Ifixit Teardown of New iMac Complete, Not Friendly For User Repairs

[Phillip Swanson]

Ifixit finished their official teardown of the new iMacs and their findings do not bode well for the tinkerers out there.

Ifixit described the teardown process as an “excercise in disappointment,” due to the new hurdles created by Apple" in terms of the ease of repair. In order to achieve the incredibly slim design the LCD and glass are glued directly to the devices frame, and gaining access to the RAM, CPU and hard disk requires removing the entire logic board.

The late 2012 iMac 21.5″ — code-named EMC 2544 — is an exercise in disappointment for us. We were quite worried when we saw that super-thin bezel during Apple’s keynote, and unfortunately we were correct: the glass and LCD are now glued to the iMac’s frame with incredibly strong adhesive. Gone are the lovely magnets that held the glass in place in iMacs of yesteryear. — iFixit

Ifixit rated the new iMacs a 3/10 in terms of ease of repair, while last years iMacs scored a much more encouraging 7/10. Still, iFixit was impressed with many of the engineering feats crammed into the new iMac's diminutive package. A new hard disk housing design dampens vibrations from other components and the spinning hard drive, a new single fan layout compared to last years three-fan layout, and a dual microphone technology previously only found in mobile devices.

Apple’s philosophy on the future of their devices is clear and unfortunately those who enjoy tinkering with their devices have lost another product line to Apple’s walled-garden.

Source: iFixit [via 9to5Mac]

[luvmytj]

I wonder how hard it will be to add RAM. Sounds like they did away with the small access panel on the back.

[ProfessorJack]

I wonder how hard it will be to add RAM. Sounds like they did away with the small access panel on the back.

that's what i was thinking

if thats the case ill not buy this machine as i need 32GB ram i can crash my quad 27" with 16GB of ram with what im doing on it
i might have got one with the 768SSD but im not paying apple the RAM prices as well
the machine i want is £3500 give or take

this new design has welding problems as well as the screen reflecting problems i think wee might see a re design in 6 months or so

I wonder how hard it will be to add RAM. Sounds like they did away with the small access panel on the back.

http://www.apple.com/uk/imac/performance/

check this out scroll to the bottom right RAM

[lazybearkhoa]

I wonder how hard it will be to add RAM. Sounds like they did away with the small access panel on the back.

Just read the article, it seems you have to unglue your screen and remove the logic board in order to add ram... how troublesome!

[luvmytj]

Whew! I bought the 27" and after further research, IT DOES have an access door! Yippee!
Only the 21.5" requires removal of the glass. I imagine with the 21.5" it is still cheaper the $600 to have it professionally done after you get one.

[ProfessorJack]

Whew! I bought the 27" and after further research, IT DOES have an access door! Yippee!
Only the 21.5" requires removal of the glass. I imagine with the 21.5" it is still cheaper the $600 to have it professionally done after you get one.

So there is a door as i though
ill go into the store to have a look it says on apple web site under performance
that wee the owner can up grade
our own ram installation

i still think the machine is doggy its a new design

[Slim J]

I wonder how hard it will be to add RAM. Sounds like they did away with the small access panel on the back.

An access panel would make sense

[luvmytj]

An access panel would make sense

Well, on the 21.5 version an access panel wouldn't help as the RAM is sandwiched between the screen & logic board. Along with the addition of a door, the RAM slots would need to be relocated. All for the title of "thinnest". I personally don't see the point of a thin desktop... I would rather have accessibility over thin.

[Cokeman]

Well, on the 21.5 version an access panel wouldn't help as the RAM is sandwiched between the screen & logic board. Along with the addition of a door, the RAM slots would need to be relocated. All for the title of "thinnest". I personally don't see the point of a thin desktop... I would rather have accessibility over thin.

I agree, but Apple is out to control every aspect of their products, the hardware & software. They want it so you can't do anything they don't allow. osX will eventually be as locked down as iOS. The only apps for a mac will be available from the Mac AppStore and only what Apple approves. How long before we have to jailbreak Macs?

Important note: Every 21.5-inch iMac comes with 8GB of memory built into the computer. If you think you may need 16GB of memory in the future, it is important to upgrade at the time of purchase, because memory cannot be upgraded later in this model.

from Apple's website.

Why does it matter if the edges are 5mm when the base is 6.9" or 8"?

[trevorrawson]

I'm guessing that it's not possible to add a second HDD? Upgrading to the 3TB fusion drive might put one out of my budget. I like to be able to use my current SSD and just add it to the 1TB HDD included

[Cer0]

Whew! I bought the 27" and after further research, IT DOES have an access door! Yippee!
Only the 21.5" requires removal of the glass. I imagine with the 21.5" it is still cheaper the $600 to have it professionally done after you get one.

They said that from announcement the 21.5 in will not have user upgradable access but the 27in would.

[thazsar]

How the heck am I gonna install a Floppy-Drive in this thing, now?!?!

[stevelucky]

[QUOTE=Cokeman;6720283]I agree, but Apple is out to control every aspect of their products, the hardware & software. They want it so you can't do anything they don't allow. osX will eventually be as locked down as iOS. The only apps for a mac will be available from the Mac AppStore and only what Apple approves. How long before we have to jailbreak Macs?

Oh cut it out. I love all the alarmists that claim that Apple is locking down everything. What aspect of OS X is locked down now more than it ever was before? The hardware isn't getting more "locked down", just tighter designed. This will obviously make things less user serviceable. I'm not saying that it's a good or bad thing, just the way it is. It has absolutely nothing to do with Apple wanting to keep you from accessing it. If you want an user serviceable Apple product, get a Mac Pro. You can still open that up and swap out parts. Yes, iOS is a walled garden. This was a choice that allows them solid performance on every handset. You may hate it, and it may not be for you, but it works and many people love it. OS X (or OS 11 or whatever is soon to come) will still be just as open as it is now. And yes, OS X is built on many open source pieces of software, much more so than Windows. So, let's save the big brother talk for another topic.

[RokeSmoreMeefer]

...i think wee might see a re design in 6 months or so...

Don't hold your breath.

[JacquesChirac]

If you need specs like that, why on earth would you buy an apple computer? You can easily get those specs on a PC for about $1500. In fact, I just bought and modified a PC with almost exactly those specs for that price. Granted, a PC won't come with a monitor nor would it be an all-in-one, but if you're looking for brute power, then you might want to put those quirks aside and save yourself several thousand dollars.

that's what i was thinking

if thats the case ill not buy this machine as i need 32GB ram i can crash my quad 27" with 16GB of ram with what im doing on it
i might have got one with the 768SSD but im not paying apple the RAM prices as well
the machine i want is £3500 give or take

this new design has welding problems as well as the screen reflecting problems i think wee might see a re design in 6 months or so



Apple (United Kingdom) - iMac - Performance

check this out scroll to the bottom right RAM

[hogcia]

that's what i was thinking

if thats the case ill not buy this machine as i need 32GB ram i can crash my quad 27" with 16GB of ram with what im doing on it.

Just wondering what software you use that requires 32gb of ram?

[ohthatguyagain]

The worlds prices on ram and ssds came down over the last year, but apples didn't. Costs 200 bucks for a 256 gb ssd. Or apple can add one for 1000 bucks. Costs 400 bucks for 64 gb of ram. Or apple can add it for 1500 bucks....

Looks like ill definitely have to get the 27", not really in to ungluing the screen and risking my logic board.... Meh. One big, solid, meh.

[ProfessorJack]

If you need specs like that, why on earth would you buy an apple computer? You can easily get those specs on a PC for about $1500. In fact, I just bought and modified a PC with almost exactly those specs for that price. Granted, a PC won't come with a monitor nor would it be an all-in-one, but if you're looking for brute power, then you might want to put those quirks aside and save yourself several thousand dollars.

the answer is simple i use CS4 EXTENDED and CS6 EXTENDED and they are for the mac for screen resolution this screen is wicked
and yes yes yes i could buy the apple monitor on its own and build the PC part up
iv already done that with a sony vaio i stripped it out put a SSD 6GB trans 8GB ram £545 Brand New
and its faster than me mates apple lap top Pro at a whopping £2500

i think these macs with the thing 5mm s might buckle under the heat i see they have added extra cooling round the back

[MMX007]

I think Apple has gone a bit too far with design aspect of this range it wasn't at all absolutely necessary for it to be this thin I know it "looks" futuristic (nothing else futuristic about it) but it does not matter at all, and by losing functionality/flexibility over "looks" who stares at its side for more than 10 seconds? And from the front it looks exactly the same!

I'm eagerly waiting to see how "thinner" will it be for the next series? You can't go backwards can you? I'm well happy with my last years iMac with optical drive, 32 GB RAM, SSD + No blasting fan noise (Yes, I've made a hardware solution&#128521.
Bad Apple!!

[ProfessorJack]

I think Apple has gone a bit too far with design aspect of this range it wasn't at all absolutely necessary for it to be this thin I know it "looks" futuristic (nothing else futuristic about it) but it does not matter at all, and by losing functionality/flexibility over "looks" who stares at its side for more than 10 seconds? And from the front it looks exactly the same!

I'm eagerly waiting to see how "thinner" will it be for the next series? You can't go backwards can you? I'm well happy with my last years iMac with optical drive, 32 GB RAM, SSD + No blasting fan noise (Yes, I've made a hardware solution&#128521.
Bad Apple!!

I never new the last mac or any other mac could handle 32GB of RAM
I have the later 2009 quad 16GB of RAM 27" that's why I was upgrading I hate these sata 7020 speed drives there to slow this drive holds up the turbo effect I need A SSD
I might try and get the last Mac that came out