness obsession. But then, form over function has been an Apple thing for years. My MBP has the track pad perfectly centered, even though my hands are actually offset when touch typing on the keyboard and that proper ergonomic positioning would be centered relative to my hands, not the laptop case. Grrr…
Perhaps Apple’s greatest trick has been getting people to talk about how many units “thin” a device is rather than how many units thick it is, while forgetting to change the modifiers. A computer wouldn’t be “only” a half an inch thin if one is bragging about it. “Only” would apply to how thick it is, as in it’s good that it is “only” so thick. (I tried to look up an example via Google to see if I’m characterizing this accurately, but the first hit linked to the LPSG…so, I’m just gonna hope I remember this right… 
)
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My glamorous “hacking” laptop is an olde MPC T3100. It’s about ten years old, runs a Pentium M, and has almost all of the ports. It’s got RS232 serial, parallel, PS2, USB, Firewire, ethernet, modem, S video, VGA, audio, and SPDIF - which is why I still find this dinosaur useful. It’s heavy, but I don’t care. It’s got PC card. For clandestine use, the hard drive can be pulled out with no tools, and it has fingerprint biometrics for access which IIRC only work in Windows. It was dirt cheap used so i got a few of them years ago.
Something that crashes at the drop of a hat with a failing ssd is worth nothing.
The obnoxious thing about focusing on making products thinner is that it makes it impossible to create something that’s durable, has a good battery life or has enough space for computing or other things people would want (headphone jack anyone?). People end up slapping a case on their cellphones making the claims of thinness kind of pointless.
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Now you’re not even responding to my point. Which was, you can flip a machine right as the 3-year AppleCare is ending, and do OK for yourself, pumping that right back into a new machine. Heck, you can even get a cheap 2 or 3-year FMV lease, and permanently have the almost-newest machine, for the low monthly price of… There is no need to “hold on to a Mac to the bitter end” as you imply, just because it’s a more expensive computer. Jeep Wranglers are pretty expensive, but they hold their value better than almost every other vehicle, so you can always resell at very little loss. Consider it a usage fee, and get on with life, dude.
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Why? It would certainly be useful in the situation we were discussing…
God I love that movie
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There is a chipset that they could have used/could use in another potential model that doesn’t exist that supports 32 and 64GB configs, and other people have these things on the market now, so why can’t Apple? I have a new pimped-out 13" MBP Touchpad on order right now, and I think the new machines are nice. But I TOTALLY agree that another model should exist that is akin to the ones from other manufacturers, that is larger and heavier, which are the tradeoffs using this other chipset would require. I’m sure Apple could do a 1" thick, 5 lbs MBP that would be sick. And I’m sure they could also release a really sick pro desktop that people would love. Why they don’t do these things is beyond me.
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You’re talking about machines that get 10 hours of battery life these days. If over 3-5 years the battery is half that, is it REALLY such a big deal?
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Ah, my other peve with Apple and its immitators, including Samsung and Google. Stop making delicate phones glass that will hit the ground when dropped. I put cases on my phone to get a raised rim to protect the glass from impacting flat surfaces.
Well, now that the Apple logo will no longer glow, it will be easier for me to just put an Apple sticker on a Windows laptop…
I’ve been using Apple for decades, but the the under powered, dongles required, too thin to be upgradable or have an SD card reader new laptops may push me out of the Apple eccosystem, something that is a lot easier now that Adobe is subscription only and my main software won’t cost anything to switch platforms… Sigh… On the other hand, Win is still the preferred platform to pw0n… 
True on being potentially more vulnerable on Windows though it really comes down to safe sex browsing and best practices. I’m a Windows user and rarely have had issues, though i tend to be pretty cautious and doubt that would change if i was using Apple’s OS.
My lower back is happy with less weight. Also thinner laptops and optimized packaging translates to improved logistics and fuel consumption which is in theory good for everyone.
My 2011 MBA has been around the world a few times and hardly treated with kid gloves.
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OTH, something you can use longer because it is durable, upgradable and fixable is better for the environment and pocket book. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Unfixable = too much stuff in landfills.
My 2011 MBA is still going strong. I usually get at least 6 years out of Apple laptops
My last laptop was an 15.4" gaming laptop, it was heavy but not unwieldy. I carried that damn thing everywhere with me and on many many flights and travels, it survived having a drink poured on it and years later had a HDD crash toward the end of me owning it. Best laptop i ever owned.
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Probably lighter than my 17" beast which isn’t ‘a gaming laptop’ but it does have a fair enough nvidia chip to play most things I want to play. I don’t tote about out of the house often though.
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