OWC has torn apart the new Thunderbolt equipped iMac and unveiled some rather troubling news for users who wish to replace their hard drives.
For the main 3.5? SATA hard drive bay in the new 2011 machines, Apple has altered the SATA power connector itself from a standard 4-pin power configuration to a 7-pin configuration. Hard drive temperature control is regulated by a combination of this cable and Apple proprietary firmware on the hard drive itself.
In short, if one tries to replace it, it won’t work. One will have to take it in to Apple in order to make any repairs.
The obvious drawback is when the warranty has expired (or if one doesn’t care about the warranty), one cannot go and simply buy another hard drive to upgrade the iMac. Also, when the drive inevitably dies, the user is SOL.
Apple has gone an extra mile to ensure users aren’t even tempted to open up their all in one iMac and in doing so may have further increased their reputation of being closed and proprietary.
Let’s be honest tho, this will most likely not affect sales being how general consumers and Mac customers usually do not care about hard drive space or speed. Also, with the inclusion of Thunderbolt ports, SATA may not be as revenant in a few years.
(via OWC)
Comments