[9to5Mac] IFixit New Retina MacBook Pro, calls it ‘least repairable laptop’ yet. - Page 11

But on the other hand, you can spend far less than that on something else and still come out ahead 4 years later regardless of depreciation. That being said, I honestly couldn't care less if people choose to buy PCs or Macs, but it's seldom about monetary value and value-retention for most people who choose either.

Even with Hackintosh, issues exist due to the large pool of possible computer-part combinations ( feel free to do the math...)

Precisely. That is the only gripe I have with this decision. (I still <3 the display ).
I need to freedom to rip my laptop apart and change almost any component I want.

The average user doesn't fix their own laptop issues (hardware at least) so this won't be a problem for a majority of their buyers.
If they have hardware issues (idk how to trust their temps with Ivy bridge+discrete gpu ... heck even some SB models had issues...), the apple stores will get flooded with unhappy customers.

It all depends on depth of discharge (less discharge / cycle = better battery life) and amount of cycles "spent".

On average ~5-10% is lost every 100 cycles. But it varies depending on how you use your battery. If you keep your battery topped up all the time (better) or drain it completely several times (worse).
There you go http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Maybe it's designed that way?

You are forced to buy Apple care for $349, any repair or upgrades MUST be done through Apple.

$200 for an extra 8GB RAM...

They got rid of the optical drive, but you can buy a "superdrive" for $79.

If you want more internal storage, you HAVE to pay $600 extra and go for the higher end model, which gives you 300 MHZ + 256GB more.

Or you have these amazing external drive options.

Seagate 1TB GoFlex Portable for Mac Thunderbolt Hard Drive Add $279.95
Elgato 240GB Thunderbolt Solid State Drive [Add $699.95]
Promise Pegasus R4 4TB (4x1TB) RAID System [Add $1,149.00]
Promise Pegasus 12TB (6x2TB) R6 RAID System [Add $2,499.00]

All of these upgrades are very lucrative for Apple, it's no wonder Apple is such a profitable company.
Edited by 2010rig - 6/14/12 at 1:25pm

given Ivy's higher temps, umm aren't these macbooks with ivy going to be problematic?

The temps are only higher when overclocking ( more specifically past a certain voltage ), and most laptops have a locked BiOS, so I don't see a problem.

Yes, but still, best case scenario is that Sandy Bridge and Ivy have similar temps on stock, and given the numerous cases of Macbooks with Sandy Bridge overheating.

It would be right to forecast thermal related issues.
Edited by Kand - 6/14/12 at 2:24pm

For what it's worth, my 2007 Macbook has been left powered on for a good 99% of the last 5 years. I still get a good 2 hours of web browsing out of it. Back when it was new it was really only around 4 hours. Considering how much I'v abused it, I'm not too worried about the internal batteries.

Sure you can hack it into a limited set of other hardware, but it takes a bit of work to do it and you end up being forced to use whatever other laptop body that was used on a laptop that had just the right configuration to work. This poses several problems:

-First, the entire point of using OS X is because it's simple and requires little effort on my part to do stuff. I don't want the headache of trying to shoehorn it into alternative hardware.

-Secondly, I'm not buying a laptop to hook up a USB mouse and keyboard. The trackpad has to be large and centered and the keys spaced out a bit. Most laptop's on the market have terrible trackpads and keyboards. Since I actually write code on my laptop (another reason I need OS X) I'm not going to settle for less then my ideal setup. Granted, some laptops are VERY similar to the Macbook keyboard/trackpad style I like, but then there is the issue of shoehorning in OS X assuming the hardware is just right.

-Finally, in my experience, Apple's hardware has been far more reliable then Dell and HP. My family has owned 3 Dell and 1 HP laptop and all have had issues, mostly with the power supply ports or screens, and been abused less then my Macbook. Even when things do go wrong, Apple has great customer service. Your going to pay for it, but it's a premium service over the way repairs work with HP and Dell. In my case, my plastic macbook body developed a crack where the lid closes outside the warranty period. They actually replaced the topcase for free, outside of warranty when I inquired about the cost to fix it. I like fixing my desktop and messing around with it. I like doing tech support for my family. I like working on obscure OS's at work. I also need to take a break from all that and have a laptop that I know will be trouble free and it's not on me to fix it in the off chance something goes wrong. Think of it as sort of a mental vacation from Windows and tinkering.

Apple sells laptops at a poor price to performance ratio. That is the key factor to most people on OCN and I understand that. I am the same way about desktops. I don't want an iMac or Mac Pro and think they are a waste of money (for me). Apple sells more of an experience/service then a product. That's why the OS is locked down. They want total control of the hardware/software integration in order to guarantee that standards are met. I see it as the Nordstrom of the computer market. You pay more then the physical hardware is really worth, but your getting a more headache free, premium experience. Personally, I am willing to pay for that. I'm perfectly ok with dropping some cash to get exactly what I want rolled up into a headache free experience. Some people prefer the more DIY route and don't really mind what the trackpad or keyboard are like, or prefer Windows over OS X. That's perfectly fine too. Neither preference is throwing away money or being a cheapskate.

But of course, I really just buy a Mac because I want to look cool and make people envious of my sexy apple logo.

I agree with everything you said above, as my last 4 laptops were HP and 3 of them had problems. We lucked out on our last laptop, and it's been going strong for 3 years now, without any issues.

You'd be surprised how many people buy MacBook's solely because of your last sentence. You may not be one of them, but there are MANY that do.

What you are saying is that a 6000 mAh lithium battery still has close to 6000 mAh after 700 cycles. Current lithium battery tech says not possible. All lithium batteries degrade quite a bit every year.
Edited by Riou - 6/14/12 at 2:39pm